Photgraphy
摄影项目

Keywords: 

Large Format Film Photography, 
Population Decline, Aging, Road Trip
Field Investigation

Wildwood is a coastal town located on the southeastern corner of New Jersey, US, with a population of less than 5000. Similar to my birthplace Zhoushan islands, China. It relies mainly on tourism to survive because of the advantaged geographical environment. Although fishing used to be a major source of income, sustainability legislation has prevented it from being a viable source for residents, meanwhile, educational conditions neglected in pursuit of tourist facilities, those facts has resulted in the majority of the younger generation moving away causing the population of the town to decrease. 

Winter comes in November, the busy season has suddenly gone, leaving the town in an indescribable absurdity, depression and blank.  the original population structure was also exposed after tons of tourists leave.  In this month, as one of the younger generation who “ escapes ” from a costal town, every single day, I carried my Sinar F2 wandering in another coastal town which thousands miles away from my hometown, driving through those useless parking lots and empty streets with dead traffic lights, trying to keep “Dusseldorf’s deadpan” as a first arrived, still be attracted by those striking similarity between Wildwood and my hometown.  A community like this who frozen in a different period of time, for full-time residents of Wildwood, behind those colorful buildings and landscapes, decay is both mundane reality and romantic ideology.


Wildwood，位于美国东海岸新泽西州最东南⾓的沿海⼩镇，⼈口不到5000。 得天独厚的地理环境，使得旅游业成为它们赖以⽣存的第⼀⼿段。虽然渔业曾经是最主要的经济来源，但可持续发展⽴法对捕捞⾏业的限制使得⼯作机会⼤⼤减少，以及因追求旅游设施建设⽽被疏忽的教育条件，最终导致⼤量的年轻⼈口流失。 

11⽉凛冬将⾄，Wildwood旺季的繁华骤然消失，巨⼤的落差让这座⼩镇呈现出⼀种难以名状的荒谬，萧条与茫然，⼩镇的原始⼈口结构也在游客退散之后暴露⽆遗。在这样⼀个⽉⾥，我⽇复⼀⽇地游荡在那些毫⽆使⽤价值的停车场与空⽆⼀车的街道上穿⾏，以⼀位初次抵达的保持着杜塞尔多夫学院派“deadpan”旁观者的姿态，却被⼏千公⾥外的家乡和这座⼩镇惊⼈的相似性所吸引。这样⼀个逐渐“冻结”的社会结构，对于Wildwood的全⽇制居民⽽⾔，粉饰的建筑景观背后，掩盖着的衰落既是世俗的现实，也是⼀种浪漫的意识形态。