Acrylic Box, Light Panel, Ivory Paper

Due to a photography project that started in 2018, I met a girl named Mana online. Through numerous photoshoots, we gradually became familiar friends. Beyond developing a strong rapport for our collaborative work, what touched me the most was how shooting in abandoned houses felt as comfortable as inviting a friend over for tea and a chat. At that time, I discovered an old, long-abandoned teacher’s dormitory in Gongguan and invited Mana to shoot there. After many discussions, we decided to place objects in the shots that we both felt were appropriate. Since the location was very close to where we both lived, we visited the site multiple times, hoping to capture the best possible images.

 

As this collaborative project came to completion, I gradually realized that my relationship with the model was not like the typical perception of a photographer and their subject, which often suggests a dynamic of mutual benefit or a hierarchy. To me, the most valuable and desired aspect of photography is that even when our everyday interactions might be considered unfamiliar by the standards of normal social activities, this medium allows us to form an intimate connection that transcends words.