WMD- WEAPONS OF MASS DISTRACTION

W.M.D  Weapons of Mental Distraction “saying nothingguest and hostand white chrysanthemum” Haiku by Ryota Oshima  Are High-tech cultures  moving at a speed unnatural to human beings, creating a wound of disconnection and discontentment deep within us ?  For most of us, a digital connection is seen as a boon rather than a bane of modern society. Yet many believe that the prevalence of digital socialization have made us less human, and less sociable than ever before. Conferences such Wisdom 2.0 , Books on Essentialism and Gurus teach us how to be in the now are gaining importance in Fast paced cultures.   On the flip side, is the effect of the digital connection on those whose purpose is to escape the material world and focus on attaining Nirvana. “Ichi-go, ichi-e” (Japanese for ‘one time, one meeting’) was a term coined by Sen no Rikyu, the famed 16th century Japanese tea master who was the founder of the ritualized tea ceremony, in which silent communication is key.  The photographs depict how technology, our great connector, has infiltrated  even the saintly one’s  with a last chance for ‘one time, one meeting’. They’ve left their families to let go of emotional ties, and rid themselves of all material wealth and belongings , but has the digital age proven to be greatest hurdle to these monks? These images represent my observations of the last umbilical cord that draws even the most ascetic back down to resounding earth.