Writes Imai, "As a photographer during the 1970s, my interest in capturing time led me to explore the video medium. After utilizing video in two or three works, I saw a similarity between videotape and an ancient scroll, in that they both capture a story of our time. I started using physical videotape as a metaphorical representation of time, rolling out the magnetic tape from right to left, representing a narrative from beginning to end."

Norio Imai was part of the avant-garde artist group Gutai, and exhibited three-dimensional projects and installation works in galleries nationally and internationally. At the end of the 1960s he began to create works using film and video. in the 1970s and '80s, he presented video art that incorporated photographs and performance. His works include Hachibun no rokubyoshi (1976), Digest of Video Performance 1978-1983 (1978-1983), and others.