Photography as a wordless diary: Yasuhiko Iida’s new photobook humanises London

At its launch at The Photographer’s Gallery, Yasuhiko Iida’s new photobook Thousand Fold sold out thanks to its audience of passionate skaters, artists and fellow photographers – in what looked like more of a bloc party than a book launch. But in the pages of Thousand Fold, you can see exactly how this community came together through Yasuhiko’s empathetic eye, run-and-gun film camera style and ability to capture the sweet moments in amongst a grungey London lifestyle. “The purpose of my photography is so I can remember it 50 years later,” says Yasuhiko. “Photography is my wordless diary.” A quick flick through this book and you realise its immediate value. Film grain, blurs and unique relationships to exposure capture the gritty personality of London, making it feel like your very own diary.

In some brilliant photos, a tribute to the modern slacker movement is expressed through images you may believe to be from another decade. Long haired skaters and The Smashing Pumpkins posters are rendered through the timelessness of film photography – the only things that indicate that these are indeed photos of the current day and age are the occasional appearances of a Playstation 4 controller or modern tobacco packet designs. Some photos capture the nightlife, others capture the twilight – in one photo, the beams of the setting sun are caught in a stream of urine, all whilst the city looms in the background. Although Yasuhiko has limited photographic influences, he extracts meaning and inspiration from other places: his job as a chef, his girlfriend, pro-skater Jerry Hsu and his internal world of music appreciation. “I listen to music, go into my mind, create my own feeling then start taking photos,” says Yasuhiko. It’s as simple as that, but Thousand Fold offers the opposite; an aesthetic chaos that you can come to expect from the metropolitan hotbox of London.