In Conversation With
Hoji Tsuchiya
Hoji Tsuchiya is an artist and animator from Japan whose captivating illustrations and animations brought our "EYE SEE" campaign to life. Recently, creative director, Marco Pagani caught up with Haji to discuss life, his career and the inspirations behind the "EYE SEE" video. The accompanying images are taken from Haji's studio and showcase a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the "EYE SEE" video.
Let's start with your childhood. When did you start drawing and how did this lead into your animation career?
I loved drawing since I was a child. But in my teens I was fascinated by watching movies and listening to and making music. When I was 19 I had the idea that I might be able to make my own animations with just a video camera. I then became obsessed with combining the animations I made with the music I played myself. After making several animations I began to focus more on making animations than music.
Raised in Japan, would you say your culture has an impact or is reflected in your work?
In terms of animation, I think what first inspired me creatively when I started making animation was the various interesting techniques of animation from around the world that were different to the typical methods of making animation, such as the paper cutting animations of Eastern European artists, clay animation, and the videos of Norman McLaren. When I travel outside of Japan or live in another country, I am forced to remember that I am Japanese. I have become more aware of the unique customs that underlie Japanese life, such as seasonal customs like Obon, which may seem a little strange from the perspective of modern culture, and I am rediscovering the influence of such culture in my own consciousness. I sometimes get inspiration for my work from old tales and ghost stories.
In the video, there is a mixture of photographs and illustration while using the technique of folding images. Share a bit with us how you came to using these mediums and why?
I've mainly used paper cuttings to create animations so I like exploring the possibilities of paper. Early on in this project, I thought that because glasses are something that fold three-dimensionally when you put them on and take them off, there might be some commonality in mixing flat and three-dimensional images. This time, I felt that the story of the protagonist's eyes encountering various things and rediscovering himself, and the mix of various techniques such as photography and paper sculptures, fit the image well.
Also, is there a story behind your choice of colors?
In order to compose a story in which the protagonist's eyes encounter various things, we discussed withMarco, who runs the brand, how to gradually change the world into color, starting with a monochrome image with few colors, as we proceeded with the production.
Outside of this video, what inspires your videos or where do your references usually come from?
First, Marco sent me a poem for the narration. It was my first time making an animation based on a poem, but it was a very interesting experience. I also thought about how to express some of the more serious parts of the text. For example, I thought many times about the fact that fire can be used to burn things, but also to celebrate birth. I really love David Hockney's paintings for the theatre, and Marco sent me some for inspiration. I was particularly inspired by the photographs of Luigi Ghirri and the painter Mathew Wong. I also went to a nearby mountain to collect leaves to create the scene where leaves are falling. The leaves in the animation are a mix of painted leaves and some photographs of actual leaves.
Looking to the future, do you have a dream or mission you'd like to achieve with your craft?
I'd really like to finish "Hoichi," a short animation based on Japanese ghost stories that I've been working on independently for years. Once that's done, I'd like to try my hand at a feature-length project. But first I need to get to work on "Hoichi."
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