Michel Delsol
People
“We didn’t need language… The way I photograph subjects is to stay very close with them mentally and psychologically, like floating on the same boat”
Michel Delsol
Portrait photographer. Born in France, he moved to New York to study photography. After he graduated from Hunter College in New York, he worked with renowned portrait photographers, including Arnold Newman, before opening his own studio. While working as a commercial portrait photographer, he devotes himself to three personal photography projects: trees, cities, and erotic photos.
He is one of the few non-Japanese photographers who has had full access to the backstage world of Kabuki, a traditional Japanese form of theater. Here, Michel Delsol talks about his experience photographing renowned kabuki troupe Heisei Nakamura-Za and its leader, Kanzaburo Nakamura, as well as his photographing philosophy.
How did you get involve in the project?
I first met Kanzaburo-san in 2000. I was a guest at a temple in Kyoto. A Japanese director, Kazuyoshi Kushida, invited me there. He was rehearsing Hokaibo. The Nakamura troupe was there. They were working until 11 o’clock at night in Minami Kabuki Theater in Kyoto. Afterwards, he came to the temple to rehearse Hokaibo. I saw him there for the first time. We didn’t really meet and talk–we just said hello. Then he came to New York in 2004. I invited him at one point to my photo studio to show him my portrait work because I wanted to photograph his troupe. After he saw my work, he said that I could photograph them. But that was already at the end of his stay in New York in 2004, so I was invited to photograph his last two shows, and I was interested in photographing mostly the backstage because I wanted to know about the artist. Then, when he came back in 2007, we had made an arrangement beforehand to photograph backstage as well as the rehearsals.
It is very rare to be allowed backstage access. Did you have any trick to convince him?
No, I think I spoke for myself. I really wanted to photograph him–I really like his energy, I completely respect him as an artist. So, for me as a photographer, he is an amazing subject. This is my perspective. I can only guess why he gave me permission. Maybe he gave me permission because he thought I had a different perspective. I thought that was one of the reasons the first time. And for the second time, I guess he already seen the earlier work of 2004.
Did you know a lot about kabuki before?
No. I knew a little bit before I met him at the temple. After that I read more about kabuki. I am not a kabuki expert. It’s such a big field that I don’t know how I would become a kabuki expert.
So, Kanzaburo himself affected you.
Yes. Absolutely yes.
What kind of spirit did you want to convey in your photographs by portraying Kabuki backstage?
I want to portray more than the backstage of Kabuki. I want to portray the talent of Kanzaburo-san, his creative talent, his personality, and his generosity. In 2007, he was on stage with his two sons, Kantaro and Shichinosuke, who share his talent and sense of life. I also think he is somebody who likes adventure. He is very open to the future. That’s why he has tried new ways of Kabuki, using avant-garde directors like Kazuyoshi Kushida and Hideki Noda. I am attracted to people who want to find new ways of doing things. I think Kanzaburo-san is like a fine artist. It’s interesting how they work, how they live. I do not know about his personal life. But when we were brought together through photography, it was very personal.
Kabuki is a kind of new field to you then. Was it difficult for photographing?
No. It’s the same the way I take photographs. Actually, maybe I was privileged because Kanzaburo-san gave me access to him. The way I photograph is just to stay very close mentally. I don’t want to say emotionally, but psychologically, just stay very close to my subject. So, it’s like two things floating on the same wave.
Without language?
He speaks English and some French. But no, we didn’t need language. I think we communicated without language. So, it is not difficult to photograph. What I need to do as a photographer is to always concentrate on what I am doing. Focus all the time. It’s enjoyable, as a matter of fact. Once I could connect with him, it was like surfing on a sailboat. You have to be with the elements. That is to say, a portrait photographer has to be in harmony with his subject, but also the moment and circumstance that we share. In this case, the circumstances are backstage and in rehearsal and the excitement and pressure before going on the stage—no mistake can happen. Not only me, but also everybody was focused, everybody had a job to do. I tried to be very careful to be respectful of him and his co-workers, of the space that we shared. So I tried to be very, very respectful as much as I could understand.
As a portrait photographer, you can control some of the settings, lighting, and angles. In this case, it was a documentary. How different was it?
I have a photo studio, so when I do portraits, sometimes I use my studio, I control the background and the light, and I also control the time, the situation, and the setting, but then I improvise with my subject. I have ideas that I want to do in my studio and start improvising, psychologically and esthetically. But when I photograph somebody, I like to go where they work. If he is a writer, I can see the office, writing table, old typewriter, bookshelves, and I can see books he reads. In that case, I find everything is interesting. My goal is not to find something beautiful. My goal is to find the interesting part, and I think the interesting part is always beautiful. Real interest, that would be beautiful. The beauty from inside, that’s what I think is the strongest.
After visiting Japan 10 times, have you found any favorite place?
I don’t want to say I have a favorite because Tokyo and Kyoto are so different, and I like both of them because of what they are. But I’ve been to Kyoto 5 times. I always went to the same temple. There is a monk who became my brother. It really happened the first visit. The monk, who is a few years older than me, speaks very little English. His wife speaks some English, though. But we, within the first hour, became soul mates. Then he invited me 4 times after that.
When I travel, sometimes I find the place very familiar although I’ve never been there. Do you have that kind of spiritual experience?
Yes. In Kyoto, I have felt I’ve been there before, like maybe 500 years ago.
Do you see why?
I don’t understand why, but I knew the one temple that I was visiting was doing something–maybe war lords were fighting. I thought I was a very peaceful person at the time. But there was a lot of fighting around me. I don’t really personally believe in before life or after life, but that’s the experience I had. I knew people were fighting there. And I knew I was trying to keep peace.
—- Interview by Noriko Komura
*Mr. Delsol’s works on Heisei Nakamura-Za are exhibited at Kinokuniya Bookstore (41st St. and 6th Ave.) from December 20th to January 8th.
Kabuki
Kabuki is a highly stylized, all-male form of theater in Japan that originated in the early 17th century, right after the long period of war ended. The word “kabuki” comes from “kabuku,” meaning “to be eccentric.” It attracted a mass audience since people were eager to watch something new after the long years of war. Kabuki developed in the Edo period (1600-1868) as pop culture grew. At first it employed only dance and music like a revue, but later it acquired other elements such as dramatic narrative, a new storytelling style, and a unique stage set. Many of the classical numbers originated during this period.
Heisei Nakamura-Za
Heisei Nakamura-Za, led by kabuki actor Kanzaburo Nakamura XVIII, is one of the most famous Kabuki theater troupes in Japan. It toured the US in 2004 and 2007, and it gave stunning performances at New York’s Lincoln Center.
"J-Culture" Strikes!
