Alea
“Alea” is a series of multiple exposure analog photographs showing the cemetery of the Buddhist temple Jōkan-ji, which is also known as “Throwaway Temple”. A set of chance operations that connected fleeting phenomena (sound, movement) to specific photographic actions (close-up, long shot, moving to the next frame,…) was used to create a series of peculiar compositions.
As one image contains multiple moments and places, it recalls the simultaneous space-time of dreams, nostalgia, and memory.
“Alea” was shown in the solo exhibition “Throwaway” at OAG Tokyo.
Exhibition announcement:
"Throwaway Temple" (投げ込み寺) is the unofficial name of the Buddhist temple Jōkan-ji (浄閑寺) in the Arakawa district near Minowa Station on the Hibiya Line. Jōkan-ji was given its nickname in the Edo period, when it became a habit to deposit the dead bodies of prostitutes from the nearby brothel district of Yoshiwara in front of the temple gates. Over 25,000 of these women are buried anonymously in the adjacent cemetery.
"Throwaway" also refers to material and non-material items that are disposed of after one or more uses, are considered wasteful or trivial, or are even associated with dishonesty.
Using Jōkan-ji as a starting point, Lisa Woite uses ephemeral media and phenomena such as sunlight and sound to question the negative connotations of the concept of 'throwing away'. In alternative still lifes of photography and installation, as well as a sound work dedicated to the day laborer district of San'ya adjacent to Yoshiwara, she explores possibilities of using throwing away as a means for an intimate and active engagement with place and memory.
