Takako Noel is the visually-led artist whose artistic expression cannot be described as simply photography – in applying paint, glitter and sometimes beads, she breaks the rigid boundaries of a set medium by going far beyond it. Born in Tokyo, 25-year-old Takako studied Photography, Styling and Editing at London College of Fashion and since graduating has released her first photography collection Rising Nowhere2, and continues to capture images both across the fashion world and in her personal life.
Her warm and illusory photographs draw the viewer into feeling as though they’re in a world of fantasy; a flickering light in the darkness, a fluttering white dress that seems to harmonise with a mysterious deep green shine, each telling their own unique story. Since most of her subjects are friends and acquaintances, Takako applies a level of empathy to draw out their qualities of youthful fragility, energy and anxieties. In shooting only on film, Takako is able to “focus completely on the atmosphere I am in as I can’t check what the photos look like on the spot like you can with digital photography. I like the warm texture of film and the beauty born from unpredictable moments.”
