The Fusia Project: Vol. 1 Dilapidated Shikumens and a Distinctive Lack of Graffiti

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this article about street art paying homage to traditional Shanghainese culture. I was struck by the contrast between the bureaucratic modernization razing down the neighborhood and the quiet sense of nostalgia the art inspired. I immediately wanted to do a shoot incorporating it and knew it was only a matter of time before it was gone since the entire area itself was up for demolition.

In only a couple of days, I mapped out a shoot and drafted the help of Sophia Noël and Claire Schapira to model and do makeup, respectively. 

When mulling over the location and the essence of fading Chinese culture in the face of rampant modernization (which is often synonymous with Westernization) I began to think of traditional Chinese opera. My grandmother actually was a Chinese opera singer in her heyday, and I remember having a specific lack of appreciation for it when it woke me up early in the mornings. For tactfulness and appropriateness, the makeup was therefore going to be a contemporary spin-off of traditional Chinese Opera.

The morning of

When we got to the location, we had the great happiness of knowing we'd found the right place, but the great disappointment that the graffiti was already, for the most part, destroyed. Several areas had been ripped down or otherwise slathered over with white paint. 

On site

Even without having beautiful street art, the ambiance of the location was very usable and flexible and we shot a variety of different types of shots. 

Before/After

Nothing major was done in post, as the immense charisma of the area and Sophia carried through wonderfully.

I launched my personal artist page on Facebook afterwards, and consider this a wonderful start to a new project and new ambition.