Magnifying Glass Reveals In-Focus Tokyo Among a Dazzling Blurred Landscape

Japanese photographer Takashi Kitajima captures the same Tokyo scenes in two different ways and juxtaposes them in one gorgeous composition. His series is titled Glassporthole, and it features a diffused and blurry view of the city where the buildings, streets, and signage are fused into a dazzling mixture of color, light, and shape. In addition to the abstract images, Kitajima also looks at the landscape through a magnifying glass. This tool brings everything into a tight focus and presents a miniaturized version of what's before us.

These two techniques are stunning enough on their own, but Kitajima combines them to create intriguing and unique images. In every fuzzy photo is the magnifying glass that brings visual clarity. Having the word “porthole” in the series title also conjures ideas of a tiny porthole window you'd find on a ship that provides a glimpse to the larger outside. Here, it's as if Kitajima's hand-held lens reveals a hidden world that helps make sense of the bigger picture.

Takashi Kitajima website and Flickr
via [2Photo.ru]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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