City Container

by Jiayuan Yu

The city is a historical space with a complex context, a concept of collection where time and space come together in one place, containing metaphorical and symbolic meanings. The city is therefore more like an abstract container. China is developing rapidly in terms of urbanization, and there are brand new buildings everywhere, full of rules. In order to emphasize the sense of order, I use black and white film cameras with telephoto lenses to photograph the city and magnify the details of the city. Black and white film enhances the gaze effect, and the city with the colors removed has a sense of deviation, stripping away the everyday environment. But in the process of photographing I found that if the city is seen as a huge container, what really attracts people is not the tall buildings, but the unique cultural temperament of that city.

Jiayuan’s work combines photography, installation art, digital art and video documentary. With two elders in her family being Chinese teachers, the creator has been influenced by literature since childhood, making her visual works have a strong literary narrative. The creator is concerned with the self-perception of identity in a fluid and changing society and the construction of human beings in a local context.

Her work can be found on her Instagram at @jarin_jiayuanyu, or at https://www.yujiayuan.net.

edited by Judith Toh

Şile, Türkiye

by Zeinab Ashraf Abulkhair

Şile is located on the Asian side of Istanbul, Türkiye. It is the destination of the Ottoman sultans and princes over the years, for its beauty. Şile is charm of nature and its high mountains, and its exposure to the Black Sea and Ağva river, making it the number one destination currently for tourists, taking away hearts by the variety of their activities and the splendour of their coasts. One of the best ways to enjoy the weather and the spectacular views there, is by having a mouthwatering Turkish breakfast (which includes fried eggs, jam, cheese, tea, olives, cream, honey, etc) by the Ağva river. 

Zeinab has had a passion for photography since a very young age. Photography to her plays a massive role as she believes that photos are a universal, powerful language. Zeinab holds a Master’s degree from Goldsmiths, University of London in Media,  Communications and Cultural Studies. She is an artist who produces a variety of mediums including photography, videos, interviews, documentaries, adverts, stop motions but specializes in photography.  She further learned more about photography and once gave a lecture as a guest speaker (at one of the universities in Kuwait) about ‘The fundamentals and basics of Photography’. She is an aspiring photographer and photojournalist.

She can be found on Instagram at @zainabashraf___.

edited by Judith Toh