蘇文：《北京銀礦》
2013年6月15日至8月11日
香港獨立攝影展覽空間The Salt Yard將會在6月15日至8月11日期間，展出旅居北京的法國收藏家蘇文（Thomas Sauvin）的《北京銀礦》，此為蘇文首個在港舉辦的個人展覽。蘇文過去數年在北京居住期間，一直定期前往當地回收商搜尋被人丟棄的照相底片，到現在他收藏了的底片數目已多達五十萬張。 《北京銀礦》是對文化大革命後的首都和居民生活的獨特影像記錄，它涵蓋了從1985年到2005年整整二十年的光景，即從膠片相機在中國開始被廣泛運用，到數碼攝影開始流行的期間。這二十年也是中國正在進行改革開放，人們生活水平提高，開始旅遊、消費、娛樂的時期。 《北京銀礦》將展示這些還殘存在底片的記憶，樸實而不加修飾，往往是真情流露，也不時有著叫人驚嘆的幽默場景。尤其是近年在中港矛盾日益加劇，回看這段還沒被物質污染的純真年代，將會別有一番感受。此外同場亦會展出內地年青動畫創作人雷磊（Lei Lei）以蘇文的藏品所創作的動畫作品。
展覽開幕酒會將於6月14日下午6時至8時舉行，屆時蘇文將會出席。另將於6月15日下午3時至5時舉行分享會，蘇文將會分享他龐大的照片收藏，歡迎公眾參加。
蘇文簡歷
蘇文（Thomas Sauvin）是旅居北京的法國籍攝影收藏家和編輯。由2006年起，他為英國獨立出版社「Archive of Modern Conflict」擔任顧問一職，負責協助收藏中國的攝影作品，範圍涵蓋當代攝影、古舊刊物以至不知名人仕拍攝的照片。他負責的藏品曾出版成《Happy Tonite》一書（2010年）。
近年他開始進行《北京銀礦》項目，從北京的廢物回收區中搜羅超過50萬張，由不知名人仕拍攝、面臨被銷毀的彩色負片。蘇文的藏品曾於中國大理攝影節，新加坡國際攝影節和在英國打庇舉行的FORMAT攝影節中展出。
參考網頁：
Lensblog: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/chinese-family-memories-recycled/
1000 words: http://www.1000wordsmag.com/
Beijing Silvermine by Thomas Sauvin
15 Jun, 2013 – 11 Aug, 2013
Between June 15 and August 11, 2013, The Salt Yard, an independent art space dedicated to photography will showcase the Beijing Silvermine by Thomas Sauvin – a French photography collector and editor who lives in Beijing. It is the first-ever exhibition of Sauvin in Hong Kong. Living in Beijing since a few years ago, Sauvin has visited a recycling zone in the northern part of the city regularly to collect dumped negative films. More than half a million films have been collected. The Beijing Silvermine is a unique visual record of China’s capital and the daily lives of people there after the Cultural Revolution. It covered a period of 20 years, between 1985 and 2005, the time when photographic films were widely used in China to the time when digital photography became popular. These 20 years were also the time when China opened up, the living standard of people improved that traveling, consumption and entertainment started. The Beijing Silvermine is to reveal the memories lingered in these negatives, plain with no embellishment, that they are often the disclosure of real emotion. Astonishing humours are often displayed as well. It would be quite interesting to look into these twenty years of purity without the contamination of materialism when conflicts between Hong Kong people and Mainland Chinese are increasing nowadays.
An animation created with the collection of Sauvin made by Lei Lei, a young animation maker from China, will also be exhibited.
An opening reception will be held from 6pm to 8pm on June 14, 2013. Sauvin will be present. Sauvin will also host a sharing session from 3pm to 5pm on June 15, 2013, that he will share his massive collection of negatives. Members of the public are welcomed.
About Thomas Sauvin
Thomas Sauvin is a French photography collector and editor who lives in Beijing. Since 2006 he exclusively works as a consultant for the UK-based Archive of Modern Conflict, an independent publisher, for whom he collects Chinese works, from contemporary photography to period publications to anonymous photography. A glimpse into this collection is presented in the photo book Happy Tonite (2010).
More recently, he started the Silvermine Project, accumulating more than half a million of anonymous color negatives destined for destruction in a Beijing recycling zone. Sauvin exhibited at the Dali Photo Festival (China), the Singapore International Photo Festival and the FORMAT Photo Festival in Derby.
References:
Lensblog: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/chinese-family-memories-recycled/
1000 words: http://www.1000wordsmag.com/