Fong Qi Wei is a Singaporean photographer whose images intersect concepts of science, art, and technology. Through his unique approach to digital photography, Fong creates multilayered landscapes, seascapes, and cityscapes that convey the passage of time. His images from the Time is a Dimension and Temporal Chiaroscuro series are each a single composite of a sequence of images shot across varying times of day when changes in light and color are the most pronounced. During post-processing, Fong digitally slices the image into layers to present multiple “zones” of different times within a single frame.
新加坡摄影师 Fong Qi Wei 的作品是科学、艺术和技术不同概念的结合。通过独特的数码摄影方式，他创造出层次丰富的景观、海景和城市风景影像，以传达时光流逝的概念。他所创作的《时间是一个维度》（Time is a Dimension）和《时光的光影对比》（Temporal Chiaroscuro）系列中，每一张作品都是由一连串在不同时间点上拍摄的图片组合而成的，而这些时间点，往往是一天中光线和颜色变化最明显的时候。在后期处理过程中，Fong 会先在电脑上将照片剪裁成不同的图层，这样，同一张图片中就能同时显示出不同时间的影像。
Fong draws inspiration from the chiaroscuro technique used in painting, which creates contrast through the interplay of light and shadow on a surface. He muses, “Is there something I can learn from artists using an age-old medium that I can also apply to photography? It occurred to me that, just as painters and illustrators express themselves with brushstrokes and graphite, I can also use the innate characteristics of photography to express myself.”
Fong 的创作灵感来自绘画中所使用的明暗对比法，通过光与影的相互作用形成对比。这种做法来自于他自己的一个思考：“我是不是可以借鉴一下那些用传统媒介创作的艺术家，将他们的创作方式运用到摄影中？我突然想到，就像画家和插画家用画笔和石墨来表达自己一样，我也可以利用摄影的特质来表达。”
Fong’s work is a way for him to combine the best characteristics of different artistic mediums: painting is a medium that allows an artist to express their thoughts and emotions just as they envisioned them; photography is a medium that’s able to observe and convey an objective visual reality; and video has the ability to capture the passage of time. Like all photographers, Fong pays detailed attention to lighting, color, and composition. But what is unique to his work is his relationship to and manipulation of the fourth dimension of reality – time.
Explaining his artistic goals, Fong shares, “Our experience of a scene is more than a snapshot. We often remember a sequence of events rather than a still frame full of details. I strive to capture both details and also a sequence of time in a single two-dimensional canvas. I hope it gives you pause to reconsider what you experience versus what you shoot with the camera on your phone.”
Fong 的作品让他得以将不同艺术媒介的最优特征相结合：绘画能够表达艺术家的想法和情感；摄影可以观察和呈现客观的视觉现实；视频能够捕捉时间的流逝。与所有摄影师一样，Fong 的作品是在三维空间内创作的，着眼于照明、色彩和构图。但其作品的独到之处在于他与现实的第四维度——时间的关系和操控。
Fong 解释道：“我们对某个场景的经验不是一张快照就能诠释的。我们的记忆往往是一连串的事件，而不是单一的、充满细节的静止画面。我努力在二维的画布上既捕捉细节又表现出时间的转移。我希望这能让人们停下来，与手机拍摄的照片对比，重新审视自己的经历。”
