Li Yalong's photo of Avatar at the demolition site.

At the abandoned demolition site, there are two dolls, the hero and heroine of the movie Avatar, sitting on rusty steel bars. This is not a sequel scene, but a work of the 20 10 Lianzhou International Photography Exhibition. Photographers use Avatar dolls as props to pay attention to one of the biggest hot spots in China-demolition. More significantly, the official identity of the photographer is the deputy secretary of Yichang Municipal Committee of Hubei Province. 20 10, 10 In early February, his works appeared in Lianzhou International Photography Annual Exhibition. The work is called Avatar in Reality, and the author signed it as Li Yalong. Even in Lianzhou, a place where photographers, cameramen and journalists gather, only a few people know Li Yalong's dual identity. Professional photographer, deputy secretary of Yichang Municipal Committee.

How did an official and photographer get involved with Avatar? In an interview with the Bund Pictorial, Li Yalong said that at first he thought Avatar was a science fiction film and didn't go to see it.

20 10 65438+ 10 4th, the 3D movie Avatar was released in the mainland. Less than a week later, the film was dubbed "anti-demolition" by China fans and spread on the Internet, Weibo and the dinner table. 65438+ 10 13, Southern Weekend published an article entitled "Record of 500 Owners' Successful Demolition" and "Avatar Defends Home", which told the story of owners' anti-demolition in Dongchuan Third Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou. The title "Avatar Reality Edition" was not invented by the editor, but the joke of the owners about their rights protection actions in the interview. Since then, this Hollywood blockbuster has been positioned as a folk version of China. Around Li Yalong, many people who have seen this film also mentioned "nail house" and "violent demolition". Li Yalong, who cares about social reality, couldn't sit still and went to see the film.

After watching Avatar, Li Yalong was very excited and felt that he had found the best opportunity to state and express his thoughts. He is too familiar with domestic laws, regulations, policies and typical events related to demolition; In an interview with Bund Pictorial, Li Yalong always reported the date first to state these policies, and his memory was accurate.

He has long been concerned about the social hot issue of demolition, and he himself has photographed the living conditions of some relocated households; However, due to work reasons, he could not rush to the scene as a full-time photojournalist and could not present it in a documentary way. He said: "Avatar was transformed by the audience in China, which is a great anti-demolition struggle."

So, he began to look around for two images of Avatar: Jack Sally and Princess Knightley, the indigenous Na 'vi tribe on Pandora. At first, Li Yalong wanted someone to make it. He not only wants to make these two dolls realistic, but also wants them to pose flexibly at will. After many efforts, Li Yalong found that no one was willing to accept the job. Finally, on Taobao, he found a Guangzhou seller and bought two dolls at the price of 78 yuan. "They are very small, only 10 cm. They can't stand and their joints are limited." Li Yalong is not satisfied.

In the next six months, he started his own real-life Avatar project. He put Jack Sally and Princess Knightley in the social background of Yichang, walking in the street, hiding in the corner, or running on the huge demolition site. The magic of the two characters created by Cameron disappeared in Li Yalong's works. They were armed with sticks, but a powerful bulldozer drove them away behind them. Princess Knightley clings to a lonely corner and looks humble and helpless. ...

"In Avatar, the Na 'vi people on Pandora have a sacred tree to protect it. I let two dolls sit on the steel bar to express their helplessness when the holy tree collapsed. Those steel bars are equivalent to the ruins after the traditional collapse. Modern commercial society is not only a matter of demolition, but also a matter of culture, and culture is a symbol. In life, the invasion of foreign culture has both a good side and a violent side. It is not necessarily a bloody thing, but it has swallowed up the tradition by commercial means. What I want to say is a tree of gods, and I am talking about the spirit. The traditional spirit is gone and has become a pile of ruins. "