"Life was always a matter of waiting for the right moment to act." Paulo Coelho
SCHATZART
art by roman w schatz
Filed underchina
Transaction
Impressions of Fuzhou - China
Shanghai Polaroid street photography
Back to China
On my last visit to China I was struck by the scale of urban destruction, called development, that was taking place in large cities. Last year Shanghai was readying itself for the World Expo and in an effort to present a modern image, many of the old neighbourhoods were in the process of being pulled down. I'll be back in China next month and will continue my photo series on the changing face of urban China.
All things change, and we change with them.
This project explores the changing space of the urban environment in Chinese cities. The photographs investigate the role of memory, culture and personal space as part of a person’s identity. China’s current urban expansion offers an ideal opportunity to document the destruction and rebuilding of old and new memories. I started this series of images in Beijing prior to the 2008 Olympics and continued in Shanghai, preceding the World Expo.
In both cities large urban living spaces were eradicated and replaced by modern housing blocks, roads or commercial spaces. In the process, thousands of people were relocated from their traditional dwellings into mostly high-rise buildings. This action not only changes the living space for the mostly poor inhabitants, but it also irreversibly changes the culture of this urban landscape. In the build-up to the Shanghai World Expo it is estimated that 20,000 people have been relocated to make room for new development.
In other parts of China the situation is no different, where redevelopment plans run into billions of dollars. According to the International Herald Tribune (29 April 2010) A single city, Chongquin, plans to invest 1 trillion renminbi or 146.4 billion USD in 323 redevelopment projects in the next few years.
My photos explore what has been left behind. This includes images of old buildings that still bear witness to their former life, people living in a state of flux and objects that contain cultural and personal memories.
'All things change, and we change with them.' Chinese proverb
Endure the moment
On my recent trip to China I collected images for my current art project which examines issues of personal reality, space and emotions. As I explored some of the back streets in Shanghai I became a witness to the power of progress, destruction and human endurance, all of which evoked a range of emotions. While in Shanghai I was lucky enough to visit the MARC RIBOUD exhibition : THE INSTINCTIVE MOMENT, A Retrospective in China, at the Shanghai Art Museum. The works on show inspired me to focus closer on the moment and the emotions that can be found within that reality.
"Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second." Marc Riboud
A series of Buddhas
"You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection" Buddha
Wanderlust
I am struggling with my wanderlust! I have now been back from my last trip for two weeks and the first few days are always the hardest for me. It is as if my body is waiting to catch up with my spirit. Mind you it has been a good year for my wanderlust with visits to International Schools in Japan, Korea and several European countries. It has been a rewarding experience to share stories and art projects, together with my partner storyteller M.S. Blackrose, with many students and see the inspiring final works that they have produced. I can't imagine doing anything else but traveling and sharing art and stories, it is what makes the world a rewarding place to be in. Having now come back to Australia for another hot summer I am already looking forward to next year's travel. In the meantime, I am curing my wanderlust with some highlights of this year's journeys.
“When a traveler returneth home, let him not leave the countries where he hath traveled altogether behind him.” -Francis Bacon
all photos © R.W. Schatz
