'To the White Sea' is a photography series inspired by the unmade film of the same title that was supposed to be a blockbuster. I contrast vague adoration with reality in the motif of the escaping drama of a U.S. soldier left behind in Japan at the end of World War II. James Dicky's original novel was planned to be made into a movie by the Coen Brothers in around 2000, but the movie was shelved indeterminately for commercial reasons. The WWII adventure movie follows an air gunner, Muldrow, shot down over Tokyo, embarking on a dangerous and demanding journey back to Alaska. After landing on the coast of Tokyo, Muldrow skilfully slips through the air raids alone and escapes north on foot.
I learned about this project while exploring the theme of a cinema-related photography series. I became interested in this unbalanced story and the episodes it followed. This film, which was budgeted to cost as much as $50 million, exists as a phantom work and is rumoured to have been an Oscar candidate for Best Picture and Best Writing. However, the main character, Muldrow, is difficult to empathise with because he has extremely few lines and instinctively repeats atrocities in order to survive. I also wonder how topical the story is, given it has little connection with the present age. Still, the legendary sound of an ‘unfinished masterpiece’ caught my imagination. My series uses the original story as a motif and creates a fictional story that considers why people are attracted to vague adoration and the gap between thoughts and reality. I acquired images inspired by the unfinished Coen brothers’ script. Then, I interweave them with the photographs taken during my journey to the north, which meditate on Muldrow’s admiration for the northern hometown. The portraits of foreigners living in Japan reflect their isolated existence in Japanese society, mirroring Muldrow’s lonely experience of being a fugitive fleeting northwards.
I learned about this project while exploring the theme of a cinema-related photography series. I became interested in this unbalanced story and the episodes it followed. This film, which was budgeted to cost as much as $50 million, exists as a phantom work and is rumoured to have been an Oscar candidate for Best Picture and Best Writing. However, the main character, Muldrow, is difficult to empathise with because he has extremely few lines and instinctively repeats atrocities in order to survive. I also wonder how topical the story is, given it has little connection with the present age. Still, the legendary sound of an ‘unfinished masterpiece’ caught my imagination. My series uses the original story as a motif and creates a fictional story that considers why people are attracted to vague adoration and the gap between thoughts and reality. I acquired images inspired by the unfinished Coen brothers’ script. Then, I interweave them with the photographs taken during my journey to the north, which meditate on Muldrow’s admiration for the northern hometown. The portraits of foreigners living in Japan reflect their isolated existence in Japanese society, mirroring Muldrow’s lonely experience of being a fugitive fleeting northwards.
