Tokyo Compression( Interpretation and analysis)

Tokyo Compression 

Tokyo Compression is a curation of  photos by famous photographer Michael Wolf. The book by the same name was published in 2010 showcasing commuters of the capital city Japan, stuffing themselves in the subway cars to commute. This results in an 'stuffing of people' as the cars overcrowded in the subway cars. This book deals in showcasing that phenomena using the curation of photos and an essay about the same topic by Christian Schüle.

(Michael Wolf, 2010)

So in order to further about this work I wanted to chose this photo as base as it provides an idea on the perspective that I personally have for this. This book catalogs the experience of these commuters and how in reality it doesn't matter who you are, how you look, what social status you have, how much money you have, how famous you are, none of it once you are on subway. Everyone rides on the same car, have the same seats and everyone and that everyone, at the end of the day is 'compressed and congested'

The picture shows a pretty face hidden behind a fog on the glasses and is congested. This further adds to to my interpretation of this photo, your beauty, your talent, your attention, none of it matters once your on the subway, you just become another number hidden behind the glass and fog, congested and moving in death march to your goal.

Every day thousands and thousands of people enter this subsurface hell for two or more hours, constrained between glass, steel and other people who roll to their place of work and back home beneath the city that never sleeps, Tokyo.

Ultimately  "Tokyo Compression" is a powerful and thought-provoking series that speaks to the complexities of the human experience in the modern world. It challenges us to consider our own relationship to the places we inhabit and the people around us, and reminds us of the power of art to capture and convey the profound beauty and complexity of the world we live in.

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Reference List

-Schüle Christian and Wolf, M. (2010) Tokyo Compression - Michael Wolf. Berlin: Peperoni Books.