leather & art

This post is about a visit in a leather factory near Xinle. After that I go and see the Eastern College of Fine Arts.

I was waiting for my lens to be fixed, so I took the day off and hung out with my new friend. We had some tea and conversation, and he took me around town a bit. It was a bit weird at first because he was driving, and I suddenly found myself in a car after all this time. But then it was okay.

My friend knew everybody. He also happened to know someone in the leather business, so we went and checked out a leather factory:

It looked like a difficult work environment. But from a visitor’s standpoint I thoroughly enjoyed the place: the colors, the light, the shade. Even the noise and the smell.

The only downside was that I was wearing beach slides (to get some relief for my feet), so I couldn’t really dive into all the fun.

Since I was showing up with the boss, shooting went really relaxed.

I could just do what I wanted, and nobody even bothered.

Then we went to a place called Eastern College of Fine Arts 东方美术学院.

I was allowed to take pictures of some of the students while they were working on their art.

It reminded me of my time at the Beijing Film Academy.

I photographed a girl in the hallway.

Now this photo isn’t real – it’s a manipulation of reality. I asked her if she could stand there for me.

But then I’ve come to realize that my existence in general – a big foreign guy with a camera – constitutes a manipulation of reality in itself. People will always behave differently when I am there.

Is it an observer effect?

Or should I look at it differently and just assume that I, too, am I part of this reality?