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Photographs that reveal China's obsession with smartphones as they sunbathe on ‘Silicon Beach’

Smartphones have changed the way we interact, with our friends and the world around us. But has this tool, built specifically to advance our communication, eroded the fundamental foundations of human connection?

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All images courtesy of the artist. Via Creative Boom submission.

All images courtesy of the artist. Via Creative Boom submission.

It's something award-winning photographer Oleg Tolstoy ponders with his latest series, Silicon Beach. Inspired by the fact that most iPhones are assembled in Shenzhen, China’s own Silicon Valley, Oleg travelled to the area's Dameshina Beach, one of the busiest stretches of sand in the world where locals love to gather on sunny days.

His revealing images uncover the complex relationship we have with technology, each other, our connection with space and the experiences we have within it.

As we gawp at the subjects, squinting to avoid the glare of the sun and the sea on their screens, what are we to think? Is this experience enhancement or detraction from the moment? Could this be a startling glimpse into the future of leisure as we know it?

Oleg’s images dare us to question our own judgment of such a culture. He says: "If other people in other places choose only to see and experience their free time in ways which make them feel comfortable, who are we to say they should do otherwise?"

Man in white shirt holds a smartphone at a crowded beach, with other visitors visible in the background under bright sunshine
Two women wearing sunglasses at a crowded beach; one holds a paddle while the other checks her phone, surrounded by blue umbrellas and beachgoers
Woman in pink sun hat and magenta jacket holds up smartphone to photograph beachgoers in the sea at Dameshina Beach, Shenzhen
Two people under umbrellas at the beach take a selfie together, both smiling at the smartphone camera
Girl in purple sunglasses and pink shirt looking at her phone while sitting on a crowded beach with colourful umbrellas and other beachgoers surrounding her
Woman in a yellow straw hat and blue shirt holds a smartphone while standing under a black umbrella on a beach.
Two young women wearing straw hats at Dameshina Beach hold up sunglasses to their eyes, smiling at the camera while other beachgoers sit behind them
Child in yellow swimwear crouches on beach holding smartphone while wearing orange water wings, surrounded by beachgoers at Dameshina Beach.
A shirtless man wearing snorkelling gear holds up his smartphone while standing in shallow water on a crowded beach, with mountains visible in the distance.
Woman in yellow shirt checking her phone while sitting on Dameshina Beach surrounded by other beachgoers, from photographer Oleg Tolstoy's Silicon Beach series
Woman in vibrant pink hat and light pink shirt gazes at her smartphone whilst crouching on crowded Dameshina Beach in Shenzhen, China
Young woman under a blue umbrella at a crowded beach holds a smartphone while eating, surrounded by other beachgoers
Young boy holding a smartphone in a blue waterproof case at a busy beach in Shenzhen, China
Two people taking a selfie on a crowded beach, with one holding a smartphone while the other leans in close to the camera
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