幾個月前，在日本興起一個話題，透過一個人拿手機拍照的姿勢，就能分辨出你是年輕人還是老年人。結論是這樣的：如果你會以手指蓋著手機的背部，你就是年輕人；如果只拿手機的四角的話，你就不再是年輕人了。電視台訪問老人為什麼不願意觸碰手機的背面，一位伯伯回答：「以前的相機鏡頭都很大，腦袋已經習慣了不可以將手擺在鏡頭前了。」根據統計，抱有這種想法的分水嶺大概在25歲。
的確，現時相機的必要性降得很低了，在不遠的將來，相機會變成一項小眾玩意也說不定，就像曾經被認為出門時不可或缺的帽子和手杖一樣。
如此，人類對於相機的體感和記憶也會隨之消失吧。往後，年輕人都不再知道，為什麼有人拍照時，會閉上一隻眼睛。
花代出生於1970大坂萬博年。13歲開始使用父親留下來給她的舊Olympus Pen拍照。高中赴巴黎見學一年後決定退學，進入東京向島地區的花柳界見習，目標成為日本藝妓。1995年自花柳界引退，以Hanayo（花代）的名字推出攝影作品，同年誕下女兒Tenko（点子）。目前花代以攝影家、日本藝妓、音樂人、模特兒等多重身份於東京和柏林從事藝術活動。
Keep an Eye Shut是花代拍照以來的攝影合集，每張照片都標上年份。20多年來，她拍下了無數過曝、晃動的美麗底片。無論身處柏林、東京或是上海，她拍下的場景分享著同一種如夢的氣息，彷彿隨身攜帶著自己的世界，透過自我溫柔而瘋狂的濾鏡觀看世界。對我來說，那些照片記錄的不只是生活，而是溢出日常生活以外的場景。一些如果缺少相機和底片的話，就無法被感知的畫面。
德國藝術家Kai Althoff在攝影集的序言中，說他從來沒有見過花代拿出相機拍照。他想像花代可能根本沒有使用任何裝置，而是使用一雙赤裸的眼睛拍照。當化學藥水沖洗、浸泡負片時，就會將她的心和神經迴路直接展現在底片上。
Kai說，我們觀看花代的照片時，真正看到的是組成她靈魂結構的不同平面。
一開始接過父親的相機時，花代專注於拍攝玩偶和昆蟲寂寞而安靜的世界。女兒Tenko進入她的生命後，小小的玩偶開始從照片中消失，人類開始進入她的鏡頭中。
Tenko成年時，花代出版了一本紀錄著女兒成長的攝影集「点子」。對花代來說，這是一個階段的結束象徵。從這時開始，她就進入了第3個階段，開始以抽像的色彩拍攝日常的光線與風景。
由1996年的一片晚霞開始，到2020年在樹影下定格的兩隻蝴蝶，年份的數字一直前進著，但時間感卻是缺席的，不會令人產生什麼正在消逝著的惋惜。或者可以說，每幀照片都以最優美的手勢，將時間俐落地切割出來。
這本收集了橫跨花代3個階段的照片，以Keep an Eye Shut這個姿態總結了花代的攝影觀：使用相機拍照時，我們會閉上一隻眼睛，攫取的也只有一半的現實。
可是，不一定要追求完全清澈的視野。美感的源頭，有時，就來自遮蔽的另一半中。
A few months ago, an interesting discussion circulated around Japan. It was said that how you hold your mobile phone while taking pictures with it could reveal your age. You are probably a youngster if you hold the phone with your fingers placed at the back of it, and you are likely from an older generation if you cup the four corners of the phone with your fingers. An older man was asked by a TV reporter why he leaves his fingers off the back of his phone while taking a photo and he replied, “The camera lens used to be so big, so I got used to keeping my fingers away from the lens and only gripping onto the sides of the camera.” Statistics reveal that people of 25 years or above think similarly to this old man.
Indeed, traditional cameras are no longer as popular as they used to be. In the near future it’s likely that they will turn into a niche interest that appeals only to a small number of people — just like how a hat and cane were once indispensable to a gentlemen’s outfit; they are no longer a must in modern fashion.
I suppose, people will eventually forget what it feels like to hold a camera. And sooner or later, the younger generations will have no knowledge as to why we used to close one eye when taking pictures.
Hanayo was born in 1970, the year in which the world’s fair, Expo ’70, was held in Osaka. Hanayo began taking pictures at the age of 13 using an old Olympus Pen gifted to her by her father. During high school, she spent a year studying in Paris, and soon after her return to Japan, she decided to drop out of school and began training as a geisha apprentice in the hanamachi of Tokyo’s Toshima region. In 1995, Hanayo retired from the geisha world, started publishing her photography work, and gave birth to her daughter Tenko. Currently based between Berlin and Tokyo, Hanayo is actively involved in the art scene as a photographer, geisha, musician, and model.
Keep an Eye Shut is a compilation of Hanayo’s photographic output which vividly summarizes over two decades of her life. These pictures, which incorporate elements of chance such as over exposures and blurs, are blended with the time and space in which the picture is taken. May it be Berlin, Tokyo or Shanghai, Hanayo’s pictures share the same distinctive dreamy palette and bring the viewer into a surrealistic realm that mirrors the beauty of the world. To me, Keep an Eye Shut records more than just fragments of everyday life. It captures the essence of those split seconds that can only be reflected through lens and film.
In the foreword of Keep an Eye Shut, German artist Kai Althoff says that he has never seen Hanayo taking a picture with a camera. He imagines that Hanayo may not have a camera at all and that her bare eyes act as the lens that captures every precious moment and that developing the film in the darkroom is like revealing to the world her soul and heart. Kai says that when we look at Hanayo’s photos, we are actually looking at the different dimensions of her soul.
When Hanayo first started taking pictures with her father’s camera, dolls and insects were always the subjects of her work. But since her daughter Tenko was born, the dolls lost their charm and human faces began to appear in their place.
Hanayo documents her daughter’s growth in the photo book, Tenko. To a certain extent, the book also marks the end of a stage — Hanayo entered into a new phase of creative practice where she conveys scenes from her daily surroundings in abstract impressions.
From the sunset of 1996, to the two butterflies resting under the shadow of the trees in 2020, time flies but the precious moments stay frozen.
Consisting of Hanayo’s works from three different phases of her career, Keep an Eye Shut reveals both the framed and obscured reality she wants us to see through her lens.
Is a completely clear picture of reality always necessary? After all, beauty often lies within obscurity.
