Phantom Shanghai 寐影上海

Atthetimeofwriting,Ifreelyconfess,IknowlittlemoreaboutShanghaithantheseimages.Theycameuponme,asitwere,inthenight,unexpectedly.Iknow,andknewinstantly,thatIwillneverforgetFromtheforewordbyWilliamGibsonThesearephotographsoftheShanghaithatwillnotsurvivethevisionthecityasforitself.Thatthesehomes,shops,lanesandbuildingssurvivedaslongastheydid,andinthewaythattheydid,isbyaccidentratherthandesign.Whatevertheutilityofthispartialandverysubjectiverecord,myintentions,asmuchasIunderstandthem,havelittletodowitharchitectureorpreservation.Imnotanhistorianoranarchitecturalphotographer.ButIdowantotmakephotographsthatshowwhataplace,thisplace,lookslikewhenitsusedinthisway.HereisShanghaislived-in-ness,thevanishingevidenceofthehardflowoftimethroughthiscityGregGirardAsShanghaimodernizes,buildingsandneighbourhoodsthatwereoncepreservedbyaccidentarenowbeingpurposefullydemolished.Since1998,GregGirardhasbeenphotographingtheeffectthistransformationhashadonbuildings,shops,homes,neighbourhoodsandinhabitantsofChinaslargestcity.PhantomShanghaiistheresult:aspectacularphotographicjourneythroughtheShanghaithatisunlikelytosurviveitsvisionofurbandevelopment.