מסע של סקרנות ושל ענווה

איש מגנום Jacob Aue Sobol יצא למסע ברכבת הטרנס-סיבירית.

On this journey I will visit three cities, where I have never been before:  Moscow, Ulan Batar, and Beijing. The train will bring me from the Russian forests to the Mongolian desert and finally through the mountains to Beijing. The train will be the red thread connecting these capitals. From the window I will follow the change of landscape and the change of mood.

הוא חזר עם תצלומים. הוא חזר גם עם מלים. לא רבות, אבל אילו מלים! כל תורת הצילום על רגל אחת:

I walk the streets, and when I get lonely, I ask if I can come inside people’s homes. I visit a family of eight living in a traditional Mongolian tent – the Ger. I photograph a young couple in love, an artist, a grandchild caressing her grandmother’s cheek.

Jacob Aue Sobol, from Arrivals and Departures

I’ve heard they are difficult to get close to – the Chinese. I find it hard to believe. Is it not always the same? The way you connect with people? To me it seems more difficult not to be close. I feel safe when I’m near other people. When I’m far away, I get lost and can’t feel anything, so therefore it’s natural for me to take one step closer. And so I do in Beijing.

Jacob Aue Sobol, from Arrivals and Departures

ולסיכום:

I admire all the people I take pictures of because they put themselves in a very vulnerable position. They trust me and I trust them, and it is important for me that there’s a mutual understanding of this. That we’re communicating in a way where it’s not just ‘me looking at them’, but there’s an exchange of emotions and life.

הבטיחו לי שתיכנסו. סופרלטיבים רק ימעיטו מערכה של העבודה הזאת.

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