Komorebi 木漏れ日 is Japanese for sunlight streaming through tree leaves. The handkerchiefs are printed with photograms of shadows cast by leaves, using cyanotype. A visual record of how inseparable light and shadow create one of nature's most beautiful phenomena.
I wanted to visualise it, but what could be better than letting light and shadow produce the work itself. I chose cyanotype as the method, a photographic process that uses light to expose directly onto treated paper. I enjoyed it more than I expected, starting with ready-made papers before mixing the chemical solution and preparing the surface myself. It was the moment I felt like a scientist.
On March 16th, 2023, I placed photographic papers beneath the leaves and let the fall of light and shadow expose directly onto the surface. The session lasted 30 minutes under Bangkok's summer sun. The prints became a visual record of Komorebi.
The selected results were then turned into two versions, light and dark, each printed on a sheer translucent fabric with the edges sewn into handkerchiefs. The two are packaged together, folded and overlapping, presented as one.
The handkerchiefs are available for purchase here.