This audio is generated by AI, so pronunciation and expressions may not be fully accurate. The narration is only in English.
In 2001, having just graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Souteyrat began to develop an interest in photography while traveling. In 2005, he first made his way to Tokyo to visit his wife, who was working as an intern in the city for a few months. "Tokyo was a real shock for me. It was a unique, different, and attractive world," Souteyrat states. "At times, I felt a little lost; it was so different from Paris. There was so much to understand, so much that I could learn, and I loved that."
"I think the city is very fascinating for European people. You have the tall skyscrapers blinking at night, but at the same time, these tiny narrow streets, I love that contrast. It is a mix of energy and calm, with the huge train stations and their surroundings, which are very dynamic, compared to the quiet of the residential areas."
The trip proved an important step to Souteyrat's transition to full-time photographer; with the photos he took during his short time in the city being well received. Having fallen in love with Tokyo, both he and his wife considered fully relocating to the city, which became possible in 2009 when his wife was offered a job.
Souteyrat quit his company in Paris and joined his wife on a working holiday visa, which allowed him the freedom to continue exploring creative opportunities. "Before the move, I had been doing a lot of photography and working on some stories in Paris, so I went to the newspapers and informed them I would be based in Japan, so I could cover anything they needed me to."
Initially, it took some time for Souteyrat to widen his network beyond the publications he already worked with in France. Gradually, his work found its way into a variety of global publications, and after one year, he was able to apply for a journalist visa. Since then, his work has graced the pages of The New York Times, The Guardian, Financial Times, Bloomberg, and National Geographic, among others.
Though much of his work had focused on human-centered documentary and portraiture, one job would prove catalytic for the direction of Souteyrat's work. "I had the opportunity to do a job focusing on architecture through the French Embassy, which is how I got into the field of architectural photography," he explains, "After that, I started my own personal project: Tokyo no ie (Tokyo houses)."
"I was interested in showcasing the residential areas of Tokyo, which are not very well known in Western countries. They know about Shibuya Scramble and skyscrapers and the dense city center, but I wanted to show the residential spaces of Tokyo as well."
Thanks to Tokyo's flexible and unique zoning laws that allow for a wide range of buildings, there are a number of rather eccentric designer houses scattered throughout the city. It was these that drew Souteyrat's photographic eye and eventually made their way onto the pages of his book.
"I decided to focus on these contemporary houses within residential areas because their architecture is so interesting. I think that the houses here in Tokyo are unique compared to Europe. There are different building regulations that allow for a lot of freedom for architects."
Souteyrat's photos are never just about the buildings themselves, though, but the lives that are lived around them. "I like to shoot them in landscape mode, so I can include the environment as well. I can capture the house and the people as well in a documentary manner," he explains. "I'm always focusing on human beings, so even when shooting architecture, it is important to include people, even if it is just one person walking in front. It gives life to the picture and shows how people are connected to the building."
The images themselves are full of the contrasts that Souteyrat so deeply admires about Tokyo. The buildings themselves look otherworldly; some appear more like spaceships than a person's home, and yet, around them is the day-to-day life of the city's residents; the extraordinary alongside the ordinary.
The resulting book, tokyo no ie, was published in September 2014 and allowed its readers a rare glimpse into Tokyo's residential streets. "People from overseas are always fascinated by Japan," he says, adding, "I think that one of the goals of photography is to allow people to travel through the images. I think some of the viewers of my book would dream of living in these houses, while some would like to understand how it is even possible to live in such strange buildings."
One of Souteyrat's goals with the book was to show a different side to a city that many may not have considered or even known existed. Tokyo is not just a city of skyscrapers and neon signs, but one housing millions of people in residential spaces that have a life and a design all their own. Having displayed a glimpse into this lesser-known world, the feedback for tokyo no ie has been overwhelmingly positive and has even paved the way for a number of exhibitions across the world.
Tokyo is a city that has drawn artists to it for centuries. From the ukiyo-e artists of the Edo period (1603-1868) to the photographers and videographers of the 21st century, Tokyo has always held a strong level of attraction. "Tokyo is fascinating," Souteyrat states, "there are so many things to photograph, and it is so clean and well designed, I feel like I can take a nice shot of anything."
Beyond simply getting a nice shot, for Souteyrat, the next step is to tell stories; "new stories, the ones which have not yet been told." While it may seem like, in a world where everyone has the ability to capture a photo or a video in the palm of their hand, finding a new story may be difficult, Souteyrat does not believe storytellers should be discouraged. "Tokyo is an evolving city, and society is constantly changing as well, so there are always new stories to be told."
