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InspirationPhotography

Candid photography series demonstrates economic and social transformation of Chengdu

Larry Hallegua is a British photographer based in Bangkok. He has been shooting candid colour photography for the past four years, mainly in Asia and occasionally Europe, with his work having been described as "bittersweet moments" and "fanciful characters frozen into bizarre activities".

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All images courtesy of Larry Hallegua

All images courtesy of Larry Hallegua

This series, Made In Chengdu, was shot in the capital of the Sichuan province, between 2014 and 2015. Larry explains: "Chengdu was placed in a high position of expectation, to become a pillar of economic transformation in western China. And whilst demonstrating a rich cultural identity, within the tightly governed society, lingered a bewildering shift, to a new social and economic age."

Originally from London, photographer Larry Hallegua moved to the Chinese city of Chengdu two years ago to teach English as a foreign language, after a friend suggested he try it out. Larry had previously spent three months teaching in Tokyo the year before and was intrigued to “go back to the continent and discover more”.

As he started to take photographs of Chengdu in order to assimilate himself with his new city, he became aware of deeper economic, social and cultural idiosyncrasies. "I was recording, albeit in a whimsical manner, a city experiencing a growing sense of self-confidence, with sweeping economic and social transformation, and while I didn't set out for the photos to be prescriptive or documentary, I tried to highlight some of the entrenched behaviours that intrigued and bewildered me." All of Larry's photos were taken candidly without any interaction with the subjects. Discover more at www.larryhallegua.com.

Woman in striped shirt browsing colourful shoes displayed on wooden shelves in a modern retail shop
Young man holding a framed photograph of himself on a Chengdu street, with pedestrians and a textile college building in the background
Two men sit in shadow at a table with playing cards and snacks, one holding a pink pastry to his mouth while contemplating the game
Woman with dark hair resting her head on the window of a car, captured through the windscreen
Woman with long dark hair viewed from behind standing in a modern urban plaza with tall buildings and a red slide structure visible behind her in Chengdu
Two passengers sit across from each other on a metro train, their hands resting on the metal bench between them
Person in black coat and fedora hat gazing upward at modern skyscrapers in an urban cityscape
Young couple crossing a busy street in Chengdu, with pedestrians and traffic in the background, the woman pointing whilst holding a newspaper.
Man in camouflage shirt viewed from behind, facing a decorative wooden panel with geometric patterns
Person in a blue striped shirt holds an open magazine above their head while sitting in a car, concealing their face from view
A teacher in a polka dot dress stands with young children in school uniforms inside a classroom in Chengdu
A dentist wearing a blue surgical mask and cap examines a patient in a dental chair while onlookers watch in a clinical setting in Chengdu
Small brown dog standing on a wet pavement surrounded by people's feet and legs wearing various shoes and clothing
Three police officers jog across a paved plaza in front of modern high-rise buildings and landscaped gardens in Chengdu, with a small black dog nearby
A distorted figure seen through cracked glass stands against a partially demolished building and blue structure during urban redevelopment in Chengdu
Two young women with arms raised stand on a wooden deck facing a mural of a silhouetted figure against a turquoise sea backdrop
Man in grey shirt draws three minimalist face outlines in black marker on a weathered concrete wall at night
Two people stand indoors, a woman in a white shirt on the left and a man in a grey blazer and red-striped cap on the right, both looking upward with animated expressions
A street scene in Chengdu with a small white dog in a car on the left, a toddler sitting on the right eating, and various posters and advertisements covering a cardboard structure in the centre, with buildings and pedestrians visible in the background
Adult and child stand on red and yellow painted ground beside a vehicle's mirror reflecting their figures in Chengdu
Bright orange marigolds in focus on an urban street in Chengdu, with pedestrians and parked cars blurred in the background amongst high-rise buildings
Child lying face-down on a red sports court while others in red outfits play in the background at a Chengdu playground
Person in blue top and white trousers lying on a large white circular platform with red petals scattered across it on grass
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