Fragrant Harbour

‘Fragrant Harbour’ is a collaborative portrait project that memorialises Hong Kongers’struggle for an identity while highlighting the social issues the city’s inhabitants face. Individually,the portraits and text may tell a simple story about daily life or address larger issues such as universal suffrage or inequality, but as a whole they tell a nuanced story about Hong Kong and her people.

The process for making the photos is a collaborative one. I suggest that the people I photograph consider what they want to say about their lives and select a place significant to them as the setting for the portrait. I scout the location and attempt to create an image there that reflects the character of the person and the idea they want to communicate so that the text and the photograph work off of each other to enhance the final piece. The final step includes making the print in my studio and meeting with the participants so they can add their text to the print.