Peter Zéglis

Peter Zéglis (b.1983, Thessaloniki, Greece) is a self-taught photographer, currently based in Gothenburg, Sweden. He holds a degree in civil and infrastructure engineering, which has impacted the way he perceives the built environment. His work primarily focuses on the social landscape, the ephemeral concept of place, as well as on questions of collective identity.

xyz

‘xyz’ is a series of personal observations on form and spatial structure in the Japanese urban environment. The series is based on a confrontation of the western concept and taxonomy of space as positive/negative in order to ascribe presence, availability, occupation or emptiness. In stark contrast, the spatial concept according to the Japanese culture inadvertently democratises the viewer’s perception and shifts the focus from a materialistic to an empirical point of view. Furthermore, the Japanese notion of space has survived the clash between tradition and modernity and is manifested in a plethora of settings in the everyday life.

The stimulant for these observations was an exploration of the manifold meanings of the concept Ma (間),”Lit. ’empty, gap, space’; the space between two structural parts.”, a notion which further resonates that the Japanese sense of place is regarded as having both a spatial and a temporal component. More than that, a number of terms in the Japanese language are defined in the context of place, including terms that describe social activities and relations, as well as specific roles and identities.

To view more of Peter’s work please visit his website.