THE MUKADE AND THE MOUNTAIN
In 2015 we organized a residency program in Senzu Town, Kama City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. We invited 7 artists / makers: 4 Dutch and 3 Japanese. One of the seven invited makers was Anne Claire de Breij.
THE MUKADE AND THE MOUNTAIN is a collection of work made by Anne Claire de Breij while living and working in (former) Senzu Elementary School as part of the Future Residency program in 2015. Living in the foothills of the mountains, in this expansive 4000 square meter compound, which functioned as the social and emotional heart of the region, she embedded and immersed herself in the local community, and the stories of the surrounding areas.
The result is a series of portraits and staged photographs, inspired by a mix of Japanese urban legends, traditional rituals and (local) folktales, with as background the area’s abundant nature, including the arresting Kosho, Hei and Umami mountains. “The Mountain” in the title is a direct reference to Kosho Mountain, “The Mukade”, a reference to the terrifyingly poisonous Japanese millipede that haunted us in the wet summer months.
This is an intensely personal book. This is not a photography book that was made because photographers should make photo books. Instead, it is a physical representation of the past, that has made an indelible mark on ACDB’s and our present, and will certainly mold the contours of our future. It just happens to be a photography book.
To launch this book in The Netherlands we made a multi-media presentation in our HILS exhibition space in Amsterdam.
The special edition (hardcover book + zine) was selected fot The Best Dutch Book Designs 2023 and exhibited in Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
