When I first moved to this place, everything around me was a curiosity. I observed the colors and shapes of objects with fascination. Once I learned their names, I began to recognize them as materials. I researched their backgrounds and talked to locals, gradually feeling I was gaining deeper knowledge about my surroundings. Yet, as my understanding grew, I realized I was unconsciously labeling and categorizing things first—and in doing so, failing to truly see them. This series began from the idea that photographing three-dimensional objects as flat planes without shadows and shades and print them in life-size might allow me to observe their pure colors and forms with fresh eyes. I coined the name Still Life-Size by combining the term still life and life-size. This work became contradictory: sometimes a device conveying the background and history of objects seen where I live, and other times a tool for pure appreciation, stripped of attributes. The paper is handmade from kozo collected from the same satoyama, reflecting an attitude of utilizing only what is already there. (I.H.)