The Destruction and the Origin

The Dandelion Photography by Ryuji Taira

蒲公英,纖細而柔弱,卻有個巨大的生命力,風一吹,生命擴散開去,在遙遠的土地裡落地生根。攝影師平竜二發表的作品系列中,大部份都是以蒲公英為主題的,而在他的作品裡的蒲公英,似乎己不只是常見的植物,於不盈一握的花卉之中,是奇妙且不可思議的世界。

「小時候,我經常自問,自己究竟是從何而來,又往哪裡去呢?為了找尋答案,我跑遍山林原野⋯⋯」平竜二在自己的個人簡介中說,在山林之中,他採花捕蟲,又往河裡捉魚,說到底,最富趣味的便是觀察,細看大自然,從而了解自己。

平竜二認為,眾人同樣觀察事物,感悟卻大異其趣,像是有個能自行雲中看出字母,有人看成動物;有人從漣漪中看出皇冠,有人看到銀河。感悟的不同,象徵著眾人內心的不同。眾人拿著相機,即使面對著同樣事物,定會拍攝出不同的作品來,故此,在他看來,攝影正是反映眾人差異的鏡子。

平竜二看蒲公英時,看到了其脆弱的美,同時也受其啟發,感到自己必須覓得新的開始。照片中的蒲公英,有時圓滿,有時缺了一塊,缺了的或是殘破,又或趕著展開新生命。生與死的微妙關連,萬物的幻滅與源起,他對自然、對生命的想法,在他的蒲公英作品中隱約流露。

Dandelion is delicate yet strong. When the wind blows, it scatters the seeds of its life to the faraway land and let them thrive. Dandelion is a common theme in the works of photographer Ryuji Taira. Under his lens, dandelion becomes something greater than a usual plant; in this plant that you cannot even hold in your hand, lies a magical and incredible realm.

“During my childhood, I frequently pondered, ‘Where did I come from and where am I going?’ Attempting to find answers, I ran around the hills and fields…” In his biography, Taira mentioned how he goes to the wood to pick flowers, catch insects and catch fishes from the river. Observing the nature gives him the greatest pleasure where he can in turn learn more about himself.

To him, even when looking at the same object, everyone can have drastically different interpretations. Some see alphabets from the moving cloud, while others see animals. Ripples look like a crown to some, but others would see a milky way. Two photographers can never make identical pictures of the same object, because photography is the looking glass that reflects the difference among people.

Looking at the delicate charm of dandelion, Taira was inspired to seek a new beginning for himself. The dandelions in his photography are sometimes complete and sometimes imperfect. There are also ones that are rushing to start their next life. The subtle relationship between life and death, between the destruction and origin of creation… In his photography of dandelion, he faintly expresses his view on nature and on life.

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