Japan –
The calm surface of the water – it is the most beautiful mirror that is made by nature. It does not only reflect the scenery of the land but also the inside the water if you look up at the surface in the water.
It was about two years ago in the ocean near Tokyo when I had experienced the amazing scenery in the water. A figure of a floating jellyfish was reflected on the surface of the water, which made me see a whole new figure of the creature with a different design from what we usually see.
This time, my series of the photographs were inspired by my experience in the water. All my objects are plants and animals that live deep in the water. They would rarely be seen at the surface. In my picture, I made it symmetrical to show the beauty and tried to express the scenery in the water as an art. I think repetition can enhance the quality of its beauty.
My works represent the undersea world as kaleidoscopes of lives while they resemble mandala which is a spiritual symbol representing the universe. Mandala expresses a sacred place and divinity having symbols of nature and the divine. Making photos of creatures and sceneries symmetrical, I was able to show the undersea world more divine as a sacred place and also found myself having been viewing it as a sacred one. It is because the Japanese cultural concept that all of the things in nature are the divine ones that we should respect is ingrained in myself.
Though it’s a sacred place, the ocean can easily be destroyed by our hands. In order for us to have minds to keep the beautiful ocean as it is, visualizing divinity of the ocean is one of the most effective ways. I will keep expressing the beauty of the ocean through my works of underwater kaleidoscopes and mandalas.
Art & Culture Featured – Written and Photographed by Kanako Sato
