George Nobechi is a Japanese photographer. His work captures the feeling of isolation and disconnection from the world. His exhibition "Here. Still" which is part of his bigger project, "Unmoored" focuses in on watching the world through a small frame. This project was started by Nobechi after going through a very difficult patch in his life, loosing his father at the age of nineteen, and carrying on with his life to help support his family. Yet to no avail, he never felt whole. It seemed as though everything was coming undone and the solution was to leave and that's what Nobechi did, he left without a destination. Nobechi wounded up in a hotel room at Lake Louise, Canada and began reminiscing of the times his father took his family there, he began to feel a longing to talk to his father again and that was when the series "Here. Still" was born. Nobechi recalls his childhood in Tokyo as "organized chaos" when he looked out his window to see the bustling world and that's when he realized that the small separation between the busy world and his quiet stagnant world was a metaphor for his bicultural upbringing, a small but heavy detail that is expressed throughout his series.
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Rural Train at Dusk, The Potter of Yamadera's Studio, Yamagata
The first image is taken from Nobechi'e website, the image shows inside an art studio (pottery studio) looking out of the window to a train and a beautiful scenery. The frame that captures the world outside of the studio seems to be nosier than the frame of the world looking at it. Although this image is fairly simple, there is a lot going on. Even though it seems to be bright outside, maybe in the early morning hours, the studio inside still needs to be lit with two lamps, it creates contrast as the scenery outside the window is vibrant and moving while the scenery inside looks like everything is on pause and is dim in comparison. I really like this photo because there is so many finer details that the eye can consume looking at this image but overall, the moment I looked at this image I felt calm but trapped at the same time. The exact emotions I felt while looking at this image is the purpose for this series and it never dawned on me how effortless it can be to capture something aesthetically pleasing to the eyes but also to the heart.
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Morning Veil, Hirosaki
This is the second image that was taken from Nobechi's website. Just like the previous photo, this was also taken in Japan. This image radiates a melancholy atmosphere; the fog that almost completely swallows the world whole is seen from a window of what looks like to be an apartment or hotel. In this image both the outside world and the world gazing at it are dimly lit growing the isolated and lonely feeling. Even though this image makes me feel isolated, it reminds me of when I traveled to Dubai and looked out the window right before the sun rose. There was a thin fog that enveloped the entire city and nothing could be heard except the distant ocean, I've never felt so small before in my entire life and at that exact moment I felt so alone but so mesmerized with the world coming into clarity. This photo doesn't guarantee a moment of clarity but oddly enough If looked at long enough, the melancholy atmosphere begin to pull you in its embrace for an empty bottomless hug.
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Along the San-In Railway, Yamguchi
This third image was taken from Nobechi's website as well and continuing with the theme of the previous two photos, this was also shot in Japan. This photo captures multiple frames looking out to the same world. The main light source seems to be coming from the left side and it creates depth on the ocean and contrast on the seats in the train car. This image unlike the previous two don't have a negative feeling attached to it, its a rather blissful feeling which compared to the purpose of the series goes against it. However, even though the feeling the image emits and the purpose of the series, it makes me think that being in solitude or away from everyone doesn't have to be a bad thing, it can be and should be seen as a form of self care and learning about oneself. Looking at this photo I can hear the calm waves of the ocean and nothing but that, a truly beautiful image that captures both nature and mankind in its wholesome state.
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