I have always seen the world through the viewfinder of a camera. Photography is my native language: a frozen moment, captured light, the geometry of a single frame. But in 2015, when a small group of us set off on an absolutely intense two-week marathon across China, I decided to try something completely different.
I switched my camera to video mode.
Our route looked like a jagged line on the map, connecting vastly different worlds: from the neon glare of Shanghai and the misty peaks of Taimushan to the ancient towers of Kaiping; from the meditative landscapes of Yangshuo and the bamboo forests of Chengdu to the high-altitude Songpan, the surreal colored lakes of Jiuzhaigou, and the martian-like chromatic landforms of Danxia in Zhangye. We moved fast and hungrily, constantly changing trains, buses, and altitudes.
To be honest, I am not a big fan of shooting video. For me, it was a pure experiment, and as a photographer, I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the outcome. Video requires a different rhythm, a different way of thinking. Yet, these frames were captured and edited. They preserved things that a static photo cannot always convey: the sound of the wind in the gorges of Zhangjiajie, fleeting glances, the sheer dynamics of Chinese roads, and the raw atmosphere of that time. This is not a documentary or a travel guide. These are just our road video sketches – raw, imperfect, but real.
My brother Alex (nergall@gmail.com) breathed life into this archival project. He specially composed and performed the original soundtrack for all the clips, for which I am immensely grateful. His music tied this chaos of roads into a single cohesive narrative.
The result of this experiment is 8 short sketches, about four and a half minutes each. Eight chapters of one great journey.
I invite you to turn up the volume and walk this route with us.