The ongoing photo series 'Borrowed Scenery' evolved in 2025 from material I photographed in 2007 in Japanese cities and surrounding landscapes, a process I have continued ever since. My work there explored the Japanese ambivalent relationship with nature: the belief that nature is animated and spiritual, alongside its deliberate manipulation to reveal its true beauty.

The title refers to the Japanese concept shakkei, literally “borrowed landscape”, a tradition in garden design where elements of the surrounding environment, such as mountains, trees, rivers, or clouds, are integrated into the composition. In 'Borrowed Scenery', I translate this principle into photography, where composition, scale, and perspective transform seemingly ordinary scenes into new spatial experiences.