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Gaijin
by David Favrod
“Gaijin” is a japanese word meaning “foreigner”
« For a Swiss person, I’m Japanese and for a Japanese person, I’m Swiss or rather a gaijin. »
My name is David “Takashi” Favrod. I was born in Kobe, Japan, of a Japanese mother and a Swiss father. When I was 6 months old, my parents decided to come and live in Switzerland, more precisely in Vionnaz, a little village in lower Valais. As my father had to travel for his work a lot, I was mainly brought up by my mother who taught me her principles and her culture.
When I was 18, I asked for double nationality at the Japanese embassy, but they refused, because it is only given to Japanese women who wish to obtain their husband’s nationality.
It is from this feeling of rejection and also from a desire to prove that I am as Japanese as I am Swiss that this work was created. “Gaijin” is a fictional recital, a tool for my quest for identity, where auto-portraits imply an intimate and solitary relationship that I have with myself. The mirror image is frozen in a figurative alter ego that serves as an anchor point.
The aim of this work is to create “my own Japan”, in Switzerland, from memories of my journeys when I was small, my mother’s stories, popular and traditional culture and my grandparents war recitals…
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29 Responses to “Gaijin”
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Fantastic work !
Great, thank you.
haunting work. yet very whimsical.
Your pictures are taken somewhere between two worlds. I really love it.
why do I detect voter fraud here?
Same for me, in two days this project’ve got more than 250 votes. The funny thing is that just 4 person left a comment on 350 votes; sure something is going on.
Weird and wonderful, fraud or not, it deserves all those votes.
Great pictures! Big-Up!
I think that certain people here are jealous. the rules are to vote and not to leave comments
c est sublime, y a bcp de poésies dans tes photos! Bravo sush! ;0)
Enorme! J’apprecie énormément celle de la végétation juste enneigée dans une lumière incroyable! (qui doit être qq part au bord du Rhône, non?) Good luck!
T le meilleur!!! grand frère!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
just beautiful
really good work!
have u designed those angels on first photograph.
they are just utterly beautiful!
Congratulations!
Thank you everybody
Great work !
this series deserved its win!! well done
Your lighting is beautiful, composition and story telling is captivating!
This is an amazing work, the concept is fantastic i am just in love, really would like to know more and be informed if any exib are coming….
Thanks…
Congratulations! …excellent work!
Beautiful & exciting! I can’t wait until my mother gets out of the hospital and she can see these fantastic pictures!!
[...] David Favrod was born in Kobe, Japan, of a Japanese mother and a Swiss father. When he was 6 months old, his family moved to Switzerland. Of this series, Gaijin, he says, ‘As my father had to travel for his work a lot, I was mainly brought up by my mother who taught me her principles and her culture. When I was 18, I asked for double nationality at the Japanese embassy, but they refused, because it is only given to Japanese women who wish to obtain their husband’s nationality. It is from this feeling of rejection and also from a desire to prove that I am as Japanese as I am Swiss that this work was created. “Gaijin” is a fictional recital, a tool for my quest for identity, where auto-portraits imply an intimate and solitary relationship that I have with myself. The mirror image is frozen in a figurative alter ego that serves as an anchor point. The aim of this work is to create “my own Japan”, in Switzerland, from memories of my journeys when I was small, my mother’s stories, popular and traditional culture and my grandparents war recitals’. He most recently won the Viewbook Photostory Grand Jury Prize for this work. [...]
I really like these photos, for me they are almost romantic, humorous and sad, very enjoyable.
[...] twilight trees by David Favrod [...]
It’s so my way of seeing things…concept, colours, light and old interiors…love your work.
Natalie
davidfavrod.com
[...] and Conceptual. It could be time well spent. Worth checking out is David Favrod’s work, Gaijin, (meaning foreigner in Japanese) which won 1st Prize Conceptual Jury Vote and 2nd Prize Conceptual [...]
[...] 14, 2010 Happy Chinese New Year to all the Asians and Happy Valentine’s Day to all the [...]
Outstanding work