Bolin Wang, Shanghai Slow Jam

Shanghai, China

Please introduce yourself: What is your name, where are you from, what do you do?

My name is Bolin Wang, I’m a creative copywriter based in Shanghai,China. I’m also an after-hours photographer.

What is your relationship with photography, and how did you get into it?

I don't think too much about photography, I think it's simply a way of documenting the present. I continue my photography practice in this way. But recently my thinking has started to change a bit and I have started to try some more personal expressions, trying to find my voice in photography. In short, the meaning of photography to me is constantly changing, and I am embracing that change.

What do you think triggers you to photograph in a certain moment? Is it planned or solely driven by intuition?

I often try to use photos to convey a certain atmosphere. When a scene moves me, I press the shutter button. So I tend to shoot intuitively. Maybe after taking a certain number of photos, you will find the connection between those photos, then you will gradually understand what you want to express, and determine the subject of your work.

What is the story you want your pictures to tell?

I wish there was a gentle power in my photography. It won't give you too much visual stimulation, and you may even find them too ordinary. But it is in this familiarity that there are real emotions in life.

Which city would you like to visit the most, and why?

Cities in Southeast Asia. In my impression, those cities are always warm and humid, as if the summer and rainy season will never end. The other is Japan, the Japan in Yasujiro Ozu's film. The cities in those movies have a certain beauty that only seems to be found in Asia.

What is your personal relationship to cities, and how do you perceive them as places in general?

Sometimes I think of the city as a giant cage that takes people out of life as it is. But now I'm more inclined to think of the city as a neutral chaos in which you have to find your own answers.

Regarding your project Shanghai Slow Jam: What was your intention, and how did you come up with the idea?

Last year I left the advertising agency I worked for 2 years. I was fed up with the fast pace of the city life. I want to live a slow life. During that time, I was walking around the streets with my camera and b&w film every day, taking photos. I gained peace from it. So I organized them into this series. They show the slow-paced, nostalgic side of Shanghai, a slow, sleep-like reassuring atmosphere.

Which project did you never finish?

About the space I live in. If there is a project that never ends, then I think it must be the one most closely related to your life. It shows the state of your life and allows you to immerse yourself more deeply in your life in the moment.

What is that «one thing» you have never managed to photograph and is now gone for good?

Forgive me, I don't really remember the moments I missed. If I have to say one thing, it should be my university life. That time was really free and there was a lot of time to explore everything around me. I went to university in my hometown of Wuhan, but before I could explore it properly, I went to live in Shanghai. Although I can go back and shoot my hometown now, I am not who I used to be.

If you could travel back/forth in time, what advice would you give your younger/older self?

I would like to say to the younger me, always trust your intuition!

What do you prefer saying: «to take a photograph» or to «make a photograph», and why?

Depending on the situation,I think photography is a subjective expression. Even the most unconscious documenting can become a form of self-expression. If you have something you want to express, then whatever way of expressing it is correct.

What is the most interesting experience you have had while photographing?

Taking photo of a man playing guitar in front of a supermarket checkout. That was my first attempt at taking portraits of strangers and communicating with them. I thought he would refuse, but he was a little shy, and happily accepted my photo request.

If it wasn’t for photography, what would you be interested in doing instead?

Be a denim tailor. Before I started taking pictures, I was a serious denim head.

How would you describe one of your pictures to a blind person?

Do you remember the smell of the lawn after it rained? The smell is in the air, all around you.

What are you currently working on, and—if there is—what is your next project or journey?

I was going through the Shanghai lockdown before. I took a lot of photos about the lockdown, mostly still life photos from my home. Now I'm looking forward to going to the mountains in southwest China and relaxing myself.

Thank you, Bolin!

Editorial Notes:

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Photography: Bolin Wang
Location: Shanghai, China

Links: Instagram

Bolin Wang, Shanghai Slow Jam

Shanghai, China

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