by Denver Arts & Venues
On March 7, 2022, Shanna Shelby, Denver Arts & Venues, and Reimi Adachi Corey, wife of the late William Corey, presented a discussion about “Zen Gardens from Kyoto to Denver: The Photography of William Corey and Scott Dressel-Martin” on display at McNichols Civic Center Building Jan. 20-May 1, 2022.
Reimi discussed William’s inspiration and photographic methods, as well as shared the stories behind the photographs chosen for the exhibition.
About the exhibition: This beautiful exhibition celebrates the beauty of Japanese Zen gardens through the photographic medium. The dramatic, large format photographs of the late William Corey are rich with color and composition. By capturing the spirit and beauty of the Japanese garden, his works exude a sense peace.
William Corey devoted more than three decades of his life to photographing the gardens of Kyoto. Any photographer who approaches these gardens is faced with the very formidable task of trying to use one art form to do justice to another. If the photographer is successful, he or she must somehow convey the truth of the first medium in terms that are true to the second. This was the task that William Corey so admirably undertook in his monumental study of the gardens of Japan.
To achieve this, William might spend days looking at a garden before even bringing his equipment. He mostly used a panoramic, large format 8×20 inch banquet camera. Although challenging to use, its extremely large negative size (100 times the size of a 35mm negative) allows much more information to be captured on film—details are accentuated, the tonal scale enriched and extended, the sense of reality enhanced.
In a time when life seems chaotic and unsettled, this exhibition shares images of peace and tranquility.