HOME

A photobook by Tomoyuki Sakaguchi. It includes the series "HOME," which captures residential areas in the suburbs of Tokyo, spread across the Tama Hills, at midnight using a digital camera.

This work was created during the early widespread adoption of digital SLR cameras, when high-sensitivity shooting in dark conditions became possible. Sakaguchi cycled through residential areas late at night, using long exposures to photograph houses, roads, garages, utility poles, and plants illuminated by streetlights and house lights. He repeatedly walked and photographed around Tama New Town, covering the area while displaying his GPS log on Google Maps.

The photographs depict not special architecture or famous landmarks, but rather very average residential areas that can be found throughout Japan. However, the landscapes, with details brought out by artificial night lighting and long exposures, appear somewhat like an unfamiliar world, despite being everyday places. There is little sign of human presence; only the lives of the residents silently emerge through the arrangement of buildings, lights, and objects on the streets.

Sakaguchi describes this work as a documentary that observes the social system to which he belongs from within. It's about perceiving familiar residential areas as if seen by an extraterrestrial visitor encountering Earth for the first time. By re-examining ordinary living spaces from a slightly detached perspective, the strangeness and oddities of the landscapes we daily accept come to light.

In 2006, Sakaguchi held a solo exhibition "HOME" at Guardian Garden, and this book was published the following year in 2007. It was selected as a runner-up for the 2007 Portfolio Award by Aperture magazine in the US, and received the Photographic Society of Japan Award in 2008. It was also chosen for Martin Parr's selection of photobooks from the 2000s and is featured in "The Photobook: A History Volume III" (Parr & Badger). This is an interesting book for considering digital photography and suburban landscapes from the 2000s onward.

[Title] HOME
[Publisher] Sokyusha
[Publication Date] October 10, 2007 (First Edition)
[Page Count] 84 pages
[Size] Approx. 312*226*14mm / 795g
[Format] Hardcover
[Language] Japanese
[Title Reading] HOMU
[Author/Editor, etc.] Tomoyuki Sakaguchi/Author, Michitaka Ota/Editor, Koichi Hara/Book Design
[Printing] Taiyo Printing/Printing & Binding
[ISBN] 9784904120002
[Condition] Used [6] Good to Fair (Slight scuffing on cover, slight binding glue residue on back cover)
[Accessories] None
[Featured In] Parr & Badger, The Photobook: A History Volume III
[Related Exhibition] Tomoyuki Sakaguchi Photo Exhibition "HOME" (Guardian Garden, 2006)

Tomoyuki Sakaguchi (坂口トモユキ) 1969-

Born in Kagawa Prefecture. Photographer.

Graduated from Okayama University, Faculty of Science. Studied Earth and planetary physics at the University of Tokyo Graduate School. He creates photographic works targeting artificial landscapes in modern society, such as cities, residential areas, logistics facilities, cars, and billboards, using long exposure and digital processing.

In 2006, he presented "HOME" at Guardian Garden, and the photobook of the same name was published by Sokyusha in 2007. Since then, he has published "Itasha Z" and "GOING HOME," continuing to photograph unique landscapes appearing in contemporary living environments, such as residential areas, logistics, and car culture.

Major works include "HOME," "Itasha Z," "GOING HOME," and "Midnight Logistics."

Major awards include Aperture Portfolio Award Runner-up (2007) and the Photographic Society of Japan Award (2008).

Major Collections -

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