Twenty Three Empty Chairs
(POLAROID, 4x5 inch, black and white, 1980s)
In the 1980s, we frequently received assignments from Black Star, a photo agency, to shoot annual reports or commercial photographs in Asia, particularly in mainland China. On one occasion, we were commissioned to take a group photo in Beijing. At the time, China had just begun opening up to foreign commercial operations. An international company was hosting a conference in Beijing, gathering key representatives from around the world at a hotel in the city. The group photo was scheduled to take place during a brief fifteen-minute window between the conference and the evening banquet.
We arrived in Beijing that afternoon, took a taxi directly to the hotel, and immediately began setting up—arranging lights, determining positions, and making other preparations. By the time everything was in place, it was time to shoot. The group, comprising over a hundred people, was arranged in three to four rows: seated in the front, standing in the middle, with a raised platform at the back.
Given the tight schedule, there was no room to shoot more than a roll of film, let alone conduct Polaroid tests. We opted for a large-format camera, confident that with careful composition, the entire shoot wouldn’t require more than ten sheets of film. Once developed, the transparencies were promptly sent from Hong Kong to the agency in the United States.
Yet, this Polaroid—a test shot taken earlier in the day—remains with us, capturing 23 empty chairs. Over the years, it has lingered, imbued with a surreal, almost symbolic meaning.
The following morning, we took a taxi straight to the airport and returned to Hong Kong. It turned out to be one of our shortest trips to Beijing.
[23張空椅子]
在八十年代，我們常常接到一間圖片代理公司Black Star委約，在亞洲尤其是在中國內地拍攝年報，或商業用的照片。有一回，一個工作個案是要到北京拍攝一張全體照。當時內地剛對外商業運作開放，有一間國際公司在北京一個會議，分報世界各地的要員，齊聚在北京一酒店。全體照的拍攝時間定於在會議與晚讌交界之間的十多分鐘。我們下午抵達北京，乘計程車直達酒店，便開始架燈，定位等準備工作。當一切準備就緒已是拍攝的時間，全體照共百來人，分三至四排，前坐後站，後面又有高台。這等工作，由於時間短少，多拍一點膠卷也不行，更遑論拍寶麗來測試。所以決定用大片幅相機，只要看得準，拍攝不超過十張片便是。照片拍攝冲洗之後，已全部從香港寄往美國的圖片代理。唯是這楨在下午拍攝作測試用的寶麗來，23張空椅子，留著這麼多年，還存在著它的超現實意義。由於在港忙著，我們拍照翌日早上便乘計程車至機場直接回港。也算是在那個年代，最短的一次北京之旅。