Ad- This post is sponsored by the National Railway Museum in York. All opinions are my own
Gareth and I were asked if we would like to attend the launch of Wang Fuchun’s exhibition called One Billion Journeys at the National Railway Museum in York and honestly, we jumped at the chance. If you didn’t already know, I am a lover of anything related to photography and with Gareth being a photographer, this was also right up his street.
First of all, let’s talk about where the exhibition is held. If you haven’t been to the National Railway Museum in York, you are really missing out. I mean Gareth and I have literally been missing out for the last few years, as I was unaware it was there. That is the joy of writing these blog posts, so I can fill you in on what I have been up to and offer my advice on activities and things to do in this amazing city. Anyway, moving on – the National Railway Museum was like stepping back in time and it felt like an opportunity of a lifetime to experience this truly special exhibition there.
Not only did we get to see the very talented Wang Fuchun’s photography, we also got to meet him and listen in on a really informative and interesting Q&A session, before heading off to the launch (which I was super eager to see). One Billion Journey’s imagery features intimate portraits of rail travel in China, which is being exhibited for the first time in York. With a career which has spanned over an incredible 40 years, I felt honoured to just be in the same room with Mr Wang. From taking pictures of people’s boredom on the train to special intimate moments and capturing everyday life, his work is so unique and seeing it was a truly amazing experience.
As well as appreciating everyone’s daily lives within the shots, it also really captures the change in China’s history from when Mr Wang began his incredible journey of capturing these special moments, to the present day. He has managed to capture everything from extremely busy old-school trains with commuters reading the newspaper or playing dominoes as they head to the big cities for work, to the high-speed high-tech trains nowadays where the younger generation have all the latest gadgets – it’s so fascinating to see how times have changed over the years, all courtesy of Mr Wang’s images.
All the imagery is in black & white and if I’m being honest, that’s my favourite style of photography and something that I would like to experiment with more. I think this was one of the most memorable quotes from Mr Wang – “I’ve always thought of myself as a professional thief, not because I stole possessions from people but because I stole moments out of their everyday lives through photography’ I love this!
With 45 images from his incredible collection, there is honestly something for everyone to appreciate and admire. The themes have been grouped together with the focus on loving & caring, entertainment & boredom, work, comfort and health & spirituality. The One Billion Journey exhibition is free and is available to go and see from now until the 11th August 2019. If you’re ever in York, then make sure you head on over to the National Railway Museum, it will really take your breath away, so don’t miss out on seeing the amazing collection from Mr Wang. It is something that you will never forget and will cherish for the rest of your days.
Gareth and I are actually planning on going back to see the exhibition and take some of our family members, as we really don’t want them to miss out on this opportunity. Go ahead and visit the Museum to be taken on a billion journeys through the eyes of Mr Wang.
