Johnny Tang Photo

Fine Art Photographs by Johnny Tang

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A square piece of paper on a wooden table.
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Large and small white paper cranes on a counter top.
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A pile of 100 paper cranes sitting on a carpet
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A pile of white paper cranes in a white plastic bag.
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A diptych of a square piece of paper with dots on a wooden floor, with a picture of a crane with dots on a wooden floor.
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A paper crane with polka dots sitting on a window sill
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A suit sitting at a desk with hands and face covered in paper cranes.
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Triptych of origami cranes in a camera obscura.
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A pile of white paper cranes in the snow.
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A rock covered in snow and white origami cranes.
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A snow covered rock under a pine tree with origami cranes piled next to it.
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White paper cranes scattered in the snow.
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Pile of white paper cranes sitting under a tree in the snow.
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White paper cranes scattered in the snow.
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White paper cranes scattered in the snow.
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A pile of white paper cranes smoldering in the snow
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Ash spot on the ground covered with dried pine leaves.
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Senbazuru

In Japan there is a tradition known as “Senbazuru” (literally 1000 cranes) that states, anyone who folds 1000 origami cranes will be granted a single wish by the gods. The cranes are usually strung together, and hung on the outer walls of a temple, where they slowly decay as they are exposed to the elements. It is believed that the sacrificed cranes will then carry the wish up to heaven, for the gods to receive.

I am an impatient American, so I decided to burn mine.

I folded the cranes over the course of a year, personally creasing each beak and wing myself! I did this because I wanted to know what it felt like to bring every crane into this world, and banish it into the next. When I first started this project I was hoping to create a huge fireball in the snow. “This will be so cool” I thought, “There’s no way I could screw this up!” But when the moment of destruction finally came, the little bastards refused to catch light – instead they just simmered quietly, laughing at me.

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All Images © Johnny Tang 2021
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