TTP - Hayahisa Tomiyasu

I’ve been exploring the idea of the passing of time in my work, and have so far used 3 key subjects to depict this. I started by documenting my coffee cup each day,  then the front of my house, and also have Shinya send me a photo of a street corner near our Osaka apartment every day. Of the three, I think the Osaka shots are the most effective and interesting, especially as a single cherry blossom tree is included in the frame, and it is rapidly changing as spring turns to summer.

A photographer that has also explored this notion of  using the same frame and documenting the events that occur there is Hayahisa Tomiyasu. He photographs a public ping pong table from outside of his window, and as the seasons change, we can see it used in many different ways by members of the general public.

This photobook was the winner of the 2018 Mack First Photo Book award. The statement on the Mack First Photo Book website (2) states that, “each image is similarly composed, while the times of day, the seasons and the visitors to the table change. As we turn the page the function of the table mutates, from a tischtennisplatte (table tennis table) to a sun bed, a skate obstacle, a laundry counter, a kids’ climbing frame, a work-out meeting spot, and a refuge from busy streets, among numerous other uses.”

(1) Tomiyasu, H 2012-16, TT, photographic series, viewed 17 April 2020, <http://www.tomiyasuhayahisa.com/ttp/>

(2) First Photobook Award, 2020, 2018 Winner: TTP by Hayahisa Tomiyasu, viewed 17 April 2020, <https://www.firstbookaward.com/2018/>