UBI SUNT by Kyoko Matsunaga

The title is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are those who were before us?". I took photos of the flowers placed on the countless graves in my neighborhood cemeteries as they made me realize that each person alive today has their own irreplaceable memories connected to the beloved people who have passed away. Since the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, I've been feeling uneasy with the number of deaths reported daily every time when a large-scale disaster occurs, and the current Covid-19 pandemic also has me pondering the quiet prayers of individuals far removed from the hysterical reports of high death toll (as of 2020).

The proportion of this accordion book is based on the folding screens Morning Glories by Kiitsu Suzuki (1796–1858) as a piece that gives a sense of an infinite loop motion. I placed lively flowers on the left and withering flowers on the right to represent the cycle of nature.