tomotosi documents the phenomenon of mass-producing image data

japanese architect and designer tomotosi has long been fascinated by social phenomena that govern humans’ behavior. through his study of design and movie productions, he explores several theories (such as form generation and image) to understand our deepest sociological manifestations. in this series, titled ‘look at me closer’, he questions the influence of mass image proliferation and perception in public settings. initially, the work was part of a solo exhibition in 2014 at the SPACEKIDS gallery. 

trevi fountain in rome

as tomotosi puts it, ‘on a daily basis, we carry a camera with us, take photos and upload them to the internet, and this mass of image data has the potential to take off on its own’. hence, for this project, the architect attempts to create a sort of inception by capturing the photographer from the perspective of the subject — indicating a moment of image reproduction as well as a final chance at reevaluating an over stereotyped motif. what most fascinates the viewer is that, no matter where the mass of people is, the overall behavior and patterns seem to be universal. 

look at me closer 
video © トモトシ/ tomotosi

pantheon in rome

florence cathedral in florence 

basilica of st.peter in the vatican

senso-ji temple in asakusa (one of tokyo’s most popular sightseeing spot)

takeshita street in harajuku

the cosplay girl at the comic market (the world’s largest handmade comic book fair)

cinderella castle in tokyo disneyland

big ginkgo tree in jingu gaien, tokyo (300-meter avenue lined with beautiful ginkgo trees)

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.