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Reborn
Kazuaki Koseki
Series description

Reborn captures momentary drawings born from the repeated cycle of life's energy. The photographs were taken from the air above wetlands in Japan’s Yamagata Prefecture that have formed within volcanic craters from eruptions tens of thousands of years ago. Here, snow mixes with water and turns to ice as temperatures drop. As the sun rises, the ice returns to a liquid, revealing delicate patterns when the landscape is viewed from above. These patterns change repeatedly due to slight changes in temperature, the amount of snow, the wind, heat from wetland plants and the slightest flow of water. The unpredictability of these events, which repeat like the cycle of life, remind Kazuaki Koseki of the moment when a living creature is reborn.

Biography

Born into a family photo studio business, of which he is the eldest son. With photos forming a familiar part of his life since early childhood, now conducts his private photographic work while running the studio he has since taken over.
Koseki forges his way into the wilderness of Yamagata and Tohoku,evoking the five senses through the four seasons, and has dedicated himself to capturing the natural majesty of the area in many of his works, including in his landmark series Summer Fairies.

Reborn Ⅵ
Reborn Ⅵ
From high above, the landscape appears as countless circles. The workings of the Earth are delicate and at the same time majestic.
Reborn Ⅴ
Reborn Ⅴ
What could produce something like this? This scene is reminiscent of the birth of life to the photographer.
Reborn Ⅲ
Reborn Ⅲ
The colours of the snowy country are muted, covered with thick clouds and snow. They are reminiscent of Japanese ink paintings.
Reborn Ⅱ
Reborn Ⅱ
Waterfowl had crossed through the snow that had accumulated the day before. The slight heat from the waterweed had melted the snow.
Reborn Ⅶ
Reborn Ⅶ
The same patterns are not visible in all locations, and the shapes are different every time the water freezes. This location has produced a very geometric pattern.
Reborn Ⅳ
Reborn Ⅳ
Snow, water and ice sometimes create fantastical patterns. To the photographer, the forms in this image look like dwarfs with lives of their own.
Reborn Ⅷ
Reborn Ⅷ
The ice overlaps like an annual ring. Whether something is boiling out of the water, or whether the wind has an effect, the reason remains shrouded in mystery.
Reborn Ⅰ
Reborn Ⅰ
In Japanese Zen Buddhism, the circle represents the cycle of life. It is considered the most difficult form to understand, despite its simplicity and clarity.