Yaya
2021
Yaya is how we call grandpa in Shanghainese (Chinese local dialect) and it is also the way how I call my grandpa in daily life. My grandpa was born in 1938 in China, and he has suffered from second-degree burns for 50 years due to the chemical plant explosion. This tragedy has become the scar and disability permanently imprinted on his body and hands. However, his tenacious vitality and positive attitude towards life have impressed me a lot. I live with my grandpa since I was born, so I spent most of my life with my grandpa than anyone else in my family. My grandpa was a pilot when he was young, and he was assigned to the chemical plant in 1970. And then the tragedy happened in 1971. His face and body have been changed since then.
Yaya是上海话里爷爷的叫法,也是我平时称呼爷爷的方式。我的爷爷出生于1938年,是一名二级烧伤残疾人,烧伤的残疾伤痛在他身上已有50年之久。1971年的一次化工厂大爆炸,让他永远地变成了现在的这个样子。然而,他积极的生活方式鼓舞了我很多。我从小就和爷爷生活在一起,和爷爷在一起的时间要多于我任何一位家庭成员。我的爷爷在他年轻时曾是名飞行员,1970年的时候被分配到化工厂工作,在1971年的时候悲剧发生。
I had planned to make a series of “trauma”. However, I asked him once during the shoot “Yaya, when you see these burns on your body, will they reminds you of the tragedy that happened 50 years ago?" He told me the answer "50 years, I have already forgotten and got used to it.” It seems that this work is a record of a burned disabled person, a retired pilot, an old man who is still passionate about life, and a grandfather.
在最初做这个作品的时候,我是打算以“创伤”为主题而拍摄。然而,在拍摄期间有一次我问他:“爷爷,当你看到身上这些烧伤的地方,你还会想起50年前那场灾祸吗?”,他告诉我的答案是:“50年,早就忘记了,习惯了。”现在看来,这份作品记录了一位烧伤残疾人,一位退伍飞行员,一名对于生活仍抱有热情的老人,一位爷爷的真实生活现状。