清田一樹 写真展 「FREE AS THE WIND」
5月8日～5月25日
夕凪に暮れ、残照に生える風力発電機の風車の群れ、茫洋とした丘の上で、黙々と、気まぐれに、風車は回転運動をしている。それは無為に繰り返す永久運動にも似ている。死者を弔うかざぐるまが、からからと廻るように、誰の為にでもなく、回転し続けている。渡邊安治（写真家・編集者）
In the afterglow of the early evening sky, a cluster of windmills stands out atop a nearby hill, the turbines slowly and whimsically rotating. This constant repetition can be likened to perpetual motion. Like a pinwheel that mourns the dead, clattering away as the wind blows through it, the windmills continue turning, but for no one at all.
Yasuji Watanabe (Photographer・Editor)
日本中の海岸、港湾、岬、時に山間の平野、内陸部の高地など、最近良く見かける様になった風力発電の巨大な風車、大きいもので、ローター（羽）の直径は100m以上、その高さは30～40階のビルに相当する。
近寄って見あげると、まるで巨人の下に立ったかの様な威圧感があり、周囲の風景に容易に溶け込まない「よそよそしさ」を発散させている。風を受けて回転する、それだけの単純な機能を追求されたフォルムには、一般の建築物とは一線を画した異質さがあるのは当たり前の事なのだろう。
昔から様々な建築物、特に「塔」をモチーフに多くの絵画が描かれて来た、写真もまた然り、教会、古城、モニュメント、高層ビル、その存在は重要な主役としてテーマとなる街や風光明媚な自然の背景と供に写されて来たものだが、風力発電のタワーはそう言った背景とのマッチングを完全に否定している様に感じる。
「風さえあればそれで良い」そんな孤独というか孤高な存在を被写体に選ぶ事は写真家に取って厄介なものを「敵に回した」な、と思う反面、風車に突撃するドン・キホーテの様な気分を毎回味合せてくれる「好敵手」でもある。
Recently, giant power-generating windmills have become fairly common sights all along the coast of Japan in harbors and on capes, as well as in mountain passes and the inland highlands. The larger ones are often as tall as a 30~40 floor building with rotors occasionally exceeding 100 meters in diameter.
When one is near enough, they can appear as veritable giants bearing down intimidatingly, and still they blend into the landscape emanating a cool impartiality. The wind blows and turns the rotor, still it goes without saying that the pursuit of a singular form to perform this simple function required a radical departure from other forms of modern architecture.
In the history of architecture, the “Tower” motif has often played a major role in paintings and photographs alongside of churches, castles, monuments, and high-rise buildings. These structures are always given a sense of harmony with the city it lies in or its sublime natural setting. With the power-generating windmills, however, they are seen as overly conspicuous, incongruous with their surroundings.
“So long as there is wind, everything will be fine.” As a photographer, rather than focus on this solitary, or rather simplistic existence and making them the enemy of some natural order, I chose to approach them from every conceptual angle much like Don Quixote, charging at them as most worthy adversaries.
May 8 (Wed) – May 25 (Sat) Kazuk Kiyota solo exhibition “FREE AS THE WIND”
Gallery hours during the exhibition are 12:00-18:00 from Wednesday through Sunday (19:00 on Friday)
The Gallery is closed on Monday and Tuesday.