【英國風景攝影師 Michael Kenna 對人生重要啟蒙地、最深情的袒露與致意】 Kenna重回曾就讀七年的神學院寄宿學校"聖若瑟學院"，將校園裡的一草一木、熟悉的建築與角落拍下、集結成此書。11歲時的他，曾在校園裡的臨時暗房沖洗出他人生的第一卷黑白膠卷；他也曾在就讀期間動過成為神父的念頭。離開神學院後，Kenna不再執著他青少年時期為宗教奉獻終生的念頭，但這七年的神學院經歷、繼續影響他往後的人生與工作。這些蘊藏Kenna青春印記、夢想與回憶的照片，是在 2000年代初期Kenna重返如今已關閉的學校時所拍攝的。 From one of the most acclaimed photographers working today comes his most personal work to date—an intimate portrait of the seminary boarding school he attended for seven years and which deeply informed his artistic practice. At age eleven, Michael Kenna developed his first roll of black and white film in a makeshift darkroom at St. Joseph’s College, Upholland, the seminary he attended with the idea of becoming a Catholic priest. Kenna abandoned his religious calling after leaving the seminary, but his experiences there have continued to inform his work for decades. These gorgeous, meditative photographs were taken when Kenna returned to visit the now-shuttered school in the early 2000s. All of the qualities that make Kenna’s work so appealing and evocative are here—richly nuanced tones, studies in contrast, his ability to transform the ordinary into something extraordinary. But Kenna is also revisiting a way of life that may be disappearing—not only the, at times, ruthless discipline of the British boarding school, but also the somber beauty of religious practice. In page after page of richly toned images, Kenna’s camera captures the architecture of the school’s built environment as well as its spiritual architecture. Kenna’s richly detailed biographical essay about his experiences and observations at St. Joseph's reveal much about the way Kenna thinks and works. A critical essay by Vincent Miles focuses on the 110-year history of the college, contextualizing Kenna’s time there. At once captivating and haunting, this series is truly one of the photographer’s most personal and powerful projects to date.