THE LABYRINTH by Christopher Button

‘The Labyrinth’, exhibited in the summer of 2021 at Blue Lotus Gallery, is finally released as a publication with all the supports by pre-ordering on Kickstarter!

This series by rising photographer Christopher Button captures his many late nights spent in the underground stations of Hong Kong, transforming some of the city’s most crowded locations into a quiet, dystopian world. His medium format analogue shots presents Hong Kong’s underground with great suspense reminiscent of Kubrick’s cinema.

於 2021 年夏季在 Blue Lotus Gallery 展出的 《迷宮》系列，成功於 Kickstarter 集資出版成攝影集！感謝各界的所有支持！

新晉攝影師 Christopher Button 拍攝的這個系列，捕捉了他在香港地鐵站度過的多個深夜，將這座城市最擁擠的空間轉化成了一個安靜的反烏托邦世界。他的中畫幅相機鏡頭展現出香港茫茫無際的地下空間，讓人聯想到 Stanley Kubrick 的電影。

Around 5 million people ride on Hong Kong’s underground network every day. Yet, to most of us this journey is nothing more than a ride to work, a means to get from A to B, a place packed with people scurrying about mindlessly. The stations are but sites of countless fleeting moments that hardly leave a mark on our minds. In this fast paced commute, do any of us pay attention to our surroundings, the colour of the station walls or the reflected light down a corridor, especially when our destination lies elsewhere and time is ticking? 

Christopher Button, however, sees the extraordinary in the trivial. When everyone else calls it a day, when the stations are deprived of its regular flock, he immerses himself in the vastness of Hong Kong’s confined underground channels, and embraces a rare moment of solitude in what is usually hectic. With his Mamiya 7 medium format camera, he transforms the space into a dystopian dimension. Suddenly, we are offered a glimpse into the oddly-quiet side of one of the busiest locations in Hong Kong, one that offers an unusual peacefulness untainted by the hustle. One that is as soothing as it is disturbing. Everything seems familiar and strange at the same time: the endless corridors, the dazzling colours, the hazy mirror reflections…

Perhaps, this feeling of entrapment is one shared by many of us. This year, the world found itself entangled in more uncertainties than ever. Scenes of this confined and endless underground world created by Christoper would reflect how some of us are feeling trapped in a changed world charged with new restrictions and rules. Slowly, we are learning to embrace uncertainties.

Despite this fast-paced digital era, Chris prefers a measured approach through analog photography. The excitement and anticipation that comes with waiting for his roll of film to deliver surprises, sometimes wonderful accidents, is unparalleled elsewhere. Deeply inspired by cinema, he opts for motion picture cinema film to shoot still images of underground stations. The result, is a cinematic universe that echoes Hiroshi Sugimoto’s way of freezing time and carries hints of Stanley Kubrick; one that offers solace and discomfort at the same time.

We invite you to join us into the labyrinth of unknown…but watch out, once you enter, there is no guarantee you will get out…

香港地下鐵每天平均乘載人次為 400 萬，但對大部份人而言，這段旅程只是一個上班的象徵、一個由此處通往彼處的途徑、一個讓落魄失神之人兜轉的場所，而一切轉眼即逝的瞬間，似乎都被遺落於車站內，未能在我們腦海中留下烙印。在這個節奏急速、分秒必爭的環境下，大家每一刻都有身之所往，試問誰又曾在熙來攘往的步伐間，放眼留意車站牆壁的顏色、逃生門的數量、或是走廊地板反射的光線？

Christopher Button 對周遭觀察入微，善於從平凡中尋覓非凡。在眾人歸家、車站人潮褪去之際，他會埋藏於突然變得廣闊和沉靜的地下通道，盡享難得的獨處時光，然後透過一部 Mamiya 7 中畫幅相機，將四周轉化為一個反烏托邦的世界。原來白天總是絡繹不絕的一帶，竟藏有異常深幽靜寂的一面，空中瀰漫不受繁囂沾染的和諧之音，迫使大家不得不抱著安然又猶豫的心情，直視這片熟悉又陌生的環境：無盡的通道空間、耀眼的五顏六色、朦朧的鏡面映照……

我們意識到自己置身在迷宮中，並施展千方百計嘗試逃出：奔向扶手電梯、拐過轉角處、穿越通道……但無論多拼命，奈何只見前方更多無盡，根本無路可逃。在束手無策之際，我們唯能停下喘一口氣，沉入並環顧四周，讓寂靜震聾雙耳、讓刺眼的廣告燈箱和告示牌衝擊兩目。這片神秘莫測的地帶讓人不禁想像：究竟色彩斑斕的牆壁背後暗藏多少玄機？當中有甚麼鮮為人知的故事？更最重要的是，我們該如何逃離這裡？

被困於迷宮中的這種無力感，也許大家都有所共鳴。近年，世界各地都陷入前所未有的不隱定性中，Christopher 營造出茫茫無際的地下空間，反映了束縛著我們的新世界——變幻無常而且充滿限制。然而，即使感到落寞無助，我們還是慢慢學會欣然接受種種未知。

在一切都似乎被數碼化的時代，Christopher 仍熱衷於節奏較慢的菲林攝影，他享受等待菲林沖曬的過程，以及其不確定性和令人驚喜的元素。他的作品深受電影啟發，因此選用電影菲林有助讓他鏡頭下的車站更具影像感，從而創造出自己的小宇宙。其作品呼應 Hiroshi Sugimoto 凍結時間的手法，亦帶有 Stanley Kubrick 的影像風格，令人不安的同時也覓得慰藉。

歡迎您與我們一同踏入這個充滿未知的迷宮，細嚼那些你不曾著眼的事物，但請注意，此地不宜久留，我們也不保證您能成功逃出……