Overall Concept
Wandering on the intricate streets of Beijing, I made an unintentional turn and found myself in a narrow and extended hutong. I thereby made up my mind to seek for my childhood memory. Yet things have been shifting at a rapid speed, and now that the tradition and contemporary are co-existing in this space. Can they live in harmony or do they contradict with each other? When we trace back, what are we truly anticipating? Is it a specific architecture? a piece of memory? a familiar scent or taste? or just simply conversant feelings making up a complete childhood?
The overall concept for the diptych is to demonstrate the continuous flow of time and how traditional architectures undergo renovation in order to adapt to the contemporary society by applying the form of realism and fantasy.
Hutongs and courtyards inside are pervasive neighborhoods where local residents in the city center used to live. However, due to the modernization and globalization of Beijing in the 21century, there have been controversies to demolish and tear down these narrow alleys. The advocates claim that they don’t seem to fit in the big picture of this bustling metropolis.
But in fact, modern elements can be blended into these structures without discord, enabling hutongs to look more appealing and trendy, in accordance with vibe of the city.
In other words, traditional and modern styles can find an equilibrium within hutongs.
For the Diptych project, one cannot exist without the other. i.e. The existence of both images complete the project. In this case, one image will represent the past, while the other depicts the present. These two photos co-exist with each other, aiming to form a comparison to demonstrate how hutongs have been polished and renewed through the past few decades. More importantly, there will be objects such as chairs, bicycles, mailboxes from different eras arranged oppositely in the second image, showcasing that modern elements can integrate into cultural heritages legitimately, and vice versa.
I plan to take photos of a obverse side of a courtyard in a hutong, signposts, decorations in front of the gate, bicycles, chairs, mailboxes and contemporary objects with a sense of modernity and high-tech, etc.
Photoshop Manipulation
First of all, I will cutout the elements that I need from different images. Then, I plan to play with some of these segments by rotating/ replicating/ adding different filters. To be specific, apply higher white balance and decrease color contrast on pictures of historical sites to create a nostalgic and soft atmosphere.
For substances embodying the present, I intend to draw a bright yellow outline to underscore a sense of vitality.
Finally, I plan to apply fisheye lens to distort the photo so it looks as if observing from a parallel universe.
Above are all preliminary ideas of this project, the details may vary as I proceed.