72Tokyo

Tom Munro

June 4, 2018

What’s it like to spend three days spinning around the fast-paced carousel of Japanese metropolitan life? For his personal project 72Tokyo, Tom Munro did just that, spending just three days – 72 hours – exploring the sprawling cities of Tokyo and Kyoto. See additional pictures and read an excerpt from the interview from the LFI 04/2018.
The concept is simple: 72 hours in Tokyo, little sleep and lots of activity. In this project Tom Munro presents a series of photographs that are the result of serendipity and his schooled eye.

LFI: How did you choose what to photograph in Tokyo?
Tom Munro: I was in Tokyo for the first time. I took pictures of what I was attracted to. Everybody’s attracted to different things, so it’s extremely personal. The entire piece is about self-expression. About what I saw, what I felt, what I heard, what I smelled. An overload of the senses. It was a chaotic, frenetically fast-paced experience. I knew that I I had very limited time to be there.

In a city with such a rich culture like Tokyo, how did you avoid falling into clichés?
As a photographer one draws inspiration from many things, but one also
builds an image bank over the years which one almost subconsciously
draws from. I drew inspiration from the clichés. Especially in Tokyo where photography has played such an important part of its artistic depiction of the city and its culture.

How did you find your protagonist?
I met with Anna, a dancer, as a potential collaborator. Being an artist herself, Anna appreciated the creative process and understood it precisely. She put her trust in me, I put my trust in her and we went on an explorative journey together.

This is an excerpt from the interview with Tom Munro, which can be found in full in LFI 04/2018.
ALL IMAGES ON THIS PAGE: © Tom Munro

Tom Munro+-

One of the most renowned fashion and celebrity photographers today, Britain’s Tom Munro started his career at the Parsons School of Design in New York City in the late 80s. He has also produced films and TV- commercials for exclusive brands. Since the year 2005 Munro has worked as a contributor for MEAK (Medical Educational Aid to Kenya), a registered British charity. More

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72Tokyo

Tom Munro