People would recognize me however I disguise myself
There is nothing I can do about it
I have to move fast and capture photos swiftly
I published a (photograph) book
“Wu Bai·Taipei” 7 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:14,960 Actually what I focused my lens on was not the city
But me, Wu Bai
It recorded my trip in Taipei
Wherever I went
I took my camera with me
Those people I met
Made up a diary
I’m quick in my actions
I would not stay at one place for an extended period of time
Because I’m famous
People would chant my name
If I stay for too long
That would turn into something twisted and I don’t want that
In 2003, my friend lent me a film camera
I took pictures with it in Hokkaido
And for the first time I found that
Film had its own depth and touch
I took color negative films
But why does everything appear black and white on the film
That’s how I started to develop an interest in photography
And I use black-and-white negative films
I took hundreds of thousands of pictures
My favorite film is made in Czech
I would buy 100, 200 rolls in one batch
There were times when all such films in Taiwan were sold out, largely because of me
I would buy them on Taobao
Lyrics: “I took a train and came to Taipei”
“I came to see if A Cai from nextdoor was telling the truth”
“If it’s famous around the world”
“If everyone drives a car”
I came to Taipei with my classmates
When I was a teenager
Eighteen, nineteen
I did many jobs
I once set up a stall
And I worked in an underground dance club
My classmates went back home later
I was the only one who hanged in there
What interests me in Taipei
Is not those skyscrapers in the Eastern District
Instead, history
Marks
Hard work
Those who strive for a living
Those flowers that grow on rocks
Stalls, old men, and messy shop signs could catch my eyes
Earlier Taiwan films and songs in Taiwanese Hokkien
Were predominantly about stations
“I would take care of myself and please take care mom”
And the early trains from Taipei
Many people came to the city from other places
I came from the south
These images evoke sentiment from me
They make me think of one word, migrants
Their roving, especially
That is what keeps me going
My redemption
The pictures I posted on Instagram
Were taken with my smart phone
I took pictures of Taipei
One picture a day
Some of my pictures had won awards on Instagram
That means something, right
(Have you been recognized on Instagram)
Sure I have
He said, your work looks like Wu Bai’s
He was Malaysian
Of course there were times like this
(How do you answer then?)
Lol
Thx, lol
I sometimes perform in the mainland
And I have been to many places
My favorite destination is those small allies
Where daily life happens
They are like theaters
On every crossroad
The drama of life is ongoing
I wrote a sentence long ago
“I am a wandering soul on the street, and you are lucky enough to smell it”
My photography is also like this
My photographs may be out of focus
They may be boring
But one theme is always present in my photographs
Poetry
It is never perfect
The imperfection makes it even more attractive
Like I don’t speak very good mandarin
But I sing very well
Whatever songs I like
I write them
What touches me, what I want deep down
I photograph them
(Creation) It is a tour of finding yourself
It won’t stop
So it won’t dry up
My fans found out later
That I posted photos on Instagram
I had no idea how they got to know that
And I wasn’t as free as I was
So I shut it down
If I can
I would wear shorts and slippers
And travel
To capture what I like, what I know and what I feel
I want to be a person
Full of life