It’s brilliant to be shocked by a book, to recognize the light and love a particular book can offer but very rarely gives. Sometimes, when I’m reading a book — no matter if it’s photographs or words — I get the sense I’m more myself than I ever really am in my day to day life. Recently, I’ve been longing for a book which mirrors and builds on a sense I have which broadly relates to the violence of looking, and the precariousness and problems of speaking for others. I found all this and more in the short essay Silence and Image by Japanese critic Mariko Takeuchi, published in a book of the same title by AKAAKA. In a world that feels increasingly shrouded by darkness, Takeuchi offers a dexterous and enlightened perceptive on what at times feels to me like the malevolent act of looking at pictures.
Emma Phillips is a photographer based in Melbourne, Australia. www.emmaphillips.net