Street Photography Essay: “160 Yen” by Fabrizio Quagliuso

Fabrizio Q Yamanote Line Tokyo

Eric’s Note: I am very pleased to share the work of Fabrizio Q on the blog this week. I met Fabrizio while I was in London, and saw his “160 Yen” series – a project he worked on while living in Tokyo. It is a strong project full of the idiosyncrasies of Japanese life– all jammed inside the Tokyo Yamanote Line. See more about Fabrizio and the project below. 

160 yen

Fabrizio: I have always been fascinated by the pulse of Tokyo life, by its pure, elemental energy, by how the city and its inhabitants embrace each other like partners in a dance: naturally, gracefully, in perfect unison.

In April 2010 I had the opportunity to spend a whole month in this great city. While I had been shooting in the streets there previously for photographic projects, this time I set off with a very precise purpose – documenting the countless aspects of Tokyo life by photographing commuters throughout the day.

Fabrizio Q Yamanote Line Tokyo

Commuters live in a peculiar, fleeting condition. Suspended between places and physically intimately close but each in his own world, they are hypnotised by the rhythmic rattle of the rails, by the soulless voice of announcements or by their mobile phones, lost in thoughts in an eventless daily routine. Only occasionally a sparkle, a fragment of real life is revealed. I believe this is the essence of commuting and these are the stories I strived to capture.

Fabrizio Q Yamanote Line Tokyo

Nothing better than the Tokyo Yamanote Line could fit my idea. The Yamanote Line is Tokyo’s busiest commuter rail line, looping around 29 stations and carrying over 3.5 million people per day. By simply staying on the line from the first train to the last, traveling round and round, as the day progressed I could experience the myriad facets of Tokyo’s life – each moment carrying a tale, a drama, a lie, a truth, a dream – unfolding before my eyes.

Fabrizio Q Yamanote Line Tokyo

During the month, I spent an average of four to five hours per day “looping around” the Yamanote line circle and at the end of a long selection and editing process I ended up with the 70 photographs that made the final version of the project.

Fabrizio Q Yamanote Line Tokyo

The title “160yen” comes from the price of the Yamanote line ticket.

“A circle is a line that never ends, until you find a reason to get off”

More photographs from “160 Yen”

Fabrizio Q Yamanote Line Tokyo

Fabrizio Q Yamanote Line Tokyo

Fabrizio Q Yamanote Line Tokyo

Fabrizio Q Yamanote Line Tokyo

Fabrizio Q Yamanote Line Tokyo

The  whole 160yen series is made of 70 photos – see the rest of the series here: http://www.fabrizioq.com/yamanote.html

Also check out the Blurb book Fabrizio has made here: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1540201

Biography

Fabrizio was born in Italy. After graduating from university, he left Italy and currently lives in London (UK). Fabrizio has always been passionate about visual arts, and photography in particular. For the past five years he has totally devoted himself to street photography, a passion that stemmed from his natural curiosity and his fondness for observing life unfolding around him.

Fabrizio’s photographs and writings have been featured on numerous photography magazines in UK, Italy, Japan and China, prestigious online blogs and his “Shine on Japan” work has been exhibited in various events in London and in Italy and has participated to various charity activities.

Follow Fabrizio

What do you think about the concept and photos of Fabrizio’s project- and which of his photos are your favorite? Show him some love by leaving a comment below!