15 Square

[michswiss]

Someone asked me about this recently, so uploaded it to my gallery and I figured I'd share it here.  It's a slideshow I put together of a long-running project for an event in Shanghai back in early 2010.  The connecting aspect of the images is that they were all within a 15 square block community in the centre of Shanghai.

Clicking on the image should take you straight to the slideshow in a separate window/tab.  It runs for about 7 minutes.

[popnfresh]

This is a truly remarkable group of photographs. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[RSL]

It's a very fine series, Jennifer. Cartier-Bresson would be happy to have shot a couple of these. Bravo!

[WalterEG]

Superbly seen and crafted series Jennifer.  My only query would be: why did you switch to colour at the end?  I found it a tad intrusive and it was not motivated by any particular change in content or treatment (other than colour).

W

[Rob C]

As with much of this genre, it comes with many layers.

I feel very fortunate to have lived the life I have - so far; I find both fascination and discomfort in viewing. And that's all from within myself, not from the images which, in the end, record what's there, as does most of photography. There's a certain sense of violation of innocence (probably totally not the case) in my mind, as well as a respect for what seems to me to be a kind of courage that I fear I absolutely lack; I don't think I'd even go walkies in those places, never mind click!

Yet, I wonder if comparisons with those snappers of the 30s, 40s and 50s really are valid. I'm not thinking about photographic technique here, I'm concerned with the difference in public, subjects' expectations of then and now. I know for a fact that I hate having tourist cameras pointed my way in summer; I'm perfectly aware I'm not the subject (I hope!) but I still feel it a violation. Yes, this has previously resulted in the advice here to stay home, but I disregard that as simply reader inability to understand the point or, more likely, not to want to understand it.

Either way, the photographs are very well seen and executed, and that's not where my problem lies. And yes, of course, it is my problem.

Rob C

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

That's a superb set of images, Jennifer. It really gives me a sense of life in that area.
Well seen, as always.

Eric

[michswiss]

Rob,

I don't know if this is going to ease your mind, not that any explanation could.  This is more long-form documentary photography than street.  There's a fundamental difference in my mind insomuch that in long form, the photographer engages and develops relationships with the subjects through direct research and interaction.

I shot in this neighbourhood for about three years all up.  This is only a very small subset of the catalog chosen for a particular purpose.  I  was certainly a known entity and to the best of my knowledge, appreciated for what I was doing: documenting the area before it was demolished and the residents displaced in advance of commercialisation.

I'm not going to explain the full story I've been working on at this point, but suffice it to say it was / is a bittersweet situation.  The loss of a vibrant, yet outdated inner-city community in return for anonymous modern conveniences on the far outskirts of the city.

Superbly seen and crafted series Jennifer.  My only query would be: why did you switch to colour at the end?  I found it a tad intrusive and it was not motivated by any particular change in content or treatment (other than colour).

W

I don't have a straight forward explanation for you.  At the time I put this together, I think I felt the shock of changing to colour would bring people back into the moment during the event.

Jenn

[Rob C]

Rob,

I don't know if this is going to ease your mind, not that any explanation could.  This is more long-form documentary photography than street.  There's a fundamental difference in my mind insomuch that in long form, the photographer engages and develops relationships with the subjects through direct research and interaction.

I shot in this neighbourhood for about three years all up.  This is only a very small subset of the catalog chosen for a particular purpose.  I  was certainly a known entity and to the best of my knowledge, appreciated for what I was doing: documenting the area before it was demolished and the residents displaced in advance of commercialisation.

I'm not going to explain the full story I've been working on at this point, but suffice it to say it was / is a bittersweet situation.  The loss of a vibrant, yet outdated inner-city community in return for anonymous modern conveniences on the far outskirts of the city.

I didn't know you were a 'fixture' in the place; that does make quite a difference to the way both viewer and subjects would react - quite a difference!

Some of that redevelopment/moving people about stuff happened in Glasgow over the years - not everybody seemed to be delighted with the new ways of life, but then in cases such as that, unless one lived there in the actual area before and after, one wouldn't really know. A couple of miles in a city - a few hundered yards - can make all the difference to both place and attitudes.

Whatever - brave lady and great shots!

Rob C

[WalterEG]

Thank you Jenn,

As I said it was only a query, because I did not sense the point of motivation.

Keep up the extraordinary work..
Cheers,

Walter