8 21 September (^2019) Iwww.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
J
apanis oneof theeasierplaces
in theworldto bea streetand
documentaryphotographer
- easierin thesensethatthe
Japanesearenaturallypoliteandhelpful,
particularlyto foreigners(andevenmore
sowiththecountrygearingupfornext
year’sOlympics).Evenif somebodydoesn’t
wantto appearin yourpicture,theworst
thatusuallyhappensis yougeta politely
ambiguous‘chotto’ (holdon),ratherthan
Dewi Lewis,
£24, 64 pages,
hardback, ISBN
978-
★★★★★
Nothing
Eventually
by Harvey Benge
Harvey Benge has released a collection of street
images taken in Tokyo over a period of 15 years.
Geoff Harris gives it his verdict
Some of the images are certainly visually interesting,
and others are unsettling
‘I’mnotsureBenge
is bringing anything new
to the party, whether in
terms of the subject
matter or his jittery,Moriyama-ish approach’
ALL
PCTURES
©
HARVEYBENGE
being told to eff off, chased down the
street or reported to the police. Even
if you don’t speak a word of Japanese,
mega-cities such as Tokyo and Osaka are
easily navigated via ultra-reliable public
transport or clean, safe taxis, and are full
of curious nooks and crannies to wander
around without getting mugged.
In some ways though, this makes
it harder to take stand-out pictures,
particularly as you are following in the
footsteps of giants like Daidō Moriyama.
Herein lies one of the problems with
Nothing Eventually, a collection of Tokyo
street images taken by Harvey Benge
over 15 years. While there are some
visually interesting and unsettling pictures,
the collection feels a bit superficial,
and a lot of the subject matter is, well,
predictable. Most reasonably educated
people who’ve never even been to Tokyo
could draw up a checklist of what to
expect as a street photographer, and
a lot of it is in here. Lots of neon and
disorientating signs in hiragana and
katakana (tick). Close-ups of alternative
types, particularly girls, in wacky and very
untraditional outfits (tick). Love hotels and
the omnipresence of cheap porn (tick).
Concrete everywhere, bikes and an
unfathomable number of air-conditioning
units (tick). I’m not sure Benge is bringing
anything particularly new to the party,
whether in terms of subject matter or
his jittery, Moriyama-ish approach.
While I do believe that Benge’s images
should be allowed to speak forSome of the subject matter is a bit
predictable, as this image demonstratesthemselves and ask questions, the lack
of captions or any kind of introductory
text feels like a bit of an affectation
too, particularly considering the lack of
narrative thread. It’s also interesting that
Benge appears to be a somewhat irregular
visitor, rather than an expat resident,
which might also explain the somewhat
superficial ‘help I’ve just arrived and am
a bit disorientated’ feel of the book. An
interesting collection from a creative eye,
to be sure, but does this book really
add that much to our perception and
understanding of an already well-
photographed city and complex urban
culture? Or indeed, ever really get
under its skin?
Geoff HarrisBOOK