制作の動機

新しい旅の始まり/ Starting a New Journey
ほとんどの人には誰かしら亡くなった大切な人がいる。それは家族や最愛のパートナー、友人達かもしれない。私たちは大切な故人を忘れがたく、時に鮮やかに思い出す。だが、その亡くなった人への思いは時に複雑で、その大きさや深さに囚われてしまうことはないだろうか。
2009年に父を、2015年に長い闘病の末に亡くなった母を見送ったとき、私はどうにも割り切れない思いに囚われた。とくに10年以上介護することになった母について、いくら考えても複雑に思いは絡まるばかりで、この思いをどう抱えて生きていけば良いのかと考えた。それがこの作品を作るきっかけとなった。そして、この作品を作る過程は、いわゆる「喪の作業」だったのではと思う。

Most of us has lost someone dear to us at some point. It could be a family member, a beloved partner, orfriends. We yearn not to forget our cherished departed ones and sometimes recall them vividly. But aren't ourfeelings towards those who have passed away complex? Aren’t we sometimes trapped by the magnitude andthe depth of these feelings?
In 2009, I lost my father, and in 2015, I bid farewell to my mother who passed away after a long battle with anillness. The unresolved feelings, especially regarding my mother, whom I had cared for over a decade, havebeen tangled in complexity. No matter how much I pondered, the thoughts only became more entwined,leaving me wondering how to carry these emotions through life. This quandary was what led me to create thisseries. And, I believe, the process of creating this work was essentially a form of 'grieving process’.

作品の説明
長い闘病の果てに母が亡くなり、その後、随分と旅をした。海を巡る旅が多かったのは、母が生前海を見たいといっていたことが心に残っていたからだ。海と空が繋がる向こうを眺めていると母との記憶が蘇った。
今、母は死者となりこの世にいない。だがその存在は、生きていた時より重く深く、心を占めることがある。それは亡くなった母との関係を、もう新たにすることができないせいかもしれない。
旅した場所の一つに恐山という霊場があった。死者と語り合える場所として知られ、訪れた人々は様々な思いを抱えて亡き人を弔う。不思議な景観をもつこの場所は静かで、母と語らうにふさわしい場所に思えた。
弔いとはなんだろう。死者への供養とはなんだろう。自分の内部に存在する死者、死者と自分との関係、死者に紐づく様々な記憶。それが折り合いのつかないものであっても、そのままに抱えて生きる覚悟を持つための儀式ではないのか。そう自覚した時、母との記憶を抱えて生きるというより、むしろ自分に同化されたような感覚があった。そして、不思議な孤独感を感じた。それはこれまでにないもので、悲しくもあったが、新たな旅を始める前のような高揚感にも似ていた。

After enduring a prolonged illness, my mother passed away. Since them, I've embarked on many journeys. My travels
often led me to the sea, inspired by a lingering memory of my mother's wish to gaze upon the ocean and feel its breeze.
As I stared into the horizon where the sea meets the sky, memories of her vividly returned to me.
In her absence, her presence feels more profound, almost heavier and deeper in my heart. Perhaps it's because I know ourrelationship can no longer evolve. One of my destinations was Osorezan, a spiritual site steeped in over a thousand years,
located at the northernmost tip of Honshu Island. It's a place believed to facilitate communication with the departed.
There, surrounded by its unique and serene landscape, I felt it was the perfect place to converse with her.
What does it mean to mourn for a departed soul? It might involve feeling the person deep within, recalling your sharedexperiences, and the complex emotions intertwined in those memories – even if they're unresolved.
I realized mourning is a ritual of preparing to live with these memories.
Upon this realization, I felt as though my mother's memories had merged into my being, rather than just coexistingalongside me. It left me an unexpected sense of solitude, a feeling new to me. Although tinged with sadness, there wasalso an uplifting sense of anticipation, akin to the excitement felt at Starting a new journey.

自己紹介千代田路子

https://www.michikochiyoda-jp.com/

大学ではグラフィックデザインを専攻、同時に写真を学ぶ。卒業後は広告代理店にデザイナーとして就職するが、光学メーカーの広報宣伝部門への転職を機に本格的に写真による作品作りを始める。個人的な体験からテーマを見出し、物語性を重視した作品作りを目指している。また、写真を通じて社会に貢献したいと伝統芸能の活動の撮影や、アーティストとの共同作品制作にも力を注いでいる。

Michiko Chiyoda

https://www.michikochiyoda.com/

In junior college, I majored in graphic design while also studying
photography. After graduation, I started working as a designer at anadvertising agency. However, a career shift to the PR andpromotion department of an optics manufacturer marked thebeginning of my serious engagement with photography and thecreation of photographic works. Drawing inspirations frompersonal experiences, I aim to create works that emphasize
narrative and storytelling. Additionally, I am committed tocontributing to communities through photography, including
capturing traditional performing arts and collaborating with artists
to create joint works.

■Personal Exhibition
2024 : “Oshichi” Nukunuku , Saitama
2023：“Two Journeys, One Story” pieni deux, Okayama
2021：” Restoration of Five Hundred Rakan Statues/The Inheritance of Prayers ”
JCII club25 & Rakan temple(2022)
2020 : ”I am ready to dream a dream with her ” Stripe house Gallery, Tokyo &Hiroshima
2019 : “Two Journeys, One Story” Fondo Malerba Foto Graphia, Italy
2019 : “Oshichi” “Starting a New Journey” Roonee 247 fine arts gallery, Tokyo
2018 : “SOMEBANA /Flower in Bliss” at Stripe house Gallery, Tokyo & Hiroshima
2013 : “Sound from the sky” Gallery space M, Saitama
2010 : “Abyss of time” Totem Pole Photo Gallery, Tokyo
2008 : “M House” Kodak gallery, Tokyo
2003 : “Shimouchimagi” Gallery 1/f, Tokyo■Overseas Festivals
2021-22：RECONEXIÓN Uruguay
2021：International Photo Project in Milan
2019 : Novosibirsk International Festival of Contemporary Photography“DIFFERENT DIMENSION 2019” in Russia■Group Exhibition
2023 : “SEEING SPIRIT” Stripe house Gallery, Tokyoand many others■Permanent Collection
Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego, CA., U.S.
Fondo Malerba Foto Graphia, Italy
Tenonzan Five Hundred Rakan Temple, Japan■Award2023：Etherea Gallery-Virtually03 finalist
2023：London International Creative Competition short list
2021：2021 Critical Mass Top200
2021：Urban Photo Award finalist2019 : The Center for Fine Art Photography “SELF AND
FAMILY” :selected artist
2018 : 2018 Critical Mass Top200
2017 : Finalists of the 2017 Black & White Awards by Dodho magazine
2016 : "15 Talented Asian Photographers" by Dodho magazine.
2016 : " Honorable Mention" in Black and White International Award.
2016 : ONWARD Compe 16’ 2015 : A further 40 photographers by ESPYAward 2015.