I was never close to Kau Fu. My only memory of him was of buses.
He passed away in 2019, at age 50. At his flat I discovered what he left behind – CDs, DVDs, cassette tapes, comic books and a very large collection of bus-related memorabilia. Miniature bus models, books, news-cuttings and photographs of buses filled every corner of his flat and occupied three more mini-storages. I began to obsess about his obsession.
Kau Fu is the beginning of a long-term project, a homage to the bus driver uncle I regret never really knowing, and his obsessions. My collage work uses archival images and first-hand leftover materials of his bus magazines, his own photographs and objects in his collection to narrate an imagined story of his afterlife, in-between the end of life and reincarnation. My collages also take inspiration from one of Kau Fu’s favourite comics Galaxy Express 999, which depicts a steam train flying through the stars.
PHOTOGRAPHS & TEXT: MICHELLE CHAN, HONG KONG. WEBSITE: LITTLEDOTRICE.COM
Kau Fu 舅父, by Michelle Chan was made during the IPA Mentorship Program. Click to view: More Mentorship Projects.
The IPA Mentorship Program is a photography mentorship initiative by Invisible Photographer Asia (IPA) for those who wish to further their personal photographic vision and goals.
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