Seasonal Abandonment of Imaginary Worlds

This book comprises a photographic collection by Carine Thévenau of recently deserted playgrounds in rural Japan. Pictured during the winter, the snow-covered playgrounds might arouse a nostalgic sensation, yet a more critical analysis reveals a portrait of a place and offers us a glimpse of space and time paused. Thévenau interprets the emptiness within the playgrounds as a silence or tension that our minds feel compelled to fill, akin to the pause in a musical score or the interval of a theatrical play. These playgrounds are the residue of an ageing Japanese population, revealing economic shifts but also cultural philosophies about nature, respect, waste, and sustainability.

The book designed and published by Zé Studio, Sydney based design and art direction practice. 

Pages: 48
Dimensions: 210 x 260 mm / 8.3 × 10.2”
Language: English
Year: 2018
Design: Zé Studio
Publisher: Éditions
Origin: China