Kami Intimations
This project is an expression of an emotional connection with an other worldly realm that was experienced after an eight year period of visiting Shinto shrines near to where I lived in Japan.
A realm that felt tantalisingly real yet separate from everyday reality and would come and go, as I journeyed through sacred Shinto spaces, only to find myself at a different place to where I had started in the objective realm.
My main aim is to render almost numinous experiences during the last year of my stay in Japan into material and visual form. It is an attempt at seeing beyond the superficial or indeed detail of a place and evoke an experience felt within. I have used abstraction to varying degrees, a colour palette found at Shinto shrines together with repeating motifs to convey transition within and between material and non-material realms
In March 2023 I submitted this project for consideration for a Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain distinction award. I am very pleased to write that I was successful and have been awarded the Associate distinction in the Visual Arts genre.
The Royal Photographic Society’s Distinctions are one of the most widely recognised and respected photography awards throughout the world. The qualifications support people to undertake structured assessments through a tailored and friendly education programme, with a high standard of care and support for everyone. There are three levels( Licentiate, Associate, and Fellowship) which are held across different genres.
Malcolm Cross
March 2023
