rogatory term often used to describe the migrant workers who went into the city and struggle to make a living. My grandpa used to be a real estate developer in Shenzhen back in the 1980s, so he always communicate and work with the migrant workers coming to Shenzhen, he told me that he always has a great respect on them. Shenzhen can’t be so developed without their effort. During the summer of 2017, I went back to Shenzhen and able to
interview 20 migrant workers from 3 locations of different occupations, most of them are construction workers. I work with them for over a week and able to know their what they really think about living and working in an unfamiliar city. They always feel lonely, unstable, lack sense of belonging and identity.The first year of me moving to New York, I have the similar feelings as the migrant workers when I constantly questioning myself if this is the right path to move forward; if this is the right place to stay and the fastpaced life can also be really overwhelming to me. During that time, I was inspired by the many Chinese artists like Aiweiwei and Xubing who moved to New York during the 80s to pursue the freedom of speech and creating arts. I was specifically inspired by a photo series token by Aiweiwei which he documented the authentic & everyday scene of himself and friends in New York. I was also inspired by the song and experience of Patti smith, the poems by Dylan Thomas. All these things provide me energy and guide me to continue pursue what I dreamt about.
And I hope to use this collection as a voice to support the migrant workers who dedicate themselves to the development of the city they don’t even belong. They deserves peoples respect and appreciation and I believe everyone should be treated the same.