この作品は、福岡県みやま市の旧上庄小学校の教室を活用したピンホールカメラ（カメラ・オブスキュラ）によるインスタレーションの一環として制作されました。 教室全体を暗幕で覆い、窓に小さなピンホールを開けることで、外の風景が天地左右反転して室内に映し出される幻想的な空間が生まれます。
この特別な空間に、「うなぎの寝床」のスタッフである北川さんを招き、彼が着用するもんぺに映し出される太陽の像を撮影しました。 もんぺは、日本の伝統的な作業着で、主に農作業や家事を行う際に着用されるゆったりとしたズボンです。 そのデザインは、動きやすさと快適さを重視しており、現代ではファッションアイテムとしても再評価されています。
ピンホールカメラの特性により、太陽の像は丸く映し出されますが、布の動きやシワ、光の屈折によってその形が歪み、独特の表情を見せます。 この作品は、伝統的な衣服であるもんぺと、光と時間の流れを可視化するピンホール技法を組み合わせることで、日常と非日常、過去と現在が交錯する瞬間を捉えています。
制作協力：うなぎの寝床（衣装）、北川友哉
This artwork is part of an installation that transforms a former elementary school classroom in Miyama City, Fukuoka Prefecture, into a large-scale camera obscura. By covering the room entirely with blackout curtains and introducing a small pinhole in the window, the classroom becomes a darkened chamber where the outside world is projected—upside down and reversed—onto the interior surfaces, creating a surreal and immersive environment.
Within this unique space, Mr. Kitagawa, a staff member of "Unagi no Nedoko," was invited to participate. He wore monpe, traditional Japanese work trousers, which became the canvas for the projected image of the sun. Due to the characteristics of the pinhole camera, the sun appears as a circular image; however, the movement of the fabric, its wrinkles, and the refraction of light distort this shape, giving it a unique expression.
Monpe are traditional Japanese work pants characterized by a loose fit around the waist and drawstring hems at the ankles, allowing for ease of movement and comfort. Historically, they were commonly worn by female laborers, especially in agricultural and mountainous regions. The design is thought to have descended from traditional court trousers, hakama, due to the loose shape of the trouser leg and how the garment is designed to be worn over a kimono. In modern times, monpe have been reimagined as fashionable and practical clothing, often made with durable fabrics like Kurume Kasuri, a traditional Japanese textile known for its distinctive patterns.
This piece captures a moment where traditional clothing and the visualization of light and time through pinhole photography intersect, highlighting the convergence of the everyday and the extraordinary, the past and the present.
