Pay Attention
2020, 30 min, Document, HD video
A scenic spot,
Many smartphones,
An era of infinite democracy in imagery.
Snapshots taken casually,
Select to send, click to delete,
As easy as tossing cigarette butts.
Taking photos,
Shared privately, back and forth.
"Photography" has become a classical term.
The camera devours countless photographers,
Those engaged in photography are mere tools of images,
A "tool" that never listens to the employer, but to photography itself...
Synopsis
In the era of information explosion, much of the time feels like a form of coercion. Individuals often lack much autonomy in determining what they truly want to see for themselves.
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Whether I reside in a tourist city or venture into any urban landscape, I always find myself curious when I see someone taking a photograph. What is it that catches their eye? What purpose do we serve with this abundance of images? Thus, I've placed a camera at various tourist spots in different cities. Diverging from surveillance, these cameras are positioned in peculiar places with high foot traffic and significant attention, aiming to observe people's reactions to this sudden intrusion of machinery. When the perspective is flipped, with people becoming the 'scenery' or the observed 'objects', what differences unfold? This film is shot in my hometown, Hunan, while projects in other cities are still ongoing.