“Please mind the gap.”
It’s an announcement every urban commuter is surely familiar with. This phrase is also what inspired photographer Weilun Chong to create his eponymous photo series, Please Mind the Gap.
After attending university in Singapore, the Malaysian photographer decided to stay, and it’s there, in his adoptive city where he now works full-time as an advertising art director. A few years back, a serendipitous accident that happened on his way to work was what led to the project. “I nearly lost my phone through the gap between the train and the station platform one day,” he recalls. “That was when I glanced through the gaps towards the next carriage and came up with the idea.”
“The best part about the project was that it was something I could work on during my daily commute,” he adds. “It wouldn’t take up time I can spend with my wife outside of work.” At the time, Chong’s wife was close to delivering their firstborn, and so, working on a project that could fulfill his creative thirst while not intruding into family time was a heaven-send.
A month after inspiration struck, Chong took the first picture in the series. Ever since then he’s continued taking photos in Singapore and Hong Kong.
“请注意脚下空隙！”
这句话，大概常坐地铁和公交通勤的人们，丝毫不会陌生。而 Weilun Chong 创作的同名摄影系列，也正是受到这句话启发而来。
生于马来西亚，在新加坡念完大学的 Weilun，如今已是全职广告艺术总监。这个个人项目始于好几年前，契机来得很巧——“有一天，我的手机差点掉进地铁站台的空隙，然后我就扫到了一眼车厢的空隙，拍摄车厢间隙的想法就形成了：‘我可以在每天上下班上下班的路上做这件事，也可以陪我妻子一起。’”当时，Weilun 即将和他的妻子迎来第一个孩子，而这个摄影主题，恰好可以让他兼顾家庭与摄影创作，“这可能是命中注定的。”
于是，这个系列的第一张照片就始于此后一个月，从香港拍到新加坡，持续至今。
“Sometimes I spot an interesting character or anticipate a possible interesting scene. When I do, I approach the subject fast and inconspicuously, waiting to take the shot at the right moment,” he says. “Other times, if I have a bit more time, I’ll just take random snaps.” In the platform gap, as the doors are closing, with everyone calm or in a rush, fatigued or full of excitement, a moment is captured in time.
After all, each time we step onto the train platform, we begin a new journey. In his photography, Chong celebrates this, rightfully recognizing each of his subjects as the protagonists of their own stories.
“有时候我会看到一个有趣的角色，或者可以预料到一个有趣的场景，我会迅速且不引人注意地接近它，然后我就等着拍下那个瞬间。还有一些时候，如果我有更多的时间，我就会随机去拍。” Weilun 说。站台间隙中，车厢闭合时，每个人或紧张或从容、或疲惫或振作的神态，从此定格。
毕竟，每一次我们登上候车月台的时候，也正是每一趟行程故事也即将开启的时刻，而每一个人，也正是那一分钟的主角。
Website: weilunchongphotography.com
Contributor: Chen Yuan
网站: weilunchongphotography.com
供稿人: Chen Yuan
