In China first, with a first project in second-tier cities, entitled "China - Other Cities", that I am planning to complete probably in 2012. My objective is to discover and to show with a documentary approach cities differing from Shanghai, Beijing, or Guangzhou, which are in way a bit atypical, and which have been already intensively covered. My criteria to select the cities are basically the size of the population, a reasonable distance from the big cities I mentioned before, and what I guess to be a good reflection of the current social and economic evolution of the country; I am attached to find a relative visual neutrality (e.g. no major landmark, no spectacular landscapes etc..), to focus on the space, on people and on what I can feel about the evolution of those places. I already visited Shenyang, Zhengzhou, and Wuhan, and I will probably continue this year with one, maybe two other places. You can see a selection of pictures on this website, or on display on "SocialDocumentary.net" for instance.
I am currently living in Shanghai, and there I am developing with a similar approach a second project called 'Minhang - District". Minhang is the name of the district I am currently living in. It is located on the western side of Shanghai, and it is an interesting place in the sense that it offers quite a good mix of residential areas hosting different types of population, a variety of industries or economic areas, and to be frank, nothing really visually attractive...at first sight. Once finished, probably around May of June, I will start another work on the other side of the City (Pudong area).
Once completed, I will think to edit a book, and to find places to exhibit or publish these works.
In France, around Paris, in the western part of the City, I am developing "In their eyes..emptiness". The title refers to a haiku by Japanese Poet Kimura Toshio (see the portfolio on the site). I wanted to look at the Parisian "Banlieue" a bit differently from the usual caricatured ways, either too Doisnesque (not pejorative in my mouth) or too excessive or violent (ref. to the urban jungle "Cites"). The overall documentary objective remains the same; but in this case, in order to cover an area that offers quite a variety of landscapes, from simple housings to big malls or to the modern and flashy Paris business district of La defense, I am following the tracks of a tramway and of a bus lines. As suggested in the title of the project, visual emptiness, combined with banality and maybe solitude, is a key driver of this work.
Last, it is impossible to live in Shanghai and avoid committing street photography, the city is so lively, so vibrant. My Contax T2 in the pocket, I am shooting, for the good or for the bad...
I am self-supporting my projects financially-wise, just comforted by the encouragements of a few of you, especially Jean Loh (Beaugeste Gallery in Shanghai).
If you are interested in my work, if you want to show it, if you want to support me, please do not hesitate to contact me on my e-mail address at jphgauvrit@yahoo.fr or to phone me at: +(86) -186-2138-0200.
JP Gauvrit
