Japanese Shrink Wrap is Actually a Thoughtful Art

Project 'Flesh Love' by Haruhiko Kawaguchi

The latest trends of the wacky shrink and wrap pictures from Japan are actually a thoughtful form of art. Couples are wrapped naked in a shrunk form. But this isn’t just the teenagers going out and doing something. It’s actually a project called "Flesh Love" undertaken by the award winning Japanese photographer Haruhiko Kawaguchi.   

Kawaguchi started this trend in 2009 with the first series ‘Flesh Love’. The second series of the art form ‘Flesh Love Returns’ launched in March. The artist sees this art as an expression of love and intimacy.

Daily Mail brought this to knowledge under their publication with a terrifying headline. It says, “Don’t try this at home! Couples risk their life in plastic bags for bizarre photos.”

How do they do it?

However, the reality is not as breathtaking as their news. It goes like, two lovers crawl into a plastic bag after rubbing on a lube and a coolant gel. They even carry some earthly possessions of significance to them, at times. The couples embrace as tightly as possible. The vacuum then sucks out all the air bringing the people really close. Kawaguchi then clicks the pictures.

Artist Haruhiko always has paramedics standing by his side during the shoot since the procedure is dangerous. The photographer only has a few seconds to capture images since the oxygen is sucked out completely. The couples stake their lives at risk for the shoot.

On the other hand, Kawaguchi has a say on his side,

“In this extremely limited time I can’t release the shutter more than twice. They’re never in danger, though, as I have a rescue bodyguard on hand at all times.”

ArtFido posted a video of the process and it’s all done in a very professional and controlled manner. The video has been given at the end.

It might look weird and crazy but it shows the power of love from Haruhiko Kawaguchi’s perspective. He explains this to the Daily Mail.

“With my pictures, I try to show this power of love by getting the couples as close together as possible. The less distance there is between them, the stronger the power of love.”

The artist expands the concept further. He shoots couples from all backgrounds. Strippers, business and the unemployed, all form a part of his art. He aims to seek no discrimination by hiring only the whites or the good looking models. Also, age does not seem to a barrier in his art.

Love can be any form. Couples with age differences, same sex or interracial follow the breadth of his artistic love. 

Love is the most important thing on Earth for Kawaguchi and he has started to create this ring of love in Tokyo, presuming that someday the world would also witness peace without segregation and discrimination.