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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Seven: Making time count > Invisible encounter, Guilin, China, 2006
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06-APR-2006

Invisible encounter, Guilin, China, 2006

Like two ships that pass in the night, these pedestrians slip past each other, yet they offer no acknowledgments whatsoever. Not even a nod. And nobody else was in sight to spoil this moment. I have stopped time to take normal behavior out of context and make it incongruous. I was riding in a car at the time, and we were stopped for a traffic light. I could see both of these people walking towards each other. I knew I had enough time to wait for them to get within less than a foot of each other – traffic lights in China often have a countdown feature. As you can see, I made this image with plenty of time to spare – it would be eighteen seconds before we had to get moving again. Using a shutter speed of 1/400th of a second, I rolled down the window and was able to stop each of these people in their tracks, their feet only inches apart.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
1/400s f/7.1 at 7.4mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis01-Sep-2006 19:01
Thanks for musing on this image, Jude. You do have a camera in your head. It's called your brain. It remembers what it sees. In fact, it remembers an instant better than a series of instants. There are certain images frozen in all of our minds that we can never forget. The advantage the camera has over the brain is that we can select which instants we want to remember and take them out of their context, thereby making them incongruous. That is why this image is so fascinating. These women are so close to each other, yet do not acknowledge the presence of each other. I can't read Chinese either, so I have no idea what that sign says. Perhaps one of my many Chinese speaking students and viewers will oblige us with a translation which may lead to that elusive connection you seek.
Jude Marion01-Sep-2006 14:39
I like the element of time expressed in images like this ... that split second that our cameras are able to capture, never to be experienced again. It's made even more poignant when capturing seemingly random, every day occurances. I've been struck by this little fantasy a couple of times while driving aroung in my car - wouldn't it be amazing if we had some sort of built-in camera in our heads, where, with the blink of an eye, we could capture a moment that could be downloaded! (Ok, so I heve strange thoughts from time to time!) But I will see something that begs to be photographed - something day to day that just strikes me as very note worthy - but not have my camera available.

I look at this image, and I'm trying to determine what possible connection (if any) there could be between these women ... I'm also drawn in to the Chinese characters, but I don't understand them, and so I'm trying to figure out if there is any connection between them, or any connection with the women. I notice the mirroring of actions between the woman with her arm shot back behind her, and the arm in the traffic light icon - yes, there is a connection, but it's confused by the recognizable number. This image is full of ambiguities and incongruities.
Phil Douglis11-Aug-2006 22:13
You are so right, Christine -- your lovely image is very much in synch with this one. The idea of personal space, of urban anonymity, is a universal concept. People cross paths in Porto and Guilin and rarely even offer a flicker of recognition. We are all islands unto ourselves, ships passing in the night. That's what both of us are really saying. Thanks for the comment.
Christine P. Newman11-Aug-2006 20:54
I often think of that on the street, as I cross other pedestrians. How close we were to each other without even noticing the other person, sometimes just placing myself to avoid bumping into him/her. I have made one too, a bit different, but with the same idea in Portugal.http://www.pbase.com/christinepnewman/image/63849014
Phil Douglis25-Jul-2006 17:26
I was hoping that the traffic signal would be noticed. I did not mention it in the caption because I wanted my viewers to discover it and apply its meaning for themselves, and you have done just that, Jenene. You are right -- the green arm is almost introducing this pair to each other, but they do not notice it. And even if they did, they would keep right on walking. Two out of China's one and one half billion people, just inches apart, yet utterly invisible to each other. Thanks, Jenene, for being the first to stop and comment on this image.
JSWaters25-Jul-2006 14:25
The fact that you found an urban spot in China with only two people occupying a space is an incongruous feat in itself, Phil. I see the human symbol on the signal counter urging, with outstretched arm, these two women to stop and take the opportunity to connect with one another, which of course, they will never do. An appropriate portrayal of the isolation often felt in an overcrowded environment.
Jenene
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