“The more you try to forget, the more it stays with you. When you need to let go of something, it is engraved in your heart.”—From Wong Kar-wai’s “Ashes of Time”
I simply don’t remember about the past or never really thought about remembering the past. I have never been one to hold on to the past, but after my mother’s death, I found myself troubled by memories of her. What I remember about my mother is mostly from the time I cared for her. Changes in her suffering from a dementia, unexpected events I have faced, and the way I dealt with her had become burdensome memories. When she passed away, I intended to live carrying these memories and complex emotions. However, the memories never faded, and now she is an unwavering presence, keeps reminding me of them. I began to wish I could forget. At the same time, I was also tormented by feeling guilty for wanting to forget the memories of her. Then, I remembered a quote from a Wong Kar-wai movie and decided to reexamine these memories. I sorted through my mother’s keepsakes and wrote down those memories. As I continued this process, I often found myself contemplating her life. This process made me want to let go of them and entrust them under the ground. I chose the field for the safekeeping – a place I loved, where my mother and I often walked, a place that felt like it could accept and purify all. I push my way into the field, dreaming of a journey to mourn and entrust my memories.
About Michiko Chiyoda
After transitioning from a graphic designer to working at an optical manufacturer, Michiko Chiyoda became a photographic artist. Her work primarily focuses on creating stories related to memory, and in recent years, she has been producing a series on the theme of “how people live after losing a loved one.” The recently unveiled work, The Eternal Field, is part of this series. Her artistic style incorporates aesthetic and symbolic beauty inspired by traditional Japanese art, and she is dedicated to creating delicate prints using washi paper to craft memorable and beautiful works. She has held solo exhibitions both domestically and internationally, participated in numerous exhibitions, received awards in contests, and has her works included in museum and photography foundation collections.
Additionally, driven by a desire to contribute to society through photography, she has been engaged in documenting traditional Japanese cultural performances.
Currently, she is working on a project to promote the preservation and inheritance of cultural properties through exhibitions and publications, documenting the process of Buddhist statue restoration. A museum exhibition is scheduled for 2025. [Official Website]
