Project Statement:
For more than 40 years, Japanese truck drivers have been piling lights, patterned fabrics, and other over-the-top adornments onto their work trucks, creating moving masterpieces covered in LEDs. This tradition of decorated trucks, or “Dekotora,” originated from a 1970s Japanese movie series inspired by Smokey and the Bandit, titled “Torakku Yaro” or “Truck Rascals.” Drivers first began decorating their vehicles in the style of comedy-action films in hopes of being cast in upcoming films. Eventually the extravagant trucks became a way of life for many workers, with decoration costs sometimes running over $100,000. Although the art form is now seeing a decline after it reached its peak in the 1980s and ’90s, the Utamaro-Kai Association of Dekotora drivers has begun to help raise funds for various charity initiatives, including areas of the country that have been hit by the recent tsunami.
Artist Bio:
Originally from New Zealand, Todd Antony has lived in London, U.K. for the past 13 years, where he has built his career as an advertising and fine art photographer. He is a multi-award winning photographer and has been included in Luerzers Archive’s “200 Best Advertising Photographers Worldwide” on multiple occasions. His work has been exhibited in London, the United States, Paris, and Brest, and his commercial clients include Samsung, Sony, Shell, Ferrari, and the BBC, among others. Every year he undertakes one to two personal projects, and the last few years have seen these focussing on various subcultures around the world.
