Hideo Anze

Stripe (50Hz)

Stripe(50Hz) 2015/04/17 19:00:49 shinjuku-ku
© Hideo Anze, Courtesy KANA KAWANISHI GALLERY

“Both those taking snaps and documentary photographers, have not understood 'information.' What they produce are camera memories, not information, and the better they do it, the more they prove the victory of the camera over the human being.” Flusser, V. (1983). Towards a philosophy of photography.

In his seminal publication ‘Towards a philosophy of photography [1], Vilém Flusser focuses on one of the fundamental existential dilemmas surrounding photography; that of function vs form. That is, on the one hand photography acting as a technology serving a functional purpose like the recording of events, places or people, while on the other being a medium for artistic creativity and meaningful expression - using the term ‘information’ to characterise the latter.

When positioned next to its noble relatives - painting, drawing or sculpture - photography has always had something to prove. Despite ascending to becoming arguably the most influential visual medium of the modern age, the stigma of serving a functional purpose has proven difficult to shake off. The roots of this tension can be traced back to the significance that historically has been placed on individual works of art. Underpinned by an admiration for the level of effort and skill required for artistic craftmanship, it used to be difficult for a photographic print produced by a single click of a camera shutter to compare with the mastery of a painter or the skilful labours of a sculptor. Photography was primarily seen as a means of recording rather than expressing and it was only after the early pioneers of pictorialism, followed by the advent of humanist and fine art photography, that this distinction began to fade.

Stripe(50Hz) 2015/05/08 22:54:35 shinjuku-ku
© Hideo Anze, Courtesy KANA KAWANISHI GALLERY

Fast forward to the 21st century and we see a very different picture. The sweeping wave of digitalisation has been transformative (if not liberating) for photography, which has now escaped the orbits of both functional purpose and artistic practice in a way that other mediums may never be able to achieve.

Today’s photography is a medium for communication as much as it is functional, creative or expressive. It has broken free from the physical confines of the camera and the ability to capture images is embedded into a multitude of networked devices. Today’s photographs are created to be shared and exchanged more than to be exhibited or archived. While the very act of sharing images is in itself dualistic; both instant and diachronic, practical and informative, functional and expressive. An image shared once can be replicated and re-shared onward online, generating and carrying a tremendous amount of linked data “pointing beyond themselves to information about information” [2].

It is this new kind of ‘photography of today’ that Japanese artist Hideo Anze chooses to delve into. In his series Stripe (50Hz), Anze navigates this contingent relationship between photography, information and data with both the artistic grace of a craftsman and the relentless perseverance of an archivist.

Stripe(50Hz) 2016/06/11 12:56:08 yamato-shi
© Hideo Anze, Courtesy KANA KAWANISHI GALLERY

Stripe (50hz) consists of a series of abstract images that capture the flickering of fluorescent light reflections producing characteristic striped patterns often referred to as ‘the flicker phenomenon’. The striped patterns are blended with geometrical shapes that Anze frames using the camera of his iPhone before sharing each image in a Twitter feed together with corresponding metadata information. The photographs are only taken within the Kanto region of Japan and capture the fluorescent light powered by the 50Hz frequency of the Tokyo Electricity Power Company (TEPCO) - in contrast to other regions in the Southern half of the country where the electricity frequency is set to 60Hz. Anze began documenting the flickering of the 50Hz fluorescent light following the Great East Japan earthquake and has been sharing the images on a Twitter stream daily (provided he is within the 50Hz region) since 2014.

Anze’s work spans both the aesthetics and technological dimensions that characterise modern photography as described so far.

From an aesthetics perspective, the images carry an inviting visual elegance that is unapologetically digital and rich in colour and texture. In addition to producing abstract imagery of surfaces and objects that are infused with Tokyo’s luminescent fabric, the work is also framed by deep conceptual principles. The 50Hz electricity frequency serves as more than a geographical boundary. It is a reference to memories of a disaster that remains present, albeit not on the foreground of everyday life. This positions the work closer to conceptual art than the traditional notion of photography.

Stripe(50Hz) 2017/12/09 13:09:37 shibuya-ku
© Hideo Anze, Courtesy KANA KAWANISHI GALLERY

At the opposite end, the technological parameters that frame the creation of these photographs (the ‘meta-data’ such as: the 50Hz frequency, using an iPhone camera, the daily posting on Twitter etc.) create an embedded informative dimension. When exhibited in a gallery space for example, the photographs are accompanied by printouts of EXIF data as well as other related (or seemingly unrelated) linked data such as: news published at the exact time as when an image was shared, geo-location information etc.). Those linked data therefore become part of the work on an equal footing to the visual representation of the images.

Through this interdependent relationship between the medium, the subject matter, the predefined parameters and the data produced, Anze’s work enters the realm of ‘informating’; a term coined by the influential technology and social psychology scholar Shoshana Zuboff in 1988 to describe the translation of information into actions resulting in the production of digital data linked to both the subject and the actions themselves.

Zuboff describes informating as a process to “automate by translating information into action also register data about those automated activities, thus generating new streams of information. For example, computer-based, numerically controlled machine tools or microprocessor-based sensing devices not only apply programmed instructions to equipment but also convert the current state of equipment, product, or process into data” [3].

Stripe (50Hz) is a multidimensional body of work that manages to be visually elegant while equally achieving a significant level of conceptual depth. Hideo Anze produces a series of images that make the most of the medium’s informative and expressive qualities through conceptual framing and visually rich compositions, while delving into the world of contemporary photography practices with their ever growing digitally social roots and increasing importance on processing and linking digital information.

Anze’s work is testament to the endurance of the medium to the ever-changing societal needs for visual communication and serves as an encouraging precursor for the future shape of photography in the digital age.

The five works from Hideo Anze's photographic series Stripe (50Hz) seen in this showcase, have been recently acquired by the British Museum in London as a part of its permanent collection.

1. Flusser, V. (1983). Towards a philosophy of photography. Göttingen: European Photography.
2. Weinberger, D. (2014). Too big to know: Rethinking knowledge now that the facts aren't the facts, experts are everywhere, and the smartest person in the room is the room. Basic Books.
3. Zuboff, S. (1988). In the age of the smart machine: The future of work and power (Vol. 186). New York: Basic books.

Kana Kawanishi Gallery

Kana Kawanish Gallery is a contemporary art gallery exhibiting the work of major Japanese and international artists which exemplify interpretations of society through photography and other visual media. While regularly exhibiting solo and group shows, the gallery also actively participates in international contemporary art fairs in Europe and across the globe.