Density: Color Photographs from Tokyo

"Density" is a long-term project showing the traits of one of the greatest megalipolis' in the world, Tokyo. While this project was being photographed, Tokyo has gone through pivotal transformations both tangibly and socio-economically. 

Pre-pandemic, the heights of tourism were hitting all-time highs, while decade-long deflation was continued. All the while, governments, corporations, and small individual businesses alike, were preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Ground-up reformation happened for years, turning cities upside down. Hopes were high to make Tokyo live up to global expectations, and resurge as an economic powerhouse through leveraging cultural strengths and technological marvels.

The pandemic hit in 2020, delaying the Olympic Games. The "state of emergency" due to the pandemic lasted all until the end of 2021, and much of Tokyo was still at hault until mid-2022. The masks gradually came off, after a staggeringly silent 2 years.

As a citizen, it felt as if (another) bubble popped. Everything built up for the Olympics came to waste since the Olympic games were held with no spectators, and the public was banned from attending events. After Tokyo started to gather itself together, there have been massive spikes in inbound tourism while the Yen has been falling increasingly. This, combined with stale wages, inflation, and hiking tax rates, has left locals concerened and anxious about the future to be.

"Density" is not a direct narrative of this story,  but are visual phenomenon derived from these occurences. The old being replaced with the new, an increase in a diverse inbound population while locals sit alone, colorful lights and reflections that lack the human element, and finally, denseness whether it being the sheer volume of matter packed in a given space, or the colors that shape the scene.