Laurent Hou offers an offbeat look at Beijing
Society & Culture
โAlthough central Beijing is already overphotographed, this project brings a different vision,โ says Hou.
This article was originally published on Neocha and is republished with permission.
Welcome to the Jing is a photo book project shot by French photographerย Laurent Hou (็ฝ้ธฟ Luรณ Hรณng) between 2013 and 2017. Hou, whoโs based in Morocco, took the photos during his last few years living in Beijing, when he got to witness a special moment in the cityโs history: After the Olympics and before the citywide demolition of illegal buildings that began in 2017, Hou snapped around 100,000 shots, mostly of quirky people and happenings inside the city center.
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โAlthough central Beijing is already overphotographed, this project brings a different vision,โ says Hou. โOther series focus either on the traditional aspects of the hutongs or the modern architecture in the business district. And pictures arenโt merely a description of Beijing, because the photographerโs vision plays a crucial role.โ
Hou has chosen to make a photo book of the seriesย because he thinks thatโs the best way to present the work. He hopes to publish it soon. โThe recurring motifs, the variety of the subjects, the tangle of different narratives, and the quantity of pictures called for a book rather than an exhibition of 20-30 pictures,โ he explains. โThe book form is also more intimate, and turning the pages mirrors the act of walking through the city. I want readers to look at the stream of pictures as if they were wandering the streets of Beijing and running into all these quirky situations.โ
Since he started the project, almost six years have gone by. Hou says his vision for the project didnโt come into focus until long after heโd been taking pictures of his surroundings. Only once he made some preliminary selections did it start to take shape. โThe vision developed during those six years, which was also a period when I learned a lot about photography,โ he says. โAnd I donโt mean the technique, I mean getting to know the works of great photographers, emerging photographers โ understanding different styles and trends, thinking about authorship in photography and the meaning of the photo book as a form.โ
