Park - Site of an Evacuees' Shelter in One of the Areas Most Badly Damaged by the Earthquake 

Vacant land and parks, newly developed residential areas, old classrooms: these unexceptional landscapes were all photographed 10 years after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995. The title of each work states what had previously been located at the place photographed, such as a morgue or a temporary evacuation shelter. Viewed with this information in mind, landscapes that at first seemed “normal” suddenly appear quite different. Yoneda Tomoko also visits places where fierce battles in war or other troubles took place, showing us places that invariably look different to what we, with our preconceived ideas, might have expected. This series was made with the cooperation of the volunteer group Tomato, which was active in Ashiya City to support areas affected by the quake. Paired with photographs the artist had taken immediately after the earthquake, it was presented in a solo exhibition entitled “A Decade After.”
(KIMURA Eriko)

*You can see other works from this series.