One of my favorite philosophical questions to ponder is: "How can I tell if the reality I'm seeing is real?" That is, how can we tell the difference between the reality we see before us and a convincing illusion? As an artist, this is a question that I often allude to in my work, particularly in regards to the authority we give photographs over how we perceive the world around us.
Illusions of Progress is inspired by the feeling of being not quite sure if your efforts are paying off.
Photographed on a chilly weekend morning in January, I think this is both one of my best and worst photographs. From the technical standpoint, there is nothing "correct" about this picture. Nothing is in proper focus, it's crooked, and the guy on the far left is cut off through his eye. But, of my photos that make use of this composition, I think Illusions of Progress is one of the most successful.
The shot was taken in Manhattan's Chinatown, on Courtlandt Alley, a street that nobody seems to notice except for the occasional delivery truck driver. I picked this spot because I got kicked out of my first choice in location, which happened to be next to a funeral parlor. I had to regroup ten minutes into the shoot when several parked cars started flooding my frame by 8:00am on a Sunday (man, do I feel sorry for that guy's family!). In terms of composing the collage, this was one of the most difficult pictures I've undertaken. Anytime I have black and white figures mixing into a grey scale like this, deciding where each different character should go becomes very complicated. Having many of the figures in the image that are out of focus also made it very difficult to tell where the silhouette of one suit ended and another began. I think my efforts have paid off, however, as I have achieved an atmospheric and moody image that, to me, is reminiscent of film noir (that is, if you were to mix film noir with the Matrix). I love film noir, so, whatever — I'll take it!
Thanks to the lovely Yen Norah Lo for assisting me on another early morning shoot before a workday!!!
Just in time for Chinese New Year!!! Glory of Shame was photographed on Manhattan’s historic Doyer Street and in front of the oldest dim sum restaurant in New York, Nom Wah Tea Parlor. I had to wake up early…oh so early… one Sunday morning in order to get to Chinatown before the hordes of Chinese families arrived to lay claim to their dim sum. According to Wikipedia, Doyer Street used to be called the "Bloody Angle" due to the number of triad-related slayings that took place there in the early 20th century. According to my girlfriend, Doyer Street is also lined with barbershops because this is where the Americans used to cut off the long braids of incoming Chinese immigrants (citation needed).
My intention for this image was to show the contrast between glory/success and shame/defeat. Creatively, I was concerned with the challenge of visually conveying a sense of shame, and this is why I placed the “shame character” so prominently in my frame. Shame is something I have been thinking about a lot recently because it is something I feel like I live with every day. While I'm surrounded by successful friends who have all started promising careers, I find myself now five years out of school, still jobless, and struggling to survive. While I know that I intentionally chose to walk this path, it's still hard for me to shake off the feeling that my life's opportunities have already passed me by. Having to live off my family's support, in particular, is a source of both shame and pride for me. I feel guilty because I feel like I should be able to support myself by now, but I also feel pride because I know how lucky I am. It is because I have a family that supports me that I can make the kind work that I want to make.
This picture is dedicated to all my friends and family currently going through some hard times. Even though times are tough, we must continue to move forward and find our own paths to glory.
A very special thanks to the beautiful Yen Norah Lo, for waking up at 5:00am to assist me on this shoot before going to work!
