This series on an alien in Shanghai (see below for a few images) came about through when another project I had begun took an unexpected turn. I had been added to a WeChat group that seemed to focussed on discussions of Wicca and the occult, so I thought a portrait series on that scene would be interesting. I photographed three people and didn’t really feel that the series was really gelling. I asked the third person I photographed, who describes herself a ‘DJ/alchemist’ to recommend other people for the series and she mentioned a person who has chosen the English name Alien, who likes to dress as an alien.
A few months later, I met up with Alien at his home he shares with his girlfriend and pet hamster on the top floor of an 1930s apartment just off Wukang Road in the former French Concession. He’s a tall, slim, slightly androgynous looking Chinese musician who plays hand pans: melodic drums that look a bit like flying saucers.
I shot a few portraits of him in his regular clothes and then asked him about his alien suit and when he wears it. “When it’s not too hot.” he replied. Then I asked him where he wears it and he said, “The subway, the supermarket, anywhere.”
To cut a long story short, he donned his silver alien suit, I took some portraits in his apartment and then took a walk with him along Wukang Road, a pretty, mainly residential street, down Anfu Road, which has is lined with cafes, barbershops and boutiques and then into a couple of convenience stores on Wulumuqi Road. I shot another four rolls of Fujifilm Pro 400H colour negative film on top the one I’d already put through my Pentax medium format camera in his apartment. It was a nice little series that ended up with him grabbing a beer from a Lawson’s convenience store and sitting down to drink it outside on its steps. Since then I’ve photographed alien another couple of times. I’m currently thinking about how I should move forward with the project.
The work is an unusual kind of series for me, since it’s really a series of portraits around Shanghai staged as documentary images. One thing that struck me about so many people we encountered is that they didn’t bat an eyelid. It was like he wasn’t even dressed as an alien.
When I posted some of the photos on WeChat the series seemed to resonate with a lot of people. I’m happy for people to perceive the series however they like. Maybe it’s just about a guy called Alien who likes to dress like an alien.
For me, the series is relatable, because I’ve often felt like a creature from another planet living here in Shanghai. As a foreigner, you’re always an outsider here. Then again, maybe the series is just about an alien finding his way in Shanghai. I wonder where he parked his flying saucer.
Other work at www.davetacon.com
