Plastic Works — RIGHTEOUS

Haruhiko Kawaguchi, also known as Photographer Hal, has been known for vacuum-sealing couples in plastic bags to depict claustrophobic love. During his shoots, the air is filled with tension. Faces and skin physically shrivel up as they get sealed up, stoking fear and suffocation. There are only 10 seconds to shoot, or the subjects would be in danger after that.

But Kawaguchi now has his eyes set on vacuum-sealing something even bigger. In his newest piece, the artist attempts to vacuum-seal a whole house.

This series that I’m working on started with a couple vacuum-sealed and photographed against a white background. Then, we went to the place where the couple had gone on their first date, and vacuum-sealed them there.