WEST AMERICANIZED TOUR

PUBLISHED BY STUSSY BOOKS / 2008

Tomonori "RIP" Tanaka's rolling perspective through the United States is a modern day survey on street culture. His release of a book called Ripzinger West Americanized Tour is a collection of images that document RIP's infatuation with the American dream. Skating on a Krooked Zip Zinger deck, hence the name, he explores the notion that photography can be more than simply photographing a subject. He proposes that the action of snapping a picture is closely aligned to the act of skateboarding. There is a moment when one must make a decision- when to take that jump, when to bail and when to stick your landing. Photography holds similar decisions. There are fractions of seconds when you must decide on the composition, light, expression and then click.