2024-07-06 07:38:01
Leave a FYP to Hong Kong and then leave – Exclusive interview with IG page “Street Shadow”
[Independent media report]A black shirt, black pants, a denim bag, a camera and five lenses, this is Carlos’ daily outfit for his four recordings. Four years ago, when he was working as an advertising photographer and lost his job due to the epidemic, he started the Instagram page “Vanishing Hong Kong” to record the disappearing scenery and people in Hong Kong. Through Carlos’ lens, in addition to the demolished old buildings and housing estates, there are also stories regarding nearly 300 old shops. He said that “Street Shadows” was a project launched for himself and Hong Kong people ten years later. He wanted people in the future to see the real old Hong Kong. Unpaid but recording “full-time”, he recently launched a crowdfunding campaign in the hope of publishing the proceeds from the recording into a book.
Others may think that Carlos takes photography and recording so seriously out of love for Hong Kong. However, he admitted that he had hated Hong Kong before, but he just didn’t want to regret it ten years later, so he insisted on staying and recording it to this day: “I think this book is an FYP (graduation work) for the FYP of this place. I made this book After reading, I feel like I have graduated and I can go.”
Picture provided by interviewee
An advertising photographer who stayed in Hong Kong due to the epidemic turned into a “street photographer”
“Guess, what was the predecessor of this nursing home?” “Do you know who the residents of Tai Hang Sai Estate would call themselves?” On the day of the interview, Carlos, who had a belt injury, walked slowly, but he led reporters in Shek Kip Mei After walking around for a long time, he casually recounted the history of each building and the collective memories of the older generation.
Carlos, 33, grew up in Tin Shui Wai. He studied at City University and worked in Kowloon Tong following graduation. He often walked to Nan Shan Village and Shek Kip Mei. He likes photography, but in the past he only took portraits or travel photos, and almost never took pictures of Hong Kong’s urban landscape: “I think this place is nothing special. It’s old and dilapidated, and the people are rude. I don’t like this place.”
He originally wanted to leave before he turned 30 and go to Japan for a Working Holiday. However, the epidemic broke out in 2020 and the government closed the border, forcing Carlos to stay in Hong Kong. Later, he was fired from an advertising company and worked as a freelancer for a few months. One day when he was sorting through old photos, he realized: “I took so many photos, but none of them seemed interesting. I have no feeling other than being beautiful.”
Picture provided by interviewee
I don’t want to regret recording the scenery that changes every ten years.
Carlos talked regarding a childhood experience. In the housing estate where he lived when he was a child, there was a toy store in the shopping mall. He often went shopping following school, imagining that he too might own a BB gun. Until The Link renovated the shopping mall in 2008, many old shops had disappeared. Carlos searched online for old photos of the toy store, but mightn’t find any. He only found a half-frame image taken by a TV Hong Kong program: “It flashed for half a second, and the shot was blurry.”
“I began to think that this toy store has been with me for so many years and it really existed. But now there is no trace at all, as if it never existed… No one knows the name of the shop owner, and no one has photographed it. The photos of the store gradually faded in my mind, and I was afraid that one day I would forget this toy store that has been with me for many years.”
So Carlos thought, why not open a special page to take pictures of this place that is always changing rapidly: “It turns out that I have been taking pictures for ten years, but I didn’t take pictures of this place ten years ago. I don’t want to regret it ten years later. one more time.”
When looking through old photos from the 1950s to the 1980s, he found that every ten years, the appearance of Hong Kong changed drastically: “If you stand in the same position, you can’t find any trace of the past.” He believes that Hong Kong will look different in ten years. There are bigger changes: “Nowadays, many old shop owners are in their 70s and 80s, and they will retire early. Ten years from now, I don’t think many people will continue to work. There may be some shops that will be taken over by the new generation, but there will definitely be Change. I took these photos now, and they will be very different when I look at them ten years later. I will also be glad that I have documented this place.
Carlos once tried climbing into an abandoned old theater to take photos. He described the environment inside as “frozen” in the past, and he relied on the traces left behind to collect information.
Visited 300 old shops in two years. Visited the previous generation and checked the documents to verify the history.
Carlos describes himself as an introvert and initially started the page just to share photos. But during the shooting process, he gradually became curious regarding the history and reasons behind the photos: “Why is this thing there? Why is it called this name?” So Carlos found a friend who was a reporter and asked him to accompany him to visit the old days. After observing the store several times, he felt he had the courage. Carlos began to try to go out and chat with the elderly every day. Sometimes he became friends while chatting: “As I asked, many questions would come up, and I really wanted to know why. .
When he encounters a problem, Carlos’s solution is not only to ask people, but also to go to the library or historical archives to find information. For example, he would first look for some pre-war tenement buildings to observe. Then when he got home, he would slowly look at the photos and imagine how people lived in the past and why the structure of the buildings was like this. “Many people have talked regarding things in Hong Kong on the Internet, but I feel that others have not mentioned that I am curious regarding it. So I started to check the old documents myself, and read them one by one, and then asked some elderly people what their impressions were. Is it this way?”
Picture provided by interviewee
Human memory may not be reliable, so Carlos would ask many people regarding the same thing and then compare it with historical documents: “Some old things have been told by many people, but they are purely fragmentary. Everyone told some, and I gathered these things together.”
Carlos initially focused on photographing old buildings, ruins, disappearing things, etc. Later, he switched to documenting old shops and has visited nearly 300 of them so far. “These stories are very inconspicuous, but they are full of blood and tears, and are real portrayals of Hong Kong people. I am not going to record some famous shops, I want to record the real life of Hong Kong people in the past, and it is all my thoughts The reason for publishing the book.”
continue reading
During the interview, Carlos also had many profound stories. After he tried to become friends with an old uncle, he suddenly mightn’t contact him one day. It took him half a year to learn that the old uncle had been admitted to the hospital. The old uncle’s wife was afraid that he would be deceived, so she blocked him on her mobile phone without permission. Carlos. He laughed and said that later on, he secretly met up with his old uncle to drink tea and chat like he was having an affair: “Actually, I just chatted with him, so what might I lie to him regarding? At most, I was just greedy for his stories and wanted to know his experiences. , but his wife felt that I wanted to defraud him of his money.”
Picture provided by interviewee
“If you can’t change the future, it’s better to record the past.”
When did you decide to publish a book? Carlos thought for a while: “When Apple Daily goes bankrupt.” In June 2021, “Apple Daily” ceased operations, and the website content disappeared overnight. “I think only a physical book can be left to our next generation to read. Also, things look better when printed.”
Carlos initially opened the page with the mentality of “playing for fun”, but unexpectedly received a lot of attention. The IG page has been followed by more than 90,000 people so far. He humbly claimed that it was not his photography and writing that were particularly outstanding. It was just that everyone stayed in Hong Kong during the epidemic, so he might “eat a decent meal”, which also gave him the idea of ”doing it seriously”: “Since your hair is wet, why don’t I help you seriously?” Doing something meaningful in this place is to record this place. I can’t change the future, so I can satisfy myself by recording the past, and others will be reminded of some memories when they see it.”
“I think this place is so amazing. Even though many things are outdated, it’s still fun to read as a story. How did you go from a place with no surroundings to so many high-rise buildings now?”
The previous generation had to work for more than ten hours a day, walk for several hours to save bus fare, and sit in a spit can and defecate in the room… Carlos most wanted to record this kind of perseverance. He said that a lot of things have happened in the past few years, and “many methods have been used, but none of them can change this place.” However, he hopes that when he revisits these stories, it will make him persist in more things: “I have persisted in this page for four years. Years, because I see these old people can persist, I think I can.”
Carlos always carries a denim bag from Hong Kong’s old fashion brand “YORK JEANS” when he goes out for visits. He said this bag was given to him by his 90-year-old boss: “He said he would never give it to me once more because business is so bad!”
Record the non-conservatorship and leave a copy of the FYP before leaving.
Carlos emphasized that he had no intention and was not doing conservation: “I am purely helping to preserve some stories and records of this place. I hope people will understand something for themselves following reading these records, such as paying attention to the things around them and what else is there in this community. Interesting stuff.”
“I’m not saying that the old ones are necessarily better, but there are some things worth seeing and learning.”
Carlos initially thought that the “Street Shadow” project would only last two years, but it has continued to this day. But when his favorite neighborhood – Shek Kip Mei – began to become unfamiliar and all the old shops disappeared, Carlos thought it was time to stop: “I think the old Hong Kong is actually still there, but it’s very fragmented. Maybe There’s a little here, a little there, but it’s getting harder and harder to catch.”
Carlos also admitted that his desire to leave Hong Kong has not changed, but he has one wish – no matter what, he must publish a book before he can “graduate.” “I think this book is an FYP (graduation work) for FYP in this place. I plan to finish this book and forget it, because I want to do my own thing.”
He has launched a crowdfunding project online and plans to publish the first volume of the book, which will cover old buildings, demolished housing estates, memories of the past, etc. He hopes to publish volumes two to ten later, recording the lives of Hong Kong people in the past. Life, entertainment, food, etc., as well as the stories of old shops in various districts of Hong Kong.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/vanishinghk-fundraise#/
Picture provided by interviewee
Don’t regret having “risked your life” to keep the disappearing people and things
For the past four years or so, Carlos has been walking around almost every day, taking photos, chatting, going home to sort things out, looking for information, sleeping, and repeating himself the next day… Some reporters laughed and said that he was not just doing it for fun, but more like “going to work”, and almost Never had a holiday.
He admitted that he was very tired, and occasionally doubted what he was doing, and even lost himself: “It seems that I have sacrificed my social life and have less time to meet friends. I am a very introverted person, and it is actually very difficult to chat with strangers. , when your head is too tired, you won’t want to talk, and your friends will start saying, “You’re so busy, I won’t date you anymore!”
But he does not regret his “risking one’s life”: “Many times, we just have to cross the bridge to talk, and then they (the old people) leave (pass away). No one has written these stories.”
“Do you still hate this place?”
“It’s annoying, even more annoying.”
“Why?”
“Now this place is lifeless, there is no hope, and no one can see the way forward.”
But good things will never stop disappearing. When he stopped recording, when he left, and how long he left, Carlos didn’t give a clear answer. He just said that he wanted to tell himself ten years later: “Thank you for not giving up.”
Reporter: Liang Haoer
Photography: Lu Manying
1720294060
#Leave #FYP #Hong #Kong #leave #Exclusive #interview #page #Street #Shadow
