TopMenu

Special

Edward Levinson

Sacred Japan - Myth or Reality?

Healing Landscapes

Cityscapes

Artist's Statement
In the troubled world in which we live there is a need for beauty and for images that are soothing to the mind and spirit. "Healing Landscapes" is an ongoing project in which I am striving to make images that open the heart of the viewer. The soft "time altered" scenes created by the pinhole camera's long exposures invoke a sense of sacredness and nostalgia.
I have found that a lensless pinhole camera best captures the essence of nature as I experience it. In my landscape photographs I want to show nature as a living, breathing dynamic being. The pinhole camera captures things on film that I sense are there but cannot necessarily see.
I believe each person has inner landscapes representing various aspects of their being and hope that my landscape photographs serve as stepping stones into these.
I have always been fascinated with the mood and energy I feel at temples, shrines, and other sacred places. I believe it is their openness and closeness to nature that excites my spirit.
However, these "Sacred Japan, Myth or Reality" photographs are not just a record of various places visited or discovered. They reflect back to me how I felt on being there observing and often participating in rituals, meditations, and festivals.
In nature I feel the emotions of the universe. In the city, it is the emotions of humanity that move me.
Photographing the "Cityscapes" series with my pinhole cameras is an extension of my interest in people watching and photojournalism. With it's silent shutter and lack of viewfinder "technique", the pinhole camera lets me photograph in an unobtrusive way. The long exposures allow me to observe the people and places as they interact with the flow of time. I somehow slip into their space and share their experience.
The hard lines of the buildings stand in stark contrast to the soft humans and warm light. Parks offer an oasis in what some feel is a desert. Open skies provide light through the cracks in the concrete jungle. But it is the flow of people, their ideas, and energy that gives the cities their magnetism.
Perhaps the often blurred image of the pinhole mirrors the Japanese's blurred vision of themselves. Thus it seems an appropriate way to focus on the myths and realities of their traditions both ancient and modern.

Edward Levinson, Sept. 1998

Exhibitions

"Cityscapes" Photo Exhibition in Kyoto, Japan

Date: Sept. 8 - Oct. 4 (closed on Mondays) 12:00am - 7:00pm
(until 4 pm on last day).
Place: Gallery ississ, Kitayama Ing'23, 5-9 Maehagi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Tel/Fax:075-723-3438
(1 minute walk from Kitayama subway station)

About the Show: Levinson's new work consists of images taken around the city. Living in the countryside and mostly photographing nature and country scenes for the past ten years, Levinson has begun to look at the city again with fresh eyes. About 35 black and white images will be shown. A Pinhole Camera Workshop will be held on Sept.12. Call the gallery for information and registration .

"The World Through a Pinhole"
Photo Exhibition in Sakura, Chiba, Japan
Date: Oct. 24-Nov. 15, 1998 (Closed on Monday)
Place: Metal Art Museum Hikari no Tani
Workshop: Nov. 1
Contact: 0476-98-3151 (in Japanese)
About the Show: 40 images with work from all three of Levinson's series will be shown.

"Cityscapes From Eastern Europe"
Place: Prinz, the gallery , Kyoto Japan
Date: Jan-Feb. 1999
For info: Tel. 075-712-3900