Rita Lin
Bio
I am a fourth-year Arts Management specialist student studying at the University of Toronto Scarborough. I have a huge interest in studio arts and have completed two photography projects in the Studio Practice course this semester. After completing an internship as a TV show director in Shanghai in the last few months, Shanghai has now become a place that inspires me a lot. I have many feelings and emotions towards this “magic city,” so I decided to record the experience and express my feelings in a serious of photography.
I’d love to indicate the obscure side of these commonplace's in my photos, such as the aloneness and isolation, which allow the viewers to create a strong resonance with the photography.
Concrete Jungle
The modern facilities and prosperous construction makes the place we live in seem progressive, but in our world, people appear to be the outsider.
Shanghai is elegant, bustling and convenient. But for a large proportion of the elderly, there are thresholds everywhere. They do not know how to use smartphones, make sense of navigation, or know how to take the subway. These reasons were impacted by technology and the internet as they further distanced the elderly from the world. As they stood next to the Huangpu River, they were separated from the city.
The office workers would walk on these prosperous streets when finishing work every day. But it seems like the beauty of the city has no relationship with them. They are insignificant and vulnerable compared to the ruthless and inviolable city. Their personal emotions or stories do not matter. Thus, no matter how busy Shanghai is, many people feel alone and isolated from the world. The most fantastic city in China appears to only be a "concrete jungle" for them as they are just countless tiny dots.
I used long exposure in most of the photos to show the moving cars and passersby while keeping the main character still. This emphasizes the people and makes a strong contrast between the people and the background.
“人间烟火气 最抚凡人心”
The title is a famous sentence in China, which means that the trivial things in mundane life, such as the hot steam of cooking, the smell of the busy kitchen, the street vendor's hawking, and the children's laughter always deeply touch people's hearts.
I captured the scenes that remind us of the different and more human way of living. The hustle and bustle of small-town life are always comforting. The local traditional food market and grocery stores allow people to relax, feel secure and be comfortable.
These booths are not as fashion and high-priced as the modern stores. Most of the vendors have been there for ten or more years, and there are traditional booths in almost every city in China. Because of this, Chinese people have a strong resonance with this kind of scene. It is everyone's memory and sentiment as it represents their home and childhood to some extent.
The vendors are nice and simple, so I always feel cured when I talk to them. To bring this feeling to the viewers, I made sure that they made eye contact with my camera lens. In this case, the viewers can feel that the vendors are looking at them, which builds the emotions and feelings between the people in the photos and the viewers. You can feel involved in the event instead of being a spectator or an outsider of a story.
