Winter, Quebec, Canada
This picture is taken: Rosemary Danielish
"cold" is a feeling,
Does it still have shape?
In , , North America, the city closest to Arctic Circle ,
, a Japanese photographer, used his extremely sophisticated works,
, completely showing the "cold" shape of .
※This group of works was published in the Chinese version of " National Geographic " in the United States. " China Geographic " March 2020 issue
Photography: Ryota Kajita
(click on the picture in this article to view the ultra-clear large picture)
Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, the city closest to the Arctic Circle in North America, polar climate, temperature is below zero throughout the year. And just below the city, in the ice layer everywhere, there is another world of hidden.
10 years ago , photographer Ryota Kajita went out to walk on the tundra of Alaska at the "cold invitation" of his girlfriend. In the small pond of the tundra, he was completely attracted by the geometric patterns in front of him: under the ice layer of , there were bubbles covered with snow crystals and frost.
Since then, he has started to shoot the "The Structure of Ice" series, and has traveled through Alaska's rivers, lakes, swamps and ponds to find and collect ice structures. Ryota Kajita believes that the structure of shooting ice is not difficult, it requires perseverance.
Ryota Kajita has been a "active" person since childhood. When he was 15 years old, he took a tram to Hokkaido , the northernmost part of Japan; when he was 19 and 20 years old, he rode a motorcycle in Japan for half a year; when he was 21 years old, he rode a bicycle for 3 months, from Singapore to Bangkok , Thailand. Since birth, the spirit of "Everywhere but not here" seems to be in his heart - "I always find a good place, but it must not be here."
When he came to the city closest to the Arctic Circle in North America - Fairbanks , he felt that in the more desolate environment, the faster the time passes. As a proof of the power of nature, a wonderful world has been formed here, which has brought him endless inspiration , and has also allowed him to start shooting here. shots have been 10 years.
In order to prevent the ice pattern from being shady, you have to carry an tripod every time you travel; the sunshine time of Alaska is short, so you have to race against time; the spare battery you carry with you should also be placed in your clothes to keep your skin warm; your fingers are numb to the cold, and you have to change the film in the cold.
"Ice Structure" series is not only an adventure in Ryota Kajita's life , but also put him on the road of growth and self-inspiration. He regards the shape of these ice as the embodiment of "Zen" . He believes that the "Zen" in these photos refers to the desire to abandon the world and naturally exist alone.
In Ryota Kajita's concept, the beauty and incredible aspects of daily life are mostly 's slender, illusory, and small things that cannot be detected by . Through the photos, he can see that subtle beauty. In the "Construction of Ice" series, he strives to express these illusory and tiny things.
"Even if something seems trivial,
is closely related to our earth."
Kajita describes the scientific principle behind it in his portfolio "The Structure of Ice":
"Many ice is composed of frozen gas bubbles - such as methane and carbon dioxide under the ice. When water forms ice, the surface begins to condense first, trapping the gas in the process of slowly turning into ice, forming a unique geometric pattern." The frost and snow crystals on the ice layer add a little more complexity - what is the shape of "cold"? He took it out.
Although Kajita is obsessed with shooting ice structures, their existence also concerns him. These frozen bubbles are actually composed of methane and carbon dioxide , and are presented in many photos.
Kita said that the subic structure he photographed was between 25 and 75 cm . Although he likes their form, he is more concerned about what the emergence of these structures actually means.
methane gas is considered to be one of the fundamental causes of the greenhouse effect , and these frozen bubbles are very likely to be related to global warming and greenhouse effects. Scientists in Alaska, USA are also conducting research related to this.
Source: design insprition
Source: lenscratch
Source: lenscratch
When the winter in Alaska comes again, Ryota Kajita will embark on the journey of to find the first piece of ice in winter again.
"Huaxia Geography" May issue
