Miyako Ishiuchi underwent an experience in her late 20s that was, if not entirely unique, certainly highly unusual: She became entranced with photography because of its smell.
It was 1975, six years since she had abandoned an art degree at the height of nationwide student protests. Not sure what to do next, Ishiuchi had been bouncing from one odd job to another when she walked into a dark room for the first time and immediately felt at home.
In part, it was the running water, which reminded her of washing newly dyed thread at Tama Art University. Most of all, however, it was the smell of acetic acid, the fixing agent used to halt printing in black-and-white photography. It was the same chemical she had used to fix animal dyes as a weaving student.