Photos

I am currently doing a photo-project about Shanghai's nightlife and the people operating in it. Inspired by anthropological and sociological theory on nightlife and the variety of rapid social transformations occuring in contemporary Shanghai, the basic idea is 1) that the nightlife may provide a scene, where people may play our different identities (social, gendered, sexual, occupational, etc.), which are not always possible in the daytime (perhaps especially in the still relatively restrictive Chinese society).
2) that the nightlife also constitutes an arena, where the more "traditional" realities of power and domination, poverty and social mobility are becoming very visible. An example is the glamourous bars and clubs catering to Shanghai's expats and Chinese middle- and upper-class people, which are surrounded by beggars, pushers, cigarette vendors, prostitutes, etc. A small space becomes a compressed arena for those who sell and buy, the poor and the rich, patrons and clients.
So far, I have just brought my camera to the streets of Shanghai in the nighttime, taking pictures of people and talking to them. If I get the chance, i would like to pursue the theme in a more comprehensive study at some point.

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A special group operating in Shanghai's nightlife are the beggars. They have different ages, backgrounds and tactics. Some of them bring their children to the bars and clubs and let them beg there. I always found that a difficult situation. On the one hand, I want to give something, but on the other I don't want to encourage the parents (or sometimes grandparents) to keep their children up at night and encourgage them to beg..

This kid did not appear unhappy or unhealthy. He was laughing and playing around. Both his mother and father were there. It is his mother behind him. She didn't want to have her picture taken, so I "chopped off" her head. Might seem a bit radical, but since the picture is about the kid, somehow it may work. What do you think??
The picture is taken on the Bund, in front of the entrance to some popular nightclubs, which are quite expensive and frequented by people, who like to flash their money. The kid went up and asked mainly foreigners for "money, money".