-- Artist statement
Starting from 2007, I've been photographing the objects along the western shoreline of San Francisco. Mostly along the approximately 3.7 miles long Pacific Ocean beach, I feel connected with these objects that were discarded, often destroyed and mostly forgotten. I anticipated each reunion with silent "friends" from previous visits, and often new ones would present me pleasant surprises.
For me, each journey down the beach resembles a meditation session. Immersed in the wind and sound of the Pacific Ocean, I gazed upon them, listened to their monologue, sometimes we even had a conversation. From them, I often discovered rich details of the mundane that recorded the time, the life and their stories. I captured the moments they faced the ocean, as if saying a glorious goodbye to their past life.
As these images accumulated, I treated them as a pile of puzzles, and try to piece together a relationship, a dialogue, a contrast, sometimes a fictional story which is about getting lost, and about being found.
Born in China, studied Civil Engineering in college. Following graduation, worked for 13 years as a field engineer for Chinese National Railroad Survey and Design Institute. In 1997, obtained Master degree in Communication Arts in New York, and worked as art director at an advertising agency. Since 2004, resides in San Francisco, USA, working as a freelance photographer, mainly focusing on personal projects, and working with non-profit organizations on social documentaries.
More information: zhoumi.net
