Kanon

“A butterfly does not brag about the size of its wings. It is occupied with making the best of the shortness of its life.” ― from Shimpei Yamagami’s foreword “Kanon” is, in a way, a condensation of Shimpei Yamagami’s photography. Preceded by an introductory chapter showing trees in dense forests and followed by a short series of water surfaces and people, the photographs of butterflies that make up the main part of “Kanon” take on various new meanings and layers. As stated in Yoshitaka Haba’s closing essay, through the butterflies Yamagami practices a new photographic approach that is less oriented in capturing subjects but instead attempts to touch them, accept them without needless projection or symbolizing.