strays
we are the stray dogs of this lonely city
This project is my attempt to infiltrate and document the intimate narratives of an Asian queer community using a Polaroid camera.
I am someone who has always felt a lack of belonging. In the summer of 2023, I spent a period of wandering in London. With a Polaroid camera, I constantly changed my living arrangements. I’ve lived on a boat for a week, calling myself Captain Jiji, I’ve tried sleeping on a park bench and also i tried living in a derelict mansion bought at auction.
This time, I found myself among a group of Asian queer girls. Six girls crammed into a 50-square-meter home, furnished with items they had scavenged from the streets, also there’s a black cat, also rescued during their time spent wandering. I decided to live with them, documenting our shared life for a week. During this time, they hugged, co-parent for ‘Casper’ the rescue cat, fight over small things, got piercings together, arranged found flowers, and dressed up to attend queer parties in London. I moved among them, capturing these moments with my Polaroid. The resulting images are an intensely personal and intimate narrative, depicting the lives of us, a group of outsiders, live and make arts in the soil of London.
这个项目是我带着宝丽来潜入亚裔酷儿群体的亲密叙事。
我是一个没有归属感的人。2023年的夏天，我在伦敦度过了一段流浪的时光。我带着一台宝丽来，不停地更换自己的居住模式，我曾住在船上并称呼自己为船长jiji，我曾尝试睡在公园的长椅上，睡在报废的法拍豪宅里。
这一次我来到了一群亚裔酷儿女孩中间。这一间50平米的家里挤下了六个女生，这个家里的家具是他们一点一点从外面捡回来的，家里有一只黑猫，也是在外面流浪时候被她们捡回家的。我决定与她们同住，进行了为期一周的同吃同住跟拍。期间她们拥抱，吵架，一起去穿孔，一起喂猫，一起插捡回来的花，打扮漂亮一起去参加酷儿聚会。我穿梭其中，按下快门，所记录下的宝丽来是一段极为私人的亲密叙事，描述展现了伦敦土壤下我们这一群异乡人的生活状态。
Special thanks to Hanyu Wang, Kun Li, and Luckypot 196.
here is an extra virbal discribtion of Hanyu Wang and Kun Li, took from my diary during my stay:
1.
这是我夏天结束以来最轻松的拍摄了，因为跟克洛1待在一起时的我很轻松，宝丽来也让我感到很轻松，其实生活很累，但是此时端着相机的我像一个无忧无虑的泡泡，莫名其妙有家的错觉（＾Ｏ＾☆♪
克洛1是一个很简单的人，她经常对我说不要逼疯自己，逼疯自己有什么好处呢。如果她是动物的话，她一定是一只草履虫，而且是肌肉很大块的那种健身狂虫，在我感觉人生他妈的全完蛋的时候用卡上最后的18镑跟她一起吃陕西大宽面，她边吃边告诉我人吃饭要肉蛋奶全到齐，要多睡觉，做不到的事情就别逼自己，然后我就尽量没有在逼自己，然后我逐渐感觉人生也没有他妈的全完蛋，只要好好吃饭其余的顺势而为就行，逼疯自己有什么好处呢。
This has been my most relaxing shoot since the end of summer because I felt so at ease when I was with Hanyu, and the Polaroid also put me at ease. Life is exhausting, but holding the camera at that moment, I felt like a carefree bubble, inexplicably experiencing a sense of home.
Hanyu is a simple person. She often tells me not to drive myself crazy—what good does that do? If she were an animal, she would definitely be a paramecium, but the kind that’s a fitness fanatic with big muscles. When I felt like life was completely screwed, I used the last £18 on my card to share a plate of Shaanxi wide noodles with her. As she ate, she told me that meals should include meat, eggs, and dairy, that I should get plenty of sleep, and that if something is impossible to achieve, I shouldn’t force myself. So I tried not to push myself so hard, and gradually I felt like life wasn’t entirely screwed after all. As long as I eat well, I can just go with the flow for the rest. What good does driving yourself crazy do?
2.
我想写一写我的好朋友lik，如果她是动物的话她一定是一只很有才华的大孔雀。lik是一个说什么也不愿再做西北人的西北人。我说lik你不要再对南方人有那么大的滤镜，她眼睛亮亮说我前女友就是广州人，她可好了。她会问我什么时候才能轮到她有老婆，会帮着我一起办我想办的活动，听了我崩溃的事情她会转我两百块让我去算命，跨年的时候她掏出一小袋自己攒起来的小礼物送给我，里面有她给我画的画，有她烧焦的键盘，有各种奇怪但是我确实很喜欢的小东西，我感觉我们像两只小老鼠，在城市犄角旮旯里偷偷收藏一些闪亮亮的小物件。大城市里真真假假我分不清可是我永远相信小老鼠的友谊一定是最真的(^_-)☆
I want to write a little about my good friend Lik here in this diary. If she were an animal, she would definitely be a very talented peacock. Lik is a Northerner who absolutely refuses to be one anymore. I tell her, "Lik, you shouldn't have such a rosy view of people from the South," and with her eyes sparkling, she says, "My ex-girlfriend is from Guangzhou, and she was wonderful." She'll ask me when it will finally be her turn to have a wife. She helps me organize events I want to host, and when I tell her about my breakdowns, she sends me 200 yuan to go get my fortune read. On New Year's Eve, she pulls out a small bag of gifts she’s been collecting for me. Inside are drawings she made for me, a burnt keyboard, and all sorts of strange little things that I absolutely love. I feel like we’re two little mice, secretly hoarding shiny trinkets in the nooks and crannies of the city. In this big city, I can’t always tell what’s real and what’s not, but I will always believe that the friendship between little mice is the truest of all.