I am an analogue photographer who works both in color and monochrome.
Born and raised on the east coast of China, I moved to the United States in 2013 and studied at the University of Rochester (2017-21) before undertaking my MA at Edinburgh College of Art (2021-22). In Fall 2022, I will continue my academic career at the Royal College of Art.
PEPPERMINT SEA SALT
Harry Ma
I wake up, take a shower and get on the earliest off-peak train.
I walk constantly until sunset.
I walk and walk, for 12 hours, next to the coastline.
The wind is blowing,
masking the ungodly fumes emanating from the moribund seaweeds and decomposed animal bodies on the beach,
The stale, sulphury smell of the ocean is soaking into every inch of my skin, my hair, and my body.
When shooting in an unfamiliar location,
finding a place, person, or the perfect light can take time.
That is when shooting becomes fun.
A newcomer to The End of the World.
An initiation into the Town.
His shadow is cut off and his eyes pierced to make him averse to daylight.
He can "read dreams", it's his allotted task.
He cannot remember his former life nor understand what has happened to him,
But he knows that the answers are held in his mind, which his Shadow preserves.
世界尽头是一个被高墙与世隔绝的镇子，
“我”在进入镇子的时候像其他镇民一样放弃了自己的影子。
镇子里气氛祥和，居民相安无事，然而他们都失去了影子，也失去了心，没有感情也没有爱。
不能完全失去心的居民会被放逐到森林深处过着艰苦的生活。
居民们的心已被嵌入无数独角兽头骨化为“古老的梦”存放在图书馆中，
而“我”每天的工作就是阅读这些梦。
My color works are heavily tied to my solo travel trips around the world and night walks around different cities. The subjects are diverse, it could be landscape, a portrait, a building, or a car. I tend to capture everything that conveys a sense of isolation and abandonment in a literal or abstract way.
Influenced by Fan Ho, Daido Moriyama, and Joel Meyerowitz, my black and white photographs primarily capture the genuine juxtaposition of light and shadows, shapes and action in the side streets of the city, while focusing on the people at the center of the stage. With a manual darkroom process, the final prints are intentionally darker and more contrasty in the shadows while the highlights stay flat and blown out.
