Leisure Landscape

Leisure Landscapes is an analog photography project realized in Kasai Rinkai Park and Odaiba Island in Tokyo. Within a culture that is very work-oriented, it takes a closer look at places of recreation. The work ethic in Japan is both impressive and worrisome. Images of exhausted people sleeping in uncomfortable poses on public transportation or in the city shape our perceptions of Japanese culture, yet they are more than a mere cliché: the Japanese language even has a word for death from too much work - Karōshi. 

Leisure Landscapes shows a different Japan and examines two recreational areas in Tokyo Bay. They are among the few opportunities for citizens to swim in the sea within the city - with the water quality sometimes appearing questionable. The project refers, among other things, to the long tradition of bathing in Japan and includes images that can be reminiscent of traditional Japanese woodcarvings. 

The image of Tokyo is dominated by cityscapes of skyscrapers, neon signs and crowds of people. Less well known is that the megacity also lies directly on the sea. However, the kilometer-long coastline to the south of the city plays a role primarily for industry. Despite the oppressive, hot and humid hot summer climate, there are hardly any swimming opportunities for residents to cool off in the sea. The artificial beaches of the islands built up in Kasai-Rinkai Park and the man-made island of Odaiba are exceptions. However, the murky water is not very inviting, so it is not surprising that the beaches are only moderately crowded. 

Gruzei‘s photo series shows the absurd-looking urban bathing landscapes under the haze of the city. In the images, views of canal-like seawalls alternate with bathing panoramas against high-rise backdrops. The series depicts a little-known facet of life in Japan‘s capital. Isolated people bathing seem to contradict the established visual canon of densely packed commuters in public transportation or on the streets. commuters in public transportation or on the city‘s crosswalks. 

Although Tokyo‘s sometimes dystopian city beaches can hardly compete with the beaches of well-known water metropolises such as Rio de Janeiro, Los Angeles, Bar- celona, or even New York, the images in Gruzei‘s series convey the happiness of the moment of the people depicted and the need for recreation - in (artificial) nature.