The shooting location for our second idea is around some large shopping malls. The pictures will include customers who have just finished shopping with eye-catching shopping bags in their hands, as well as many homeless people. Chinese. Such a strong contrast is also the opposition between utopia and dystopia to a certain extent. In short, the key point of this idea is to achieve it by comparing some scenes or characters in the picture.

After our further discussion, we decided on the shooting locations at Battersea Power Station and Battersea Park.

Utopia: Battersea Parks often feature lush greenery, scenic landscapes, and serene environments that provide an escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life. The beauty and tranquillity of the park offer visitors a sense of peace and harmony with nature, creating an idyllic setting reminiscent of a utopian ideal. Also, the Park serves as a communal gathering space where people from diverse backgrounds can come together to relax, socialize, and enjoy recreational activities. The inclusive nature of parks fosters a sense of community and belonging, promoting social cohesion and unity among individuals.

Dystopia: Since Battersea Park has existed in this world for many years, it has experienced many historical events. To put it simply, the theme park originally existed to entertain people, but it was removed due to the degradation of its buildings and plants. This seems unreasonable now, but it actually happened in 1951. Dystopian environments are often characterized by environmental degradation, pollution, and ecological collapse. Places with depleted natural resources destroyed ecosystems, and dangerously high pollution levels may be considered dystopias due to the desolate and inhospitable conditions they present.

Located lots of large and small criss-cross alleys,

In every alley, under every roof.

Describes the changes of Beijing in the past hundred years.

Now in Beijing, 

there are new changes happened every day.

There are numerous modern buildings beside the red walls and green tiles.

The coexistence of the new and the old,

The contrast between modern and history.

The neglected scenery has always attracted me.

I have lived in Beijing since I was a child,

It's also a native Beijing child.

In the past twenty years of living in Beijing,,

Beijing has been changing all the time,

The only thing that remains unchanged is the architecture of Beijing.

Walking in old Beijing,

Looking at the old Beijing architecture

like the Palace Museum Summer Palace

There are always high-rise buildings scattered around each other.

Walking in the tall buildings of New Beijing

Looking at the new buildings scattered in rows and rows,

There are always red walls and green tiles next to them.

What kind of architectural builds Beijing into a unique city?

Generally speaking, the archway is an ornamental building.

The purpose of the Memorial Archway is to increase the momentum of the main building.

Beijing is the city with the largest number of archways in China.

Further reforms and developments have been made.

Every eave contains the chivalrous dream of the Chinese. Under each eave, they have witnessed hundreds of years of changes in Beijing. They all record the traces of old Beijing.

But never forget the view of Path“

Nearly a summer,

Stop and walk in Beijing.

Finally, I realized the implication of Beijing architecture.

Architecture,

Light is simply described from two-dimensional paper or feeling.

It's impossible to understand everything.

Only in person,

Experience it with your whole senses and soul.

Only in this way can we really feel the art in architecture.

“Everyone has their World”

Digital Print

Shot on Canon 5D

These photography works are about people can create their world. It can be seen in every photo here that a person is standing or sitting next to something that can reflect, and what is reflected seems to be another world that belongs to us, which can be called the abbreviation of our inner world. , it belongs to us, where people can express their opinions, express their emotions, and do whatever they want.

I want to express to people through this kind of photography that everyone can create their own world. People usually explore the world externally as much as they explore themselves internally. Everyone can form a brand new world together, and everyone has his own world in his heart. In the world we create, we can heal ourselves, rest, talk to our souls, release our emotions, and the most important thing is to reconcile with ourselves. Don't care too much about the external world and ignore your own heart, and don't care too much about your own interests and ignore the larger world. Every time we protect our inner world, we are exploring it.

(Similar to my interim show)

eg: star chasing

Idea: This project highly related to Star- Chasing. It records the world created by fans in the process of chasing stars, and also attempts to find their own world when fans return to being ordinary people. When everyone is doing their own thing without any distractions, we all have our own goals, and our hearts also belong to us. But when we are chasing stars, our goals become the same, and our hearts also belong to the same person.

In addition, star-chasing culture is usually accompanied by a group effect, that is, people will form a special social circle and cultural atmosphere in the process of chasing stars. In this kind of social circle, people can share common interests, hobbies and values, creating a strong sense of belonging and identity. However, this sense of belonging does not represent real relationships or experiences in real life, but a kind of social recognition that is exclusive to star chasing. Therefore, some people believe that star chasing is a utopian experience because it provides a way to escape reality, allowing people to temporarily forget their troubles and problems and immerse themselves in an illusory world.

Secondly, love in the process of chasing stars may also manifest as a sense of community belonging and emotional projection. Fans often look for common interests, hobbies and values in fan groups, and build deep friendships and social relationships through sharing ideas and communication. In this kind of community, star chasers may transform their love for their idols into love for the group, strengthening their connection and identification with each other by pursuing and supporting their idols together.

Translation：

There are some teens from the Utopia world, they use music and dream across time and space to come to this world with you. Let us embark on an unprecedented adventure.

将凛冬抛至身后，

我们一起向着春日乐园前行。

Translation:

The Utopia that people have always longed for is a flawless place full of imagination. Let us forget the cold winter and move towards the spring paradise together.

并肩同行，

为这个时代写下属于我们的注解。

Translation:

Even if time is turned back and everything is distorted, we still hope to meet each other.

Let us write our own notes for this time together.

我们用张扬的生命力抵挡黑暗侵袭，守护自由纯粹的理想世界。

Translation

The attitude that young people should have is to be water, be brave, and hold on to their dreams. We use our flamboyant vitality to resist difficulties and protect the ideal world of freedom together.

(Citation: "Fandom and Participatory Culture – Subcultures and Sociology." 20 Mar. 2024, haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/subcultural-theory-and-theorists/fandom-and-participatory-culture.)

(Citation: Cohen, J. (2001). Defining Identification: A Theoretical Look at the Identification of Audiences with Media Characters. Mass Communication & Society, 4, 245-264.
https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327825MCS0403_01)

The content of these flags can be roughly divided into support copy, song titles or lyrics, band logos, fan organization logos, etc. Most of them revolve around slogan-like text expressions, such as lyrics, Internet slang, famous quotes, etc., and are also accompanied by More intuitive picture banners, band logos, etc.

It can be seen that most of the contents of these flags reflect social reality, including tributes to life and culture, as well as emotional expressions such as calling for love, freedom, and escaping reality.

Why are young people so keen on “waving the flag”?

For fans, the music festival is more like a concrete utopia separated from reality, and these flags created by different fans are also concrete representatives of expressing themselves, paying tribute to the band, or showing their spirit. Furthermore, flag culture is not only a way for music fans to gain a sense of participation and experience in the music festival, but also a spiritual sustenance for music fans.

Also, by using other fans to show in the process of Star chasing, we can make new friends anytime, wherever I am, as long as we all love Teens In Times.

The arrangement of photos in the last row also has some logic. The first relatively large photo is only Teens In Times’s flag. This has a similar meaning to the photos in the first column above, because it is something that belongs to fans and helps fans realize their dreams. Fans’ dreams are actually very simple, they just hope that Teens In Times knows we always stay with you and support. The next six consecutive photos are also photos of fans waving Teens In Times flags. The difference between the last one and the above group of photos is quite big, and it is also my best wish for the future. I hope that the relationship between fans can become better and better because we have a common goal.

Secondly, "Endless Adventure" symbolizes the adventures and challenges that Teens In Times and their fans have experienced together. As the song conveys, they are not afraid of difficulties and challenges and bravely pursue their dreams. This spirit also inspires fans to maintain a positive attitude and move forward courageously when facing various difficulties in life.

In addition, "Endless Adventure" also witnessed the deep relationship between Teens In Times and their fans. At the concert, when this song plays, fans will wave their cheering objects and sing along with their idols, creating a warm and touching atmosphere. This shared memory and emotional connection gives "Endless Adventures" an irreplaceable place in the hearts of fans.

Secondly, in my opinion, the photos and the theme are highly consistent. I tried to use contrasting methods to show the audience how people with different identities express their thoughts, and how people live in the utopian world they created. It expresses love and ideals. During the filming process, it was the first time that I tried to stand alone on the street, waiting for complete strangers to take pictures. This was a completely new attempt for me. Although these people are all fans of Teens In Times, this attempt really gave me a new understanding of photography.

Finally, there are still many shortcomings in this shooting. For example, when I first tried to shoot overlapping faces, just like before, I still shot without thinking about the complete theme. This will cause the shooting process to be extremely unsmooth, and I will face many technical difficulties. It is also easy to fall into a closed loop of thinking, causing me to be unable to find a solution. This is a problem I've always had.