Family Project - Construct

During the COVID lockdown, my family experienced a unique moment of togetherness. For the past year, I had been attending high school in Shanghai while my family remained in Nantong. I documented the evolution of our family dynamics from the beginning of the lockdown to its conclusion, capturing subtle changes in relationships, particularly between my parents and me. The physical distance that had once strained these relationships was gradually healed by the lockdown. By incorporating elements like our old and new house and family photographs, I aimed to create contrasts and comparisons over time.

I entrusted the camera to my parents, allowing us to see each other from different perspectives. During editing, I identified recurring themes in the photos and wove them throughout the collection, creating connections between characters and themselves. The mirror, in particular, appeared frequently, serving as a unifying motif.

The name of this collection is Construct. Within this collection, the family history is constructed; the family relation is constructed; the significance of object of family is constructed; the other self in the mirror is constructed; even family members and different roles are constructed by each other.