Ayaka Okuma, Eternal Melody (Art 2020)

Life’s highs and lows are not always simple or predictable. Sudden disasters or prolonged periods of darkness can lead to despair, making it difficult to find the light to move on. Over time, I have come to realize that life’s highs and lows of varying intensities are a reality faced by everyone. This series, Eternal Melody, is a document of my thoughts emanating from my life’s experiences. I embarked on sailing expedition commencing in the Mediterranean Sea and finishing in Japan. The landscape, people and cultures I observed inspired my documentation of the journey through photography. The loss of a close friend by cancer and another friend through suicide changed my perspective on life and influenced my photographic direction to a more conceptual style. After people die, where do they go? This image is inspired by thoughts of the here-after. I dream they are still living somewhere in the world where lots of lies, truths and illusions. The images in this series are an abstract portrayal of my thoughts. I communicate my invisible thoughts through my photographic art. I articulate my work through a musical theme. I see each of the images as the sounds that collectively make the melodies.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.