Yu Tsukada | Illustration Documentary and "Looking at the Places We Look 5 -- A History of Tottori's Movie Theaters & Rental Video Shops Illustrated" (Part 1)
This exhibition showcases the culmination of a project researching Tottori's movie theaters and rental video shops using an "illustration documentary" method.Summary
This article introduces the first part of the exhibition, "Looking at the Places We Look 5 -- A History of Tottori's Movie Theaters & Rental Video Shops Illustrated" (held at Shinjuku Ophthalmological Gallery in September 2025), which involves illustrator Yu Tsukada. The project is part of research initiated by filmmaker Yusuke Sasaki after moving to Tottori Prefecture, focusing on the region's film culture. The core team includes Sasaki, Izumi Kijima, and illustrator Clara. They investigate the history of film viewing spaces in Tottori, where many theaters have closed, by analyzing interviews and non-film materials like flyers and local media reports. The research findings are compiled in the book *Media Archaeology of "Places to See"*. Central to this research is the unique methodology of "illustration documentary," which reproduces past architecture and events based on visual materials. Clara's illustrations visualize former theaters and audience reception, aiming to activate the viewer's imagination through absence, drawing inspiration from Roland Barthes' *Camera Lucida*.
(Source：artscape)