SALARYMAN PROJECT by Bruno Quinquet

Bruno Quinquet is the man behind the photographic lenses who is moving around Tokyos business areas without leaving a notice. Whether it is smoke, humidity, flowers or traffic signs, the faces of his urban models are covered by natural elements and without them knowing it. Following a 20-year extensive career as a recording engineer in France, Bruno moved to Tokyo in 2006. Shortly, he bought a camera in which he found a way to express himself. Since then, he has acquired a diploma from Tokyo Visual Arts in Photography, and subsequent to his interest with Japanese contemporary culture, in 2011, he established the Bureau d'Etudes Japaneses, where corporate Japan meets up with French academism. Brunos work has been exhibited and featured in Japan and abroad, and it is also a finalist of the London Festival Photography prize in June 2012. Tokyos grant business market proffered rich pickings for the French photographer. And the normal businessmen sprinting through the crowd resulted in an unexpected photographic series, the Salaryman project. After he randomly framed a Japanese salaryman somewhere in the forests of Japan, he took the initiative to get a further insight into the corporate world of Tokyo. It has been almost 6 years since and the photographers catchy eye being in a constant alertness, remained focused on the typical scenes and people that would reveal him the extravaganza of the everyday life in Tokyo. Through an outsider, Bruno, Japanese corporate workers now have been captured lost in the cityscape and in the mercy of the seasons and their own aspirations. His works boldness remains true to his profound need to picture the

invisible Asiatic figures of the salarymen, inviting us to create our own narrative to fill in their life gaps.
Most people would say that photographs of office workers are not impressive enough, but Brunos work allows a fresh look at these often hackneyed stiff human images. Having an attempt to build mystery around the standard figure of the Japanese male bureau worker, next to the portrait privacy rights, he protects their identities by leaving their faces concealed. In his shots he has caught his participants unawares, as though they only havent yet noticed the camera.

Brunos images are taken at the exit of a business building, in the streets, or in a train corridor, depicting a salaryman behind a window on the train or over his shoulder while he is having lunch. For the most part, his photographs have a dry quality - the salarymen dresses smart in their alienated environment, therefore, Bruno does also angle them over the realms of the humorous. Through this project Bruno has also been exploring alternative ways to display his photographs. The upcoming publication Salaryman Project business schedule 2013 is a weekly planner permits us to see these businessmen as more than just a gathering of white-collars. The publication comes in 3 formats and its language is bilingual (English/Japanese). The photos have been paired fiercely with a lovely resonance when viewed side by side to social events and to the circle of the seasons. Both, very crucial to the Japanese psyche. I have been majorly inspired by the Salaryman project, which by finding no conceivable way to be brought onto publication, was available through Ulule crowd funding campaign. Overwhelmingly successful with managing to win fans from all around the globe, this project has been unfolding the restraints of any mainstream publication structures and now has reached its goal.