Otari

Today I will be reviewing Keiko Nomura’s photobook, Otari- Pristine Peaks (1). Before reading anything about this photobook, I decided to watch a video flip-through of it (2) so that I could view the images without any context or backstory. I wanted to focus on the images and the book itself, with not pre-conceived notions of what I was looking at.

To begin with, I noticed the simplicity of the layout used. Unlike many photobooks that I have been viewing as of late, there are no gatefolds, small attachments, secret flaps or min fold-out areas. The book maintains the traditional form of a book, with no flashy additions. I feel that this is quite refreshing, as it allows the viewer to simply focus on the images in the book, rather than being wowed or distracted by the intricacies of the book’s binding or layout. At the same time, this means that there is a greater focus on the strength of the images, as they must maintain the viewer’s interest. And they do! The images are not over the top or strong statements in themselves, but they are honest and natural in nature. There is the occasional line or two of text, but it is unobtrusive and sits neatly in the corner, always on its own page. 

(3)

The book does seem to place an importance on nature. Of course, the photographer is working in an area that is quite rural, so the natural landscape is very apparent, and always present. I noticed that as the book progressed, the seasons began to flow too. The book starts very white and stark, with images of snow, hunting, and blood. These images seem cold and harsh, and have a slightly uninviting feel to them. From there, the colour palette explodes with the rich oranges of fire, which give way to a sudden burst of green and vibrant, lush images depicting the arrival of spring. With this, the subject matter moves away from animal carcasses to live animals, and the female human belly, plump with pregnancy. From there, the book transitions into deep oranges and golds of Autumn, and the focus moves back to the landscape itself. And then it ends, coming full circle to return to winter.

The changing of seasons is very important in Japanese culture, and I feel that this book depicts them in a subtle way. In using the natural cycle of the landscape to act as a type of narrative, the book flows easily, and viewers are encouraged to look at it again for a second, third, and fourth time, repeating that cycle. I think that the book also rewards those that continue turning pages past the harsh whites of the wintery images- just as those that inhabit the landscape are rewarded by the fruits of spring once they have endured the cold winter.

As a photobook, I think that it is simple in terms of layout and binding, but this simplicity supports the work. Nature is simple, and best viewed ‘as it is,’ undisturbed by human construction. Nomura’s photobook replicates that feeling- the photos speak loudest when they are unadorned by too much peripheral collateral. 

(1) Nomura, K 2018, Otari - Pristine Peaks, Super Labo, Kamakura.

(2) Cockroft, J 2019, Unboxing Keiko Nomura’s ‘Otari - Pristine Peaks’, video, viewed 10 May 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvIO6p6Fwi0>

(3) ShaSha 2020, viewed 10 May 2020, <https://www.shashasha.co/en/book/otari-pristine-peaks>