In 2011, following a team of people who intended to research and record folk music, Birdhead went to Datong (Shanxi Province), Inner Mongolia, Shanbei Province and Erdos. The one-month journey impressed them a lot and raised their aspiration. Later, they found a sense of selves at the Jiankou Great Wall, which is a part of the Great wall that has not been developed into a resort. Suzhou, Hangzhou and Wannan won their attention as well. When they were asked to choose their favourite place, both of them mentioned several. And that is a period when JI started to play kendo and SONG concentrated on traditional Chinese entertainment. The photographs in The Light of Eternity show their traces during the journey. There is less power and struggle, but more vigour, involving appreciation, innovation and joy. So far, each catalogue is designed by JI through adequate consideration. When JI was asked about the differences between documentary photographers and Birdhead, he said, ‘ What we normally do is to record images by camera to do art creation. This process comes from inside to outside and back to inside eventually. Shooting features a kind of outward strength, before to fulfill the potentials gained from all the photographs. The images are capable of digging out the inherent power due to the different time and space implied. And cameras, at the same time, devote to the creation in a way as well. On the other hand, all these characters during the creation process would generate certain interactions owing to the connected natural forces and natures. The artwork and the involved manifestation reflect certain inward strength, which is going to be revealed when we take photographs.’ SONG believes that all the photographs are good and pleasant, which could be seen as a reflection of their confidence, as well as their further self-discovery. It is worthwhile to mention that their interests talked above also refer to their experiences when they were educated at the Shanghai Arts and Crafts School, which have been illustrated in their latest work.

text from Camille SANKUAN "The World of Birdhead Belongs to the World"