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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Fourteen: Expressing the meaning of buildings and structures > Morning exercise, Shanghai, China, 2004
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13-JUN-2004

Morning exercise, Shanghai, China, 2004

Shanghai sits on the sea at the mouth of the Yangtze. Its land space is limited, and its eight million people make the population density of Shanghai one of the highest in the world. Its skyscrapers reach towards the heavens, as does this monument in the People's Park. In this image, I photograph two structures – the monument and the skyscraper, and give them both meaning by rooting my image on the body language of the three exercisers in the foreground. The people’s legs and arms echo the shape of the lower part of the monument, while the upper thrust of the monument repeats the upward path of the skyscraper. The flow of motion begins at the lower left hand corner with the angle of the woman’s foot, and ends in the upper right hand corner, with the point of the skyscraper reaching into the hazy Shanghai sky.

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Phil Douglis09-Oct-2004 00:39
Thanks, Carol, for your observations. I, too, felt that "reverence" you mention -- there is grace and beauty in both the monument and these exercisers. It seemed as if I was always shooting exercisers in China -- the streets and parks are full of them in the morning. This was also among my favorites:http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/31311553
Carol E Sandgren05-Oct-2004 19:41
Well two outta three ain't bad!! The Tai Chi exercisers almost as if they are mimicking the flowing lines of the sculpture they stand before, as if perhaps in reverence. I tried shooting a Tai Chi class here but without the skill that you have done here.
Phil Douglis20-Jul-2004 16:51
Thanks, Marek, for leaving this useful comment. I, too, initially had misgivings about organizing this image around three layers -- the people, the monument and building. The people and the monument seemed to relate so well in terms of spacing, movement and flow. Yet the building added context. It brands Shanghai as the 21st Century colossus it is. It is upright, just as the monument and the people are, echoing their upward thrusts. And it is hazy -- as you imply, it looms there as a reminder of man's relationship to technology. That's why I went with this three-layer approach.
Guest 20-Jul-2004 10:46
Yes, that's a very interesting image, with a wonderful placement of shapes. Personally, I'm not sure if the straight tower adds to or confuses the contrast which for me is essentially about the human v sculptured forms. That said, the atmospheric haze weakens it just enough for it not to be a distraction and it does add a further sense of physical depth as well as the background story of high density housing.

Back to the main message (for me), I think the image speaks about the human preoccupation with recreating ourselves through technology (the abstract structure was probably isnspired by human form in some way); our obsession to 'create life' out of inanimate matter (which was obtained by destroying something natural).

Perhaps, in this context, the background tower does serve as a reminder of how this (literal) pinnacle of our technological prowess can never replace what is inherently natural and human -- our ability to enjoy our tiny little shells.
Phil Douglis16-Jul-2004 19:44
Your comment, Tim, reinforces the main idea behind this gallery. Buildings and structures must somehow be linked to human activity, scale, and function if they are to capture and express ideas such as what are describing so well here. Buildings and structures are symbols of human accomplishments and needs, successes and failures. Pictures of buildings made without considering such human context are generally of use only as reference. They need to be somehow related to human life if they are to succeed as expression.
Tim May16-Jul-2004 19:15
The sculpture has what looks like a leg extending almost into the head of the right hand woman. It is almost as if the sculpture wants to exercise also.
Tim May16-Jul-2004 19:14
This image makes my eyes flow through it. The sculpture accentuates that sense of flow. I like that concrete can seem alive, but here it is clearly the people who are alive. There is also a flow of color in the transition from the people to the skyscraper.
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