ENCOUNTERS PROJECT
Encounters is my Rohan Hutchinson's latest project that situates itself in Victorian High Plains. Like many mountain ranges, the region entices curiosity and adventure, a land where seasonal trends work in conjunction with seasonal activities, and the cycle, until recently, remained uninterrupted, the 2019 bushfires evidence of this.
His approach began with photographic investigations, a land previously observed from a close distance and one he assumed knowledge of. Setting out on monthly multi-day treks that spanned two- years, his assignment was to capture the landscape's seasonal transformation.
In the early phases of this project, his trajectory quickly changed; in field-work, reading the environment through a Eurocentric seasonal calendar proved ineffective, and the encounters with the macro and micro-environment exposed a new unseen landscape. Weather conditions, previously assumed, shifted without notice, and the changing transformation presented a unique environment of uncertainty and fragility.
What began with an investigation into ecology and geology quickly became self-reflective;
This publication, two years in the making presents the findings from the project, each describing a macro or micro encounter of the environment, and as a complete volume, the climatic anomalies taking place within the diverse landscape.
THE BOOK
The book was printed in Japan by Master Printers. His largest publication to date, 80 pages in length, consisting of a selection of fine Japanese papers, and co-designed with Goshi Uhira.
