Takashi Ito:
Early Works, 1980–1995
Takashi Ito:
Early Works, 1980–1995
In 1981, Takashi Ito created Spacy, his landmark debut in the world of experimental cinema. Constructed from 700 continuous photographs of a school gymnasium, the film transforms the ordinary space into a mathematical labyrinth that folds and unfolds into an unending nightmare, continuing to awe viewers today. While the methodology was not inherently new, Ito took basic animation techniques to the extreme with almost maniacal precision in his manipulation of each frame.
This programme traces the evolution of Ito’s radical experimentation with form through his early works and his sensibility to imbue quotidian environments with eerie energy. Architecture, memory, and the mechanics of the moving image are fractured and haunted in Ito’s world, where his machine-like technical rigour meets a profound query into the absurdity of the everyday, and where space is warped and dismantled at the frame’s will.
A post-screening talk with the artist will be held in Japanese. Consecutive interpretation in English will be available.
Takashi Ito. Spacy, 1981. Photo: Courtesy of Daguerreo Press, Inc.
Takashi Ito. Box, 1982. Photo: Courtesy of Daguerreo Press, Inc.
Takashi Ito. Thunder, 1982. Photo: Courtesy of Daguerreo Press, Inc.
Takashi Ito. Drill, 1983. Photo: Courtesy of Daguerreo Press, Inc.
Takashi Ito. Ghost, 1984. Photo: Courtesy of Daguerreo Press, Inc.
Takashi Ito. Photodiary, 1986. Photo: Courtesy of Daguerreo Press, Inc.
Takashi Ito. Wall, 1987. Photo: Courtesy of Daguerreo Press, Inc.
Takashi Ito. Zone, 1995. Photo: Courtesy of Daguerreo Press, Inc.
About the Artist
Takashi Ito (b. 1956, Japan) is a defining figure in Japanese experimental film. A protégé of film director and video artist Toshio Matsumoto, Ito is best known for his deconstruction of the moving image through single-frame manipulation. His work utilises stop-motion techniques and long exposures to fracture time and space, showcasing a technical intricacy that challenges the limits of visual perception. His seminal film, Spacy (1981), traps the viewer in a nightmarish loop that folds a school gymnasium into itself with complex editing and rephotography. His recent ventures into feature-length films, Toward Zero (2021) and Distant Voices (2024), further his exploration of hauntology and memory through film.
Portrait of Takashi Ito. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Image at top: Takashi Ito. Thunder, 1982. Photo: Courtesy of Daguerreo Press, Inc.