Alleyway in Mong Kok: Growing in Urban Crevice

• Perspective

Compressed alleyway: the man is walking towards the vanishing point of the alley.

• Crop

No entry:  a traffic cone is placed at the bottom of staircase, the entrance of a building.

• Frame

Blackhole: the entrance of the building is so dark that nothing inside could be seen from outside.

• Contrast

A chair of solitude: the chair is hanging on the wall with no one sitting on.

• Bird-view

Trapped: the fire hose is locked in a cage to avoid misuse.

• First-person view

Before dinner: the dishwashing room, which is open to the alleyway, is empty before dinner time.

• Wide angle

Station No.8 : an outstanding signboard of a clock hotel which has the same name with a 1984 Hong Kong movie.

• Zoom

Napping time on Wednesday: a man is taking a nap,  leaning  against the wall.

• Focus

Playtime: a man is playing games on his phone during work.

• Worm view

“I have a dream.” a cockroach on the ground said.

• Seriality

Alleyway, take me home: a sequence of people walking back home.

This series of photos were shot at the intersection of two alleyways, from 6:08 pm to 6:14pm, when people were off work or school and heading back home. Different people with unknown stories were passing by in front of my camera, walking in the same direction – the light in the end of one alley was like guiding people home. Both of the two alleyways had no beginnings or endings in these photos, which left some room for people to imagine what could happen outside the pictureframe. By using seriality to record people’s activities, the alleyway becomes not just a passage, but also somewhere with different stories. These stories are flowing through the space.

• Skewed angle

You are being watched: buildings in this panorama of alleyway are overlooking everyone on the ground.

 

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