Canadian photographer seeks to publish photos of A-bombed trees taken in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Oct. 22, 2018
(by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer)
Katy McCormick, 59, an American photographer living in Toronto, Canada, has paid visits to Hiroshima and Nagasaki to take photos of A-bombed trees and buildings. An associate professor in the School of Image Arts at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ms. McCormick has been working with a peace group led by Setsuko Thurlow, 86, an A-bomb survivor who lives in Toronto, since last year. She is hoping to publish a collection of her photographs in the future.
This is her fourth visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In Hiroshima, she visited the former Army Clothing Depot in Minami Ward, and elementary schools in the city center that have A-bombed trees, including Senda Elementary School in Naka Ward. Wanting to know more about children’s wishes for peace, she had a chance to interact with students at the school, too.
At the schoolyard of Tenma Elementary School, located 1.2 kilometers from the hypocenter, Ms. McCormick took photos of the A-bombed Platanus tree which has a big hole in its trunk as a result of its exposure to the bomb’s heat rays. She was welcomed by 42 sixth graders, then listened keenly to the children give a presentation about their studies of the recovery of the Platanus tree and the postwar reconstruction of Hiroshima.
Speaking with enthusiasm, Ms. McCormick said that she was moved deeply by the school’s A-bombed tree, which has continued to convey the damage wrought by the atomic bombing with the hole in its trunk that was made on the day Hiroshima was attacked. The tree is a symbol of peace, she added. Then she showed the photos that she had taken. Ayaka Tanabe, 12, a sixth grader at the school, said happily, “Ms. McCormick and we were able to communicate our feelings to each other, including Ms. McCormick’s thoughts about the A-bombed tree and our wish for a peaceful world.”
Ten years ago, when Ms. McCormick made her first trip to the A-bombed city, she was surprised by the difference between Japan and the United States in how the war dead are remembered after she discovered that places in Hiroshima, such as the museum, the park, and the adjacent boulevard were named with a wish for peace, while the U.S. capital, in the nation that used the atomic bombs, erected monuments for the war dead as heroes.
As to why Ms. McCormick hopes to publish a collection of her photos, she said that she would like everyone to have a chance to sincerely reflect on this history because many people in the United States and Canada still cling to the unilateral interpretation that the atomic bombings were necessary actions to end the war. Ms. Thurlow has also encouraged her by saying that Ms. McCormick’s photos can be useful materials for the peace education of younger generations. Ms. McCormick hopes that her photos will be published with descriptions in both Japanese and English so that her work can create a basis for dialogue involving young people from Japan, the United States, and Canada.
(Originally published on October 22, 2018)
Katy McCormick, 59, an American photographer living in Toronto, Canada, has paid visits to Hiroshima and Nagasaki to take photos of A-bombed trees and buildings. An associate professor in the School of Image Arts at Ryerson University in Toronto, Ms. McCormick has been working with a peace group led by Setsuko Thurlow, 86, an A-bomb survivor who lives in Toronto, since last year. She is hoping to publish a collection of her photographs in the future.
This is her fourth visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In Hiroshima, she visited the former Army Clothing Depot in Minami Ward, and elementary schools in the city center that have A-bombed trees, including Senda Elementary School in Naka Ward. Wanting to know more about children’s wishes for peace, she had a chance to interact with students at the school, too.
At the schoolyard of Tenma Elementary School, located 1.2 kilometers from the hypocenter, Ms. McCormick took photos of the A-bombed Platanus tree which has a big hole in its trunk as a result of its exposure to the bomb’s heat rays. She was welcomed by 42 sixth graders, then listened keenly to the children give a presentation about their studies of the recovery of the Platanus tree and the postwar reconstruction of Hiroshima.
Speaking with enthusiasm, Ms. McCormick said that she was moved deeply by the school’s A-bombed tree, which has continued to convey the damage wrought by the atomic bombing with the hole in its trunk that was made on the day Hiroshima was attacked. The tree is a symbol of peace, she added. Then she showed the photos that she had taken. Ayaka Tanabe, 12, a sixth grader at the school, said happily, “Ms. McCormick and we were able to communicate our feelings to each other, including Ms. McCormick’s thoughts about the A-bombed tree and our wish for a peaceful world.”
Ten years ago, when Ms. McCormick made her first trip to the A-bombed city, she was surprised by the difference between Japan and the United States in how the war dead are remembered after she discovered that places in Hiroshima, such as the museum, the park, and the adjacent boulevard were named with a wish for peace, while the U.S. capital, in the nation that used the atomic bombs, erected monuments for the war dead as heroes.
As to why Ms. McCormick hopes to publish a collection of her photos, she said that she would like everyone to have a chance to sincerely reflect on this history because many people in the United States and Canada still cling to the unilateral interpretation that the atomic bombings were necessary actions to end the war. Ms. Thurlow has also encouraged her by saying that Ms. McCormick’s photos can be useful materials for the peace education of younger generations. Ms. McCormick hopes that her photos will be published with descriptions in both Japanese and English so that her work can create a basis for dialogue involving young people from Japan, the United States, and Canada.
(Originally published on October 22, 2018)
