My kingdom
for a pin …
Pinhole photography in the
land of the lens
As many may be (or may not be) aware, you can do a lot with
pins. You could hold your trousers up; put a picture on a wall;
mark the places you have visited on a map and of course, you
can also make a camera. Pinhole cameras aren't new, but that's
rather the point (excuse the pun) of an exhibition in Kyoto titled
'Pinhole Planet' at GALLERY SPACE △○□ (pronounced 'Maru-
Sankaku-Shikaku'). In this show, the works of 12 photographers
from around the globe have been brought together as if to remind
us of photography's origins; and its origins are so very simple.
 Imagine a tiny hole in a cave. All the light of the world squeezes
itself through that hole and projects itself on the back of the
cave. No lens and no photographer. This is Nature essentially
drawing itself. This simple natural occurring process was noted
as early as 5th Century BC by Aristotle in ancient Greece as well
as by Mo Ti in China, who referred to the hole as a 'collecting
place'. The concept was developed further during the 18th and
19th centuries until the longing to preserve the image arose in
the early 19th century. This desire initiated a race between Louis
Daguerre, Nicéphore Niépce and Henry Fox Talbot to be the first
to fix this 'nature drawing'. Whoever won, is not clear but their
efforts, along with further developments along the way, led to
what we call photography today. But is photography really the
same anymore? Daguerre, Niépce and Fox Talbot had to wait
a considerably long time to see what they had taken but their
efforts were paid off as the image gradually appeared before
their eyes like magic. Nowadays the image appears almost
'too quickly' as we seem to have lost interest in the magic of
the process and in an age where we seem so distracted by the
resulting image, an emphasis on this magic could be refreshing.
Organized by John Ashburne, "This exhibition brings together a
group of international artists who are using the pinhole medium
in creative and meaningful ways that go beyond the traditional
stereotype of pinhole photography as a hobbyist's pastime".
A simple process it may be but to create a good quality image
requires time, patience, experimentation, knowledge and an
understanding of the medium; qualities which the 12 photographers
contributing to this exhibition know something about.
New Mexico-based Eric Renner and Nancy Spencer are the
founders of the 'Pinhole Resource' and recognized pioneers of
the US 'pinhole renaissance'. Bethany de Forest, a Dutch artist
creates miniature sugar 'universes'. New Orlean's based Brice
Bischoff used pinhole images to document the devastation of
Hurricane Katrina. Other contributors include Hong Kong's
famed camera craftsman, Zernike Au, as well as Thai artist
Sivanon Nax Chaichorfa; Italian Stefano Bandini; Kyoto Journal's
founding editor, John Einarsen; Kanto's Ed Levinson; and the
writer/photographer John Ashburne, all based in Japan.
These photographers are also united in their quest for seeking
new ways of 'seeing' without hinging on convenience and technology,
a point which John is keen to affirm: "We deliberately
set out to be slow and simple. The long exposures demanded
by our simple equipment force us to slow down, which in turn
encourages reflection. We simply have no choice but to wait,
which is a rather rare and undervalued activity in our high tech,
high-speed lifestyles."
John and the others are not alone in the wish to slow down,
as Pinhole Planet is one of nine pinhole art exhibitions being
held in Kyoto from mid-May to June 3rd under the auspices
of the newly formed PPAS - Pinhole Photography Art Society.
Symposiums will also accompany the exhibitions at Kyoto Zokei
University on Sat June 2nd and Sun June 3rd (a small fee is required
but reservations aren't), at which some of the artists will
be present. For a hole so small, the chasm of possibilities beyond
it is so large, limited only by patience.
Text: Gary McLeod • Images: Proviede by John Ashburne
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