Tape, Rope, and Hope
Tokyo is holding on to the past and the future in more ways than one.
A few of my pals and I head out for photowalks on Saturday mornings. Our days arenβt filled with those clichΓ© images or people in the intersection making weird faces as they walk by. Nope. We mostly find simple, behind-the-scenes shots that tell the viewer, βthis is everyday Tokyoβ; we hit up residential areas.
Iβve always had an obsession with finding the finer bits of a scene, and in Tokyo thereβs a ton of those bits. It started out as finding and shooting general decay, but then I noticed how many bars, restaurants, and retailers have whole heartedly tried to keep their signs and things held together with rope or tape. And let me tell ya, after a while, it looks like shit. Beautiful shit.
βThe Monolithβ, as I call it, is the epitome of all this tape stuff. At a point, it really serves very little purpose, IMO.
Feast on some color images.
Bear in mind, I know many signs are expensive to replace. Thereβs a hardship that comes with having to cough up tens of thousands of Yen to get replacements in front of the shops & such.
Growing up, I always heard the term, βcurb appealβ. It basically means that a home or place looks good from the street or from afar. I only hope that more shops in Japan can have just a bit more of that appeal. Wait. Maybe this IS the appeal. IDK.
Now, Iβm basically obsessed with finding these tapey textures. Thereβs an artistic element in them, or so I tell myself, which can tell different Tokyo stories. No neon. No Blade Runner. No clichΓ© images or people in the intersection making weird faces as they walk by, just tape, rope, and hope.
β Jason Garcia
So rad. Love these photos, they really do tell a story of Tokyo, itβs exactly this kind of stuff that gives a vibe and character to a hood.
Clever!