Instant Storm, 2016-ongoing


“Despite the difficulties or the disasters it might have caused for thousands of Frenchmen, the flood of January 1955 partook of Festivity far more than of catastrophe.” Roland Barthes said. The Paris flood of 1955, in Roland Barthes’ view, was a festivity the crowd partook in. The flood not only reconstructed the city’s appearance but was also seen as a means for the crowd to achieve liberation. For me, the spectacle of typhoons passing Hong Kong represents an even larger festivity celebrated by the crowd than that of the Paris flood.

Storms are no strangers to Hong Kong, and it seems that the notion of catastrophe and festivity cannot be separated in the event of a typhoon. People have always shown their eagerness to participate in storm scenes— some head towards the pier to “experience” the utter madness of the wind, disregarding safety warnings and moral criticisms by the public. They cheer and take pleasure in the storms as if they had won the lottery, improvising a dramatic performance of their own in the streets of Hong Kong. Therefore, when typhoons hit, people became the master of their domains, who can temporarily take a break from the exploitation under capitalism.

comprises a series of images captured with an instant camera. Using a spontaneous approach, the series attempts to record the events and liberation of emotions under capitalist exploitation.

羅蘭巴特寫道：「1955年1月的大水，千百萬法國人承受的與其說是災難，還不如說是節慶，儘管它帶來了不便或煩惱。」水災在巴特眼中不但為城市引入了煥然一新的視點，洪水衍生出來的元素更是欲求、夢想的來源，擺脫困境的憑藉，一個實現自由的工具。對我來說，颱風過渡香港時跟巴特筆下的寫照很相似, 甚至比洪水更接近節慶的意味。

每年颱風如常過境香港，人們對像天掉下來的颱風假期有一份獨特的感情，享樂與災害似乎密不可分。有些人更出於對城市的信任，披上風衣外出追風，令香港某處角落彷如平行時空般上演街頭的慌誕劇場，眾人無懼道德批判，反為風雨歡呼吶喊。在颱風過渡的片刻，他們成了自己生命的主人，喘吸著資本主義下壓抑良久的自由空氣。

《Instant Storm》這個系列摒棄慣用的數碼相機，使用廉價的即影即有相機，試圖以即興、反叛、發洩的心態近距離來記錄這些人，呈現他們短暫地從資本主義下解放出來的情緒和狀態。