Kuzu (Junk)1962

Music by Takehisa Kosugi The beach of Tokyo Bay was a dumpsite for all the city's human, animal and industrial wastes when I shot "Junk" there in the early 60s - today this is no longer the case. I was interested in the way my commitment could revive the junk and dead animals. At times the objects are animated, which could be seen as surreal, yet they are real at the same time. The concept coincides with the Neo-Dada in art, in which junk is assembled and incorporated into artwork. Yet today's point of view, the film certainly shows concern with the ecology and may be regarded as an early attempt to deal with the destruction of our environment. "I went to an industrial beach where there was a lot of junk. Some poor people lived there collecting garbage. I shot some of the garbage and also kids playing around there. What I tried to do was to make some conjunction between the things and kids. I also wanted to participate in the film myself. I ran on the beach holding the camera, and I shot my own shadow and footsteps". - Scott McDonald, An interview with Taka Iimura, on the Journal of the University Film Association,1981