photo poster project | Familiar Faces Through Continued Participation—and Connections Beyond Social Media, by tomoyo | ISSUE #272

Held by cizucu in cities around the world, photo poster project is a photo-poster exhibition that anyone can join simply by choosing a city and date.
This project, which we call ppp, is more than just a photography exhibition. It is a community where everyone can share their stories with confidence, as well as an opportunity to connect with creators from around the world in person.

For this edition, we spoke with tomoyo, a creator who participated in photo poster project.

I'm tomoyo, and I live in Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture.
I love flower fields and the sea, so on clear days I head out to photograph the flower fields in Sera or the coast.

As a “hit Hiroshima Tourism Ambassador”—a role open to anyone who loves Hiroshima—I share what makes the region so compelling.

I had visited previous editions at ONOMICHI U2 in Onomichi and ART BORN HIROSHIMA because friends of mine were exhibiting.
I already had a general sense of how the project worked, and I found that hearing the participating artists speak about their work during gallery talks gave the photography greater depth. Above all, I enjoyed connecting with the other participating artists.

I decided to participate because I had been invited on several occasions and learned that people I knew would also be taking part.

More than anything, I enjoyed connecting with so many of the participating artists.
Many of them were people I had previously interacted with only on Instagram. Discovering their work, getting to know the person behind the camera, encountering the ideas and emotions that shaped the work, and then speaking with them in person—it was refreshing to experience a kind of connection that social media simply cannot offer.

Being able to talk with others who share the same passion for cameras and photography was the most rewarding part. It made me very happy to see that circle of connections continue to grow from there.

I wanted to convey that Hiroshima has so many wonderful places, so I selected a work that encapsulates the appeal of my hometown, Higashihiroshima.  

This work was photographed at Shofukujiyama Park, a cherry-blossom viewing destination in Akitsu, Higashihiroshima, where the blossoms can be seen alongside the Seto Inland Sea. I visit every year, but this year the sea was so beautifully blue that the image hardly needed any retouching.
It is also a place that holds a small personal story for me: a friend from overseas once traveled there alone by bus, and we have since promised, “Next time, let’s go together.”

If you are already considering participating, I think that means you already want to exhibit. I hope you will take that first step.  

Connecting with the other participants is incredibly enjoyable, and it is a wonderful photography exhibition where your circle of fellow photography enthusiasts can grow.
You can also take your poster home after the exhibition and display it in your own room.