3rd Dimension Apocalypse
A sci-fi city can be many things from imaginations, or it can be nothing in particular. It can be a floating city full of interesting characters with lots of buildings in the clouds. It can be home to scientific and technological breakthroughs that people only have in their dreams, and where there are no limits. In this city, which has different ways of "arming" itself, and therefore infinite perspectives and infinite possibilities, there can be genetic engineering, mechanical men or cross-dimensional travel. You name it. In your world (or your mind, if you prefer), this city can be anything you want it to be.
For me, it represents the beginning of a new chapter in my life. The name might suggest otherwise, but there is something that should be remembered about a process of metamorphosis: a part of us die when we change, so it can be reborn free of past burdens and mistakes, and give space to the new things that shall come.
Series II. For The Hungry Ghosts
Asian culture has been the focus of interest for many on more than one occasion. Its customs and traditions can make many unfamiliar people feel distant, but they may even teach values that we did not know or did not want to see. Asia is a continent that can make us see atypical things in any of its countries.
In Asian countries, there is a lot of respect for ancestors and people who have passed away. That is what this series of artwork is about, it’s presented in three methods, including Cyanotype on canvas, photographs and digital art print on clear films. The photographs were captured in 2015, an offer a close and comprehensive view of one of China's most famous traditional rituals, special ceremonies to worship the ancestors and to ward off the evil spirits or hungry ghosts that came out from the underworld during Yu Lan Pun Festival (a.k.a. The Ghost Festival).
More interestingly, what is portrayed in these photographs, the value of the traditions of Chinese operas is thousand of years old, as well as Chiu Chow-style ghost dramas that are held on temporary bamboo altars, performed to entertain the ghosts and praise the deities' works of charity and piety. Chinese opera has a long history of development, and as it has progressed over time, it has incorporated local folk art and its essence in its costumes, makeup and hairdos as well. This has made it become a special style with enriched artistic forms and contents.
In the end, as part of the ritual after the last show, they burn down all the gigantic servants and guards made of paper, which are tall like a two or three storey houses. This part of the tradition is no longer can be seen in Hong Kong. It’s an extinct activity because the citizens are no longer allowed to burn things on the streets in such size scales. In 2011, the festival was recognized as part of China’s intangible cultural heritage, as its roots date back more than 2,000 years. This shoot is a reflection of the uniqueness of the Chinese culture in Hong Kong.
Why Cyanotypes?
Everything we know today has an interesting story to tell. Cyanotypes, on their part, are one of the oldest printing processes of photography in history, and what a better way to honor such a legendary and old tradition such as the hungry ghost festival than with cyanotypes?
The alternative processes of photography have a lot to contribute. Those that were part of the timeline of printing an image on a physical, light-sensitive backing.
With the rapid evolution of the photo, we overlook the emotions capable of appearing when our hands hold a piece of paper with a memory printed in a professional or home lab.
Nowadays, memories are stored in a virtual cloud that we do not see and that we are certain exists somewhere. Photos are no longer in old albums or in a shoebox we once used. But cyanotype can bring back the enthusiasm that existed before digital clouds.
It consists of printing a negative on a surface treated with chemicals capable of creating a film that is photosensitive to UV light. The "negative" can be anything you want it to be; photographs, dried leaves or flowers, and this is one of the aspects that these works represent: for these shoots to be what you want them to be.