Issei Suda

When I was young I lived in a very small village west of Leeds, the village was a very close nit community and at some point it was decided that a group of families would pay host to foreign language students.
Our first two visitors were both young girls from Japan, They came in consecutive years and it was love at first sight. I thought they were wonderful in every way shape and form. They were awesomely polite, they adored English literature and both during their stay purchased copious amounts of books to be shipped back home. I loved the fact that when they bought an item of clothing they would sit and re-sew the buttons on. I loved their tales of life back at home which seemed like another planet to me. I loved their kimono's the tempura they cooked, the tea ceremony's. I loved the origami they made, putting my sausage fingers to shame, but best of all I loved the fact that they loved me! I felt valued and loved for 3 whole weeks it was bliss.
I have never stopped this love affair with all things Japanese. The nearest I have got is Korea, the prices are soooo expensive. Like most parents when I got the chance to live my life vicariously through my children I did. The opportunity came for an exchange visit to Japan at Daisy's school seized at the chance to send her. It nearly bankrupted me, but although she was very blase at the time, she now appreciates that the experience was life changing, she stayed in a lovely house on the outskirts of Hiroshima for a week, before touring Tokyo and Kyoto.
My love affair continues via Japanese photography and Issei Suda is one photographer I saw in a gallery in Cologne.

Somewhere there is a photograph of me dressed in a Kimono that looks just like this.

These images are all from the Priska Pasquer gallery. They are so wonderful and evocative and remind me as if it were yesterday how wonderful life was when the girls from Japan came to stay.