Monthly Report: BENCE HLAVAY (June 2026)
After a long journey, I arrived in Hiroshima on the 8th of June and was greeted by Shinya and Ryuji. I was extremely tired, but the view from the nearby bridge was the best reward after the long trip.
After meeting Zohar and Clara for the first time, we started our first week with a packed schedule of programs. It felt like every day was more exciting than the one before. Our great guides, Ryuji and Shinya, took us on many adventures. We went to Miyajima Island, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, and a Kagura performance.
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I think the most influential experience for me was visiting the Shinshoji Zen Museum and Gardens. The place itself was beautiful and calm.
After exploring the museum, we took part in a guided meditation session and watched an amazing art installation. We finished every evening with great dinners together.
After the first week, it felt strange to be on our own and free to explore the city, but it was exciting as well. On the first day, I bought an old bike. After days of walking, riding it felt like flying. Biking along the channels was a great experience. Once, I locked my bike in a public bicycle parking facility, and it took me ten minutes to understand how the system worked. This was not the only time I felt like a fish out of water, but luckily, there was always someone willing to help us out.
The first week on our own was all about exploration. We spent a lot of time together and were there for each other when Don Quijote felt like a maze.
My project is heavily connected to the city of Hiroshima, and with the bike, there was no distance that felt too far. I started building a library of photographs as mementos of scenes and moments that I want to encapsulate in the film. I became interested in capturing slices of everyday life in Hiroshima. This was a difficult task because, for a while, I felt like taking a picture of every building and every corner. Especially the colors and the playfulness of things is what I am drawn to the most.
During the third week, my friend Kata came to Hiroshima to visit me, and we spent a long weekend in Tokyo. It rained every day because of the typhoons, but that did not stop us from walking around all day. It was intense and sometimes exhausting, but it was very interesting to see the similarities and differences between Tokyo and Hiroshima.
After coming back, I started selecting the photographs and notes I had collected throughout the month and began preparing for my presentation at the university and the workshop at the Motomachi apartments.
In conclusion, the first month was quite a ride. There was a lot to learn, experience, and take in. I am looking forward to the rest of the residency with great excitement.
