April 12, 2017
Tim Bowditch: Leaf peeper
A photobook which takes a middle-aged Japanese stranger as its muse.
‘Leaf Peeper’ is an unusual collaboration between photographer Tim Bowditch and artist and writer Matthew De Kersaint Giraudeau. In his series of photographs, Bowditch follows a neatly-dressed Japanese tourist around an Imperial villa in Kyoto, closely documenting him as he takes pictures of the buildings and trees. The accompanying short story, written by De Kersaint Giraudeau, ties the man into a surreal, dream-heavy narrative, and both image and story emphasise his appearance: the concentration with which he catalogues the villa and gardens, his matching suit and hat, his distance from the viewer. Published by Rokov, this limited edition book leaves readers with a feeling of sadness, exacerbated by the man’s attention to the dying autumn leaves, his isolation, and the unresolved accompanying story.
I’ve always had trouble with my sinuses – it’s not like recently it has been particularly bad. It comes and goes. The headaches were bad, but I honestly don’t think I’ve had one for maybe a year. I think I have small nostrils. Restricted air flow. Easily blocked. It is definitely worse when I drink alcohol
