Moody, ethereal, eerie - the prints of Daisuke Yokota toy with the imagination. Rephotographed multiple times from compact camera prints, then burned by acid or fire, these noisy, distorted images depict alien landscapes and context-less scenes, stark and empty as they are compelling.

The Nippon Photography Institute graduate follows a complicated process to produce such images, using unusual materials such as iron powder and cement. He’s a big proponent of the Japanese photobook tradition and has been reigniting interest in the form. His hard work has recently been recognised with the inaugural Photo London award for best emerging photographer - due recognition for one of the most talked-about upcoming artists in Japan.

In explaining his work, Daisuke says he’s inspired by the British music artist Aphex Twin, whose music heavily features distorted sounds. “There’s a sense that you can’t really see him, and this confusion is interesting to me,” he told American Photo Magazine in a 2012 interview. “There’s a lot of experimentation with delay, reverb and echo, which is playing with the way you perceive time. Of course, there’s no time in a photograph, but I thought about how to apply this kind of effect, or filter, to photography.”