Galaxy By the Waterside

The Huangpu is an artificial 70-mile-long river flowing north through Shanghai that was excavated around 238 BC. It divides Shanghai into two regions: Puxi (“west of Huangpu"), the old traditional city cultural center, and Pudong (“east of Huangpu”) where the skyscrapers reside. Wandering by the Huangpu esplanade in Puxi and seeing the reflection of neon colors projected by skyscrapers interacting with the drifting shape of water, I was immediately taken back to those images of the galaxy particularly the birth of a new star—the rich deep colors and dynamic forms of light. The roaming night herons resting on the low tides also present a genuine surprise, which speaks the creation and circle of life within the landscape. It has occurred to me the futuristic ambient tones are now juxtaposing with mother nature. Marveling at this rather surreal dreamlike scene, I try to create this narrative that is completely different from the original source and therefore distilling fiction out of reality.