Yoshinori Mizutani - Yusurika

At age eighteen, Yoshinori Mizutani moved to Tokyo after having grown up in a small town surrounded by rich wildlife and nature. In his constant search for aspects of the natural world in the midst of the bustling metropolis, he discovered the buzzer midge ('yusurika'), a tiny insect that allows him to transform the city into a sparkling, magical realm through his camera lens. Swarms comprising myriad individual animals radiate an almost palpable kinetic energy when reflected in the camera flash, appearing as white specks of light, "like fairies in the natural world". In this way, Mitzutani explores and contemplates his own past, linking memory and affinity towards nature. "As I conversed with and observed nature, I came across the buzzer midge, or yusurika in Japanese. Yusurikas inhabit freshwater areas such as rivers and ponds in groups, sometimes forming swarms. Reflecting the flash of the camera, each yusurika turns into a small white ball of light, and transforms into something fantastical, like fairies existing in the natural world."--Photographer's website. In Japanese and English. 1 volume (unpaged) ; color illustrations ; 31 cm