learning from Mr Ou

A bit more on authoritarian convergence for you. This chap’s won an award for taking photographs of himself doing naked press ups next to sites of controversial or newsworthy social and political events across China. Well OK: good for him, I guess. Conceptual stuff leaves me more cold than not. But some of the logistics around taking photographs of “sensitive sites” are interesting:

In 2003, the sensational case of Sun Zhigang took place in Guangzhou. On a certain day in 2009, Ou Zhihang went to the police station where Sun Zhigang died. Ou Zhihang quickly did his nude push-up and filmed it while no one was around. But as soon as he finished, a police officer showed up.

The police officer was suspicious when he saw Ou Zhihang with a camera in front of the police station. He asked him what he was doing.

Ou Zhihang alertly said that he was taking art photos. He knew that he must not mention the Sun Zhigang case. Although the case took place a long time ago, the name Sun Zhigang must still be sensitive at this police station.

The police officer examined Ou Zhihang's camera. When he saw the nude push-up photo, he asked what it was. Ou Zhihang explained that this was part of his art for which the purpose was to show the human body and the scene.

The police officer wanted to take Ou Zhihang into the station to see the director. But Ou Zhihang said that he was busy and didn't want to go. "If I walk into the police station, there could be big trouble."

Since Ou Zhihang did not look like a "bad guy," the police officer made a concession: "Either you come down to the station with me or you delete this photo." So Ou Zhihang deleted the photo and got away. The photo that is being shown now is a photo that he took later on.

So he knows the score. There’s some leeway here for negotiation: he can wipe the image and come back for another try later. Under settled authoritarianism you roll with the punches. But that’s not the case in a transition period.

Mr Geraghty-Shewan said: "He said there was no way of proving what I was doing was innocent.

"I told him Ben was my own son and that he was blowing everything out of proportion.

"Five or 10 minutes later a police officer approached and asked for my name and address.

"I raised my voice, as I was getting a little annoyed by this stage, and he threatened to arrest me for breach of the peace.

Note that Mr Geraghty was under the illusion that he had some say in the matter of whether he took a photograph of his own child and had to be reminded that he faced arrest unless he stopped insisting on the matter. Mr Ou knew better from the start. Another difference is that I don’t think a Chinese cop would actually try and stop someone taking a picture of his own kid, unless it was actually in front of a police station where his colleagues had beaten someone to death.

Comments

[ajay]

I am becoming increasingly sure that this whole policy is based on sympathetic magic. You know, real Golden Bough stuff. Why else would they be so obsessed with photographs - rather than, say, trespassing, or loitering or something - unless they're worried that they steal a piece of your soul? Suddenly the bans on photographing important buildings and train stations make sense - they're icons of the Soul of Britain, and too many photographs will weaken us all spiritually.

[ejh]

Conceptual stuff leaves me more cold than not

Same could be said of naked press-ups