Hamish Campbell: Aogashima - life among the twin calderas
Ushi Matsuri
This selection of work by Japan-based photographer Hamish Campbell forms a part of his collection Aogashima - life among the twin calderas. In this body of work, we can see Campbell continuing to engage with themes of isolation as the island Aogashima lies 358 kilometres south of Tokyo and is the last inhabited island in the Izu archipelago. However, the subjects of Campbell’s photography exude a quiet solitariness, from the lone structure on the side of the inner caldera, to a single suspended boat over a highway and a gum-booted human figure among slipways. The unique nature of this collection is further accentuated by the hands-on production process that characterises Campbell’s practice. Using film and darkroom printing techniques, Campbell has been able to capture the tenuous nature of life on the island itself, subject to the ever present possibility of a volcanic eruption. In the composition of these works Campell has also been able to reference the verticality which defines the island and the horizontal nature of its setting, surrounded by ocean. The tree trunk of Caldera Jungle and the hoists in Arrival By Sea bring together this human and natural verticality, while the horizontal shapes that define Home From The Sea suggest a symbiosis between the sea and the human built structures which allow us to navigate it. Brought together, these photographs represent a photographer who is able to combine artistry and documentary photography.
Arrival by sea
Caldera Jungle I
In the Sugar Cane
Cliffside path
Home from the sea
The Port IV
The Twin Calderas I
