Fade out, Fade up

These photographs are almost entirely black. In one half of the series nothing is added: as the city's lights go out one by one, what remains is faint, and by that faint light outlines begin to appear. In the other, a strong light is thrown into a place where there was nothing to see. The title names both.

Installation view: Fade out, Fade up, Gallery ARTSITE, Seian University of Art and Design, Shiga, Japan, 2012
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out

Nothing is added. The light in these photographs belongs to the city—offices, streetlamps, windows—and as the night deepens it goes out, source by source. What remains is faint, and it is by that faint light that outlines begin to appear: a house no bigger than a fingernail, the far-off gleam of a streetlamp, the bare shape of a tree. It is not that the eye adjusts. Things become visible because the light has grown weak.

Fade out, Fade up—Large Warehouse《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—大きな倉庫》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Palm《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—椰子の木》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—World Hall《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—ワールド記念ホール》
2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Kobe Portisland Sports Center《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—神戸市立ポートアイランドスポーツセンター》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Expressway《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—高速道路》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Circus tent《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—サーカステント》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Streetlamp 2《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—街灯2》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Good Streetlamp 1《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—街灯1》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Sprinkler《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—スプリンクラー》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Giraffe《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—キリン》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Tall《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—背が高い》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Tree《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—木》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Bridge《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—橋》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—The House That Can Be Seen at Night《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—夜は見える家》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—19 Pylons《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—19個のコーン》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Parking《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—駐車場》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Weed《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—草》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Palm《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—椰子の木》, 2026
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 150 × 100 cm
Photo: © Takafumi Sakanaka, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Palm《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—椰子の木》, 2026
Installation view: Gathering Matters and Mediations《大事なことは何かを見つけたとき》
Contemporary Art Gallery, Art Tower Mito, Ibaraki, Japan
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

There is a video editing term called “fade out.” The screen gradually darkens until nothing can be seen. “Fade up” is the opposite: the image slowly brightens and something begins to appear.

As night deepens and the city's lights go out, our field of vision narrows. But it's in the deepest hours of the night that a different silhouette—one we cannot see during the daytime, when there is so much to take in—begins to appear. That is what I filmed. Even on the same night, in the same place, it can look quite different.

When I was working as a company employee, I spent day and night under fluorescent lights, without days off. The only time I had for myself was a few hours in the middle of the night. When I felt lost about what I wanted to do, I decided to try recording that pitch-black landscape just as it was.

There are things that only become visible when the light fades. All you can do is search, within what's available to you, for something you can do, and keep going.

I've said a lot, but in the end, the work in the gallery just looks like a completely black panel.

Fade up

Here a strong light is thrown into the dark. It makes a frame where there was none, and whatever falls inside it is brought into view.

Fade out, Fade up—Discover a forest!《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—森発見！》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Discover a Rockfall!《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—落石発見！》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Discover a Entrance!《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—入り口発見！》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Discover a Branch!《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—枝発見！》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—I can see somthing! 《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—何か見える！》
2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Discover a House! 1《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—家発見！1》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Discover a Observatory!《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—天文台発見！》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Discover a Guardrail! 1《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—ガードレール発見！1》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Discover a Guardrail! 2《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—ガードレール発見！2》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

Fade out, Fade up—Discover a House! 2《フェードアウト、フェードアップ—家発見！2》, 2012
Inkjet print mounted on aluminium composite panel, 42 × 56 cm
Photo: © Takehiro Iikawa, courtesy of the artist

To keep working, I used places where there was nothing, places that could not be seen. I had no time either, but I needed to keep making work and to keep showing it.

By looking again and again into the dark as it deepened, in the real hours of the night, something would surface. And by throwing a strong light, I wanted to make a frame, and to bring something into view.

Iikawa began the series in 2012, after first attempts around 2010, and is still photographing.

This half of the series leads directly to Decorator Crab—Making Rumors (2026). The light is the same; what switches it on is not. There, a spotlight at the top of the hundred-meter tower comes on when a certain thing is done, and lights whoever did it. That person becomes part of the work without meaning to, and whoever sees them may become its audience.

Making Rumors →

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