Winter’s Coda

寒冬序幕

(Central Hokkaido, 2017〜)

As winter comes to a close in Central Hokkaido, Japan, farmers scatter charcoal powder on their snow-covered fields. This ritual act helps to accelerate the melting of snow and prepare their fields for Spring. For larger fields, farmers release the powder as they traverse the fields by snowmobile. For smaller fields, they cast the powder by hand, forming a dark mist on the pristine white.

I am drawn to these landscapes and traditional farming practices because of their correlation with art. The undulating fields act as blank canvases upon which the farmers perform their ordinary day-to-day duties, unconsciously creating distinct works of art. Some resemble ink-brush paintings, composed with bold and fiendish strokes. Others resemble graphic art pieces, with lines and curves carved out with precision and care.

Unfortunately, this practice is slowly dying off as we experience warmer and shorter winters, and less snowfall with each passing year. Over the past 40 years, average temperatures have risen by about 2 deg Celsius, with snowfall declining by about 20% in this region. Also, winters have become shorter by about 2-3 weeks. As a result, the need to melt snow is on the decline. Higher fertilizer and gasoline prices are also prompting farmers to cut costs wherever they can. My images serve to preserve this age-old practice before it becomes a memory of the past.

For more images in this series, please contact Xuan.