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Train Project - Taiwan

2012-2015

Train Project" originated from the motivation of my habit and experience of train-traveling: feeling uncomfortable standing or sitting beside strangers, thinking about work or future, playing games or listening to music, or just relaxing for not caring about the environment. I also feel the status of people on public transportation is quite intriguing, especially when people must stop their daily activities for a specific time, just waiting, trying to adjust themselves to fit into the “system”, which is defined temporarily by the cabin and whom around. So, I started to think: what if I could take pictures of people on the train while not interfering with the status of this public space? From this point of view, I started my train-project photography, from outside the train. To me, Train-project captures the expressions of individuals in the crowds who were shot under the condition of relaxation and defenselessness and discusses how space regulates & restricts behavior as a social effect. The shooting was performed by using high-speed flashlight directly lightening the carriages of fast-moving trains and capturing the expressions of passengers through windows impartially without interfering with passengers. This type of direct-flash causes a dramatic stage-like performance even without the awareness of subjects. It's also like sculptural art engraved by the flash of lightening and ever fleeing of time. This project studies the actions & moments of passengers in the different confined spaces and various interiors and exteriors of train, such as the single window and successive windows, the arrangement of seats etc. It's more interesting while considering the ticket price and the social hierarchy, which cause the moments of each picture to differ in its way. In addition to the social meaning, Train-project also discusses the psychological status: waiting, thinking, killing time, or just trying to take a snap as you enter into the subconscious status. It seemed that the viewers could enter the hallucination of the passengers through the thin layer of carriage surface and speed with the train, into the darkness of the unknown.

Exhibition

2015, Nikon Salon Shijuku, Japan

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