Aida
DESCRIPTION
The Japanese kanji '間', which originated from a Chinese character, has multiple phonetic readings and meanings: a gap between two things when read as 'aida', plus a room or pause when read as 'ma', amongst others. The character means 'hours' (時間) when used with '時' (time), and also indicates 'space' (空間) when combined with ‘空’ (void).
The Japanese consciousness thus draws an often indistinct line between notions of 'time' and 'space'. These significations add depth and complexity to the term '間', and cultivate unique aesthetics and historical ideas – such as the existence of nothingness.
These photographs by Andrew Youngson record the space between Japanese houses; they speak of an emptiness that exists physically and still moments that continue. This is an invitation into spaces in which nothingness is manifest, and where the pause becomes eternal.
Text by Sayoko Nakahara
In Discussion
with Andrew Youngson