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Japan
Individual Paper
Over the course of the past decade, Ishiuchi’s photographs of objects left behind by victims of war make up an interesting collection of images where materiality is stressed—illustrating how reproductions can be both timelessly historic and powerfully delicate. For this reason, by taking a closer look at a few select images from her body of work, this paper focuses on how Ishiuchi's ひろしま/Hiroshima series goes beyond the picture frame and illuminates the ways in which photography can capture an object’s materiality and bring the past into the present—turning the photographed object into one that is deeply entangled in history. This paper will argue how Ishiuchi's works function in two ways: both as an image of an object and as an object in itself. In doing so, we can begin to ascertain different ways of seeing and interpreting how photography has exemplified and altered the viewer experience of these objects leftover from the bombings at Hiroshima. Most importantly, this paper emphasizes how Ishiuchi’s works help reveal how history is never simply linear but rather complex, deeply personal, and highly charged. Thus, demonstrating that the ways in which she photographs and displays her images can result in a particular kind of experience that provide opportune moments for viewers to focus on how photography as a medium can form connections with its subject and its audience.
Alice Phan
Ohio State University