2022 Retrospective

Hello dear walkers; this is yet another infrequent message from me — Toto — the person who wishes to write more but can’t for every reason imaginable (more on this later.)

As I was writing my 2022 retrospective — which I do every December 15–28 — I wanted to share some of the highlights of this abounding year and, perhaps, give a sneak peek into 2023.

Mostly in chronological order:

2022 marked the kick-off of THE LINE experiment run by my friends here in Tokyo. Every fortnight they invited a DJ and visual artists to present at one of the Tokyo bars. It is a curious setup—the art piece is put behind the red rope—the line—facing away from the DJ and the main dance floor. Visitors are incentivized to proactively go over the line, sit on a comfy sofa, and enjoy the art in solitude as the rest of the evening is spent enjoying music. It was supposed to end in 2022, but because of the several COVID-19 restrictions in the summer, it will last till April 2023.

I was not there every time, but I ended up shooting the atmosphere whenever I could.

On June 26th, I was lucky to present my piece to the viewers.

Walk With Me. Up next, I tackled the idea of converting curiously designed street lamps in the Jingumae 2-Chome into a street gallery to show my photos from the Out of Memory Series. I was lucky to know a guy who knows a guy with the keys to those streetlamp display cases.

Walk With Me laster whopping three months. I organized several walks around the quirky and cozy neighborhood. Many know it as the home of the infamous Bonobo club and bar.

Echoes of an Old Party. Shortly after the street exhibition, my dear friend and fellow photographer Leon Gallo had his pop-up show in a “secret place” in Tokyo showcasing his photos from the abandoned Marugen snack bars. Echoes of an Old Party lasted a couple of days, and only a dozen visitors were allowed to see it live at the said place. (The exhibition is now permanent in an undisclosed location, so if you’re lucky to find it, please enjoy it without giving out the site.)

At Leon’s request and my pleasure, I practiced my printing and book-making skills at someone else’s service rather than myself. So all the prints and accompanying books were designed and printed by yours truly.

You can buy exhibition zine by reaching out to @leongallo.photography directly on Instagram.

Wirescapes. Later in the year, my dear friend and generally a relentlessly creative soul approached me with the idea, “why don’t we do something together.” Thus, Wirescapes was born.

Ludovica is the founder and sole artist behind byLudo, an Ecotech-bijoux endeavor focusing on upcycling computer and tech waste into tasteful accessories. Computer cables, keyboard keycaps, and USB plugs are creatively used in her pieces. I urge you to explore her website and Instagram.

The core idea of Wirescapes was to communicate our shared love of big cities — Tokyo specifically. The massive urban environments could be overwhelming, yet they serve as a platform enabling humans to connect and create exciting things.

Using Ludovicas knowledge of making things out of computer waste and my photography of Tokyo streets, we made an entire space where people could experience connections and opportunities of a highly intertwined city.

Ludovica presented her work alongside Wirescapes at PeckaKucha Christmas Night Special (Dec 16) in Tokyo. You can see the slides and talk here.

Jinny Street Gallery. Circling back to the Walk With Me and Jingumae 2-Chome, I started a project with my dear friend Lorenzo. Fellow walker, Showa Tokyo admirer, and only other photographer who has exhibited in those streetlamps before.

After I removed my work from the districts, I verbalized my idea of converting the neighborhood into a “street gallery for walkers” to Lorenzo. To which he immediately responded, “I had the same idea!”

A few months later, after nearly killing ourselves while hanging gallery flags on the street lamps, I’m proud to announce that Jinny Street Gallery will have its inaugural exhibition on Jan 15, 2023 — Tokyo Flâneur: Through the Eyes of a Stroller.

I’m incredibly proud of what Lorenzo and I achieved. There are 42 streetlamps around Jingumae 2-Chome (or “Jinni” as locals call it). One could easily spend 2 hours walking around the cozy neighborhood going through all the display boxes intertwined with designer shops, ramen and soba places, and quirky night bars.

Follow @jinny.gallery for more updates. We have the first half of the 20223 already programmed. Please write to us if you’re interested in displaying your work.

Big walks. Finally, I have made long walks a routine. Every second Saturday (or so), I get up at 6am and start walking for 15–20 kilometers. No music. Only feet, brain, and the camera. The slow pace makes those walks six to eight hours, including café breaks. Those walks are oddly pleasant — as if the brain switches to a meditation mode after 7 or 9 kilometers. I love those walks and plan to do them through 2023. They are an incredible tool for exploring the city and experimenting with photography.

In fact, I’d recommend anyone to do those once a month or so. Camera not required. Just walk. Your brain will thank you.

I’m grateful for 2022. It’s been an absolute rollercoaster. But it was a pleasure to ride it. I have quite a few plans for 2023 too. I’ll try to write about those throughout the year so I don’t have to stare at the “Near email length limit” warning Substack is showing me now.

Have a great year ahead, fellow walkers and dreamers.

Onward, forward. —Toto