THE SILENCE OF LIGHT
Dan Schwalm, Taiyo Watanabe, Kentaro Yamada, 2024
"Small Things in Silence"
I have been expressing myself through art for the past 40 years.
During these years I constantly asked myself:
What did I see? What did I not see?
What did I say? What did I not say?
My quest for answers to these questions led to my creations,
I was unsure about my niche in this universe, my “place” in this existence; and I needed to believe in art in order to keep on living.
On my journey of self-discovery, I stopped often and made many detours. The works I “dropped” along the way mark my footsteps – chaotic and inconsistent as they might be.
When I look back upon my path, I realize that the one consistent motif in my work was my obsession for small things. I feel joy when I discover seemingly insignificant things that may be easily overlooked. I am interested in those awkward feelings - such as when you miss a button hole or are stalled and lost in a disorienting fog. I prefer whispering my messages in a soft voice instead of speaking them out loud. My messages may be so soft as to be mistaken for illusions.
I know I will carry these feelings with me for a long time.
I hope that the faint waves that my work emits, grow into quiet, yet eloquent message that will be reaching you.
- Yamamoto Masao. “Small Things in Silence.” August 2013. The Silence of Light, by Masao Yamamoto, 2nd ed., Editorial RM, 2021, p. 5.
documentation to abstraction
abstraction to documentation
record of a happening
experienced together
captured privately
preserved in the Fall
consumed in the Winter
a collective vision
are we seeing the same thing?
never a pure yellow
a mix of hues that lean towards green and blue
purple postures as red
never a true black
we would be consumed with the light that surrounds us
the document is always abstract
the abstract is never a document
a sacred space within the margins
the shutter blinks, capturing the silence of light
Dan Schwalm, Taiyo Watanabe, Kentaro Yamada, 2024
"Small Things in Silence"
I have been expressing myself through art for the past 40 years.
During these years I constantly asked myself:
What did I see? What did I not see?
What did I say? What did I not say?
My quest for answers to these questions led to my creations,
I was unsure about my niche in this universe, my “place” in this existence; and I needed to believe in art in order to keep on living.
On my journey of self-discovery, I stopped often and made many detours. The works I “dropped” along the way mark my footsteps – chaotic and inconsistent as they might be.
When I look back upon my path, I realize that the one consistent motif in my work was my obsession for small things. I feel joy when I discover seemingly insignificant things that may be easily overlooked. I am interested in those awkward feelings - such as when you miss a button hole or are stalled and lost in a disorienting fog. I prefer whispering my messages in a soft voice instead of speaking them out loud. My messages may be so soft as to be mistaken for illusions.
I know I will carry these feelings with me for a long time.
I hope that the faint waves that my work emits, grow into quiet, yet eloquent message that will be reaching you.
- Yamamoto Masao. “Small Things in Silence.” August 2013. The Silence of Light, by Masao Yamamoto, 2nd ed., Editorial RM, 2021, p. 5.
documentation to abstraction
abstraction to documentation
record of a happening
experienced together
captured privately
preserved in the Fall
consumed in the Winter
a collective vision
are we seeing the same thing?
never a pure yellow
a mix of hues that lean towards green and blue
purple postures as red
never a true black
we would be consumed with the light that surrounds us
the document is always abstract
the abstract is never a document
a sacred space within the margins
the shutter blinks, capturing the silence of light
Photos Courtesy of Dan Schwalm
Photos Courtesy of Taiyo Watanabe
Photos Courtesy of Kentaro Yamada
Photos Courtesy of Dan Schwalm
To purchase work from this exhibition CLICK HERE.
Email conversations with Dan Schwalm, Taiyo Watanabe, and Kentaro Yamada regarding this exhibition:
About the Artists:
Dan Schwalm is an architectural photographer for HDR’s global architecture company based out of Omaha, Nebraska. He creates visually compelling images for projects ranging in size from 1,000 square feet to millions of square feet for both domestic and international HDR architects, interior designers and other professionals to help tell their project stories, all while adhering to a corporate budget. Schwalm’s work is featured in many publications, and he has helped HDR win an ever-increasing amount of design awards.
www.danschwalmphoto.com
Taiyo Watanabe is a professional architectural designer and an accomplished architectural photographer. He received a Bachelor of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles. With a background in architecture coupled with a keen interest in photography this has resulted in masterful and technically precise architectural captures. Watanabe's photographs have been included in publications such as Architect Magazine, Architectural Record, CLOG, HYPEBEAST, Log, Taschen books and others.
www.taiyowatanabe.com
Kentaro Yamada is a Japanese-American architect licensed in the state of California formerly at Atelier Hitoshi Abe LA and Moore Ruble Yudell. Yamada apprenticed under the Japanese painter Katsuta Shinpyo.
www.kentique.com
Dan Schwalm is an architectural photographer for HDR’s global architecture company based out of Omaha, Nebraska. He creates visually compelling images for projects ranging in size from 1,000 square feet to millions of square feet for both domestic and international HDR architects, interior designers and other professionals to help tell their project stories, all while adhering to a corporate budget. Schwalm’s work is featured in many publications, and he has helped HDR win an ever-increasing amount of design awards.
www.danschwalmphoto.com
Taiyo Watanabe is a professional architectural designer and an accomplished architectural photographer. He received a Bachelor of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles. With a background in architecture coupled with a keen interest in photography this has resulted in masterful and technically precise architectural captures. Watanabe's photographs have been included in publications such as Architect Magazine, Architectural Record, CLOG, HYPEBEAST, Log, Taschen books and others.
www.taiyowatanabe.com
Kentaro Yamada is a Japanese-American architect licensed in the state of California formerly at Atelier Hitoshi Abe LA and Moore Ruble Yudell. Yamada apprenticed under the Japanese painter Katsuta Shinpyo.
www.kentique.com