Marlena Artis - Todd Antony post 4

1) Which of the artist's technical choices are of interest to you and why?

What caught my attention first was the cool toned filter that created an eerie magical feel to this series, "Dekotora". Antony lets the main source of light be the truck itself in order to not distract the viewer. He shoots each Dekotora truck driver in the same position from the inside and outside. Also, the stranded environment really contributes to creating a ghostly mood. Personally, because of the way Antony decided to shoot this series I feel extremely drawn to each truck. I really appreciate how this series was shot because it tells a story for each truck driver. Inside each driver's truck, it clearly shows who the driver is and how he chose to decorate the interior. Antony places each driver in front of their lit up Dekotora truck, as if gazing at their hard work with pride and honor. 

2) What do you believe are the artist's conceptual and/or thematic intentions?

I believe Antony's intentions were to share the evolution of these extremely rare Dekotora trucks and their drivers. There are only an estimated six hundred Dekotora drivers left in the world. Dekotora culture began in the early 1970's because of Torakku Yaro, a popular film series. Drivers would decorate their trucks in hopes of becoming famous like the actors in Torakku Yaro, but eventually grew to hold significant spiritual meaning. After the tsunami in 2011, these drivers would make trips to Northern Japan to help and raise their people's spirits. These drivers intended to bring hope during these dark times with their lit up trucks, being Antony's reason for shooting this series the way that he did. I believe Antony wanted to express a lonely or empty feeling, shooting in a stranded area with a cool eerie filter. But the only lights being inside and on their trucks to represent a sliver of hope in this darkness. The truck drivers look at their hard work from a distance, full of pride. 

3) How do you personally respond to these choices and intents?

I really enjoy Antony's intents on preserving the culture and stories behind these Dekotora drivers. His concepts and the way he presents the narrative of this series is relatively straightforward, but I'm still able to appreciate his work. Antony had to spend a lot of time with these drivers as well in order to learn about the culture and history of Dekotora drivers. These people spent thousands of dollars in order to decorate their trucks in this manner, and have such a heavy spiritual connection with their work as well. With Antony's technical decisions in his shots, I can really feel how proud each driver is of their work. I can sense how significant these lit up trucks are, as if they were a guide in these dark empty streets.