Through encounters with Ukiyo-e, Japanese Woodblock Prints, I
became interested in the beautifully crafted pictures that display
the transient pleasure and entertainment of everyday life free from
the concern of the world. The concept of the floating world, as
“Ukiyo” can actually be translated as, implies the belief that the
world is evanescent and the present reality is ephemeral, which is
how I perceive the world to be. As a person who was born and
raised in Thailand, I am strongly influenced by Buddhism. I believe
that things always change, and so does the world that we live in. It
is momentary and absolutely impermanent. Every moment is
fleeting, thus exist only here and now.
From Ukiyo-e, I created my own mini world by building models of
the same scene twice, once in white colour and another in black. I
think that if things change only for a little bit, the total
atmosphere and mood will shift accordingly too. In contrast to the
original Ukiyo-e theme of people, the absence of human being
here in various scenes that belong to people's lives rise the
question of life. The photographs would open up a different
meaning for different people depending on their background and
belief. The scenes are lit up to evoke emotion and represent
certain time of the day or season to emphasize the fleetingness of
time, which the beauty can be enjoyed and the emotion can be felt
only at the moment.
Nattha Aungkasit was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, which is mostly where she got her inspiration and influences. She decided to move to U.S.A. in 2009 to pursue her studies and finally graduated and received her degree in Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography at School of Visual Arts, NY in 2013. Nattha currently lives in both New York City and Bangkok.
icey_anna@hotmail.com
