Kansai University's Faculty of Sociology will hold a work presentation and critique session on July 13 for 26 students participating in the "Tokyo Camera Club Photography Exhibition 2026" (September 19-22, Shibuya Hikarie), one of Japan's leading photography events.

The project is themed <[Un]named Realities (Realities are not singular)>, which aims to express "unnamed social phenomena" that have not yet been given a name as social issues, through photography. This initiative will showcase the Faculty of Sociology's unique educational practice, which fosters not only photographic skills but also a perspective on society and an awareness of issues, at a major national photography event.

【Key Points of This Matter】

・26 Faculty of Sociology students will hold a work presentation and critique session on July 13.

・Practicing unique photography education with the theme of "unnamed social phenomena" before they become social issues.

・Exhibiting works at "Tokyo Camera Club Photography Exhibition 2026," a leading national photography event.

Communicating the Challenges of Sociology Students at a Leading National Photography Event

Kansai University's Faculty of Sociology is conducting an industry-academia collaboration project in the spring semester course "Media Production Practice B (Photography Practice)" with the cooperation of Tokyo Camera Club Inc., Epson Sales Inc., and Nikon Imaging Japan Inc. In this project, the works of 26 students will be exhibited at the Epson booth of "Tokyo Camera Club Photography Exhibition 2026," a major exhibition venue for aspiring photographers in Japan. Approximately 20,000 people visit Shibuya Hikarie, the venue, every year. Through this exhibition, the students' endeavors will be widely communicated to society.

Theme: "【Un】named Realities" - Capturing the "Nameless Society"

The theme for this project, "【Un】named Realities (Realities are not singular)," was conceived by the students under the guidance of Professor Yuji Mizoguchi of the Faculty of Sociology. Social issues are shared with society by being given a name; however, at the same time, there are instances where nuances and feelings that cannot be captured by existing words are overlooked. Instead of photographing established social issues, the students challenge themselves to discover "unnamed social phenomena" before they are recognized as social issues and express them through their own perspectives.

< Example of Student Works >

【Intersection of Discipline and Freedom】 This spring, blue tickets were introduced for bicycles. The blue arrows indicating the path draw a picture of orderly chaos born from the accumulation of correctness. An intersection where both the direction to proceed and the place to cross are depicted. Yet, people's movements spill out from these designated paths.

Paths are always shown in detail, yet people weave their own separate lines.

This endearing divergence has no name yet.

Work Presentation and Critique Session to be Held on July 13 - Polishing the Ability to Observe Society

Prior to the exhibition, on July 13 (Mon), the 26 students will bring their works and present the issues and perspectives embedded in their themes. Through critiques by literary scholar and photographer Takahiro Bessho (Lecturer, Kansai University Department of Media) and discussions among students, the works will be refined, and those to be exhibited will be selected. This class emphasizes not only composition and shooting techniques but also the ability to observe society and formulate one's own questions, disseminating the Faculty of Sociology's unique learning to society from the stage of a leading national photography event.

◆ Comment from Supervising Professor Yuji Mizoguchi, Professor, Department of Sociology, Department of Sociology, Media Studies

Many of the sociological questions and social issues that sociology students learn about daily, such as labor issues, gender, LGBTQ, juvenile delinquency, harassment, care, media, and platforms, were originally "feelings of unease" before being named, and were widely shared by society when someone gave them appropriate words.

Conversely, this means that our society still holds many feelings of unease that are not sufficiently verbalized, and sensations that cannot be captured by existing concepts.

What the students have tackled this time is not to retrace already established social issues. It was an attempt to observe society themselves, focus on the subtle fluctuations hidden in daily life, and the "pre-naming" realities that fall through the cracks of social issues, and give them form.

Using photography as a means of expression, they pose new questions to society. All the photographs to be unveiled on the day are not mere records, but were born from their journey of interpreting and questioning society through their own perspectives.

The students are creating new observational tools for looking at your city.

Above

< Tokyo Camera Club 2026 Photography Exhibition >

【SHIBUYA HIKARIE】 Shibuya Hikarie 9F "Hikarie Hall Hall A" *Admission Free 2026.9.19 (Sat) - 9.22 (Tue) 11:00 - 20:00

▼Details of this matter▼

Kansai University Press Release

https://www.kansai-u.ac.jp/ja/assets/pdf/about/pr/press_release/2026/No17.pdf

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▼Contact Information for This Matter▼

General Planning Office, Public Relations Division

Ichiji, Kobayashi

Address: 3-3-35 Yamate-cho, Suita-shi, Osaka Prefecture

TEL: 06-6368-1937

FAX: 06-6368-1266

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: www.kansai-u.ac.jp

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  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: Event