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The Art of Cancer


The Art of Cancer
Photo Information
Copyright: Jeff Hammond (rtwimages) (12)
Genre: People
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-08-22
Categories: Artwork
Camera: Nikon D 90, Nikkor 18-200mm VR
Details: Tripod: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2009-08-23 19:20
Viewed: 157
Points: 6
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
If one travels in China and is observant enough they will quickly discover that the Chinese are in love with packaging and go to great lengths in this endeavor. It is not confined to the image before you and extends through a wide array of other products as well. The packaging can be more important than what is inside as well. In 2007 the Chinese government was becoming upset by the extensive use of packaging and the waste that it produced for the landfills and strongly encouraged the marketing companies to think about reducing the amount of packaging that would possible go into any one product. Example is a small item of say 2x3 inches which was packaged in something the size of an 8x10 package or larger. Of course this has not stopped the cultural drive for this as the presentation is as important as the gift itself.

I decided to make an example of the simple package of their cigarettes. In most western countries and even other Asian countries, the ordinary packet of cigarettes is one of simplicity, however, here in China, they become works of artfully created designs and coloration. The Chinese government in their efforts to inform the heavily smoking population about the risks of cancer decided that each packet should dedicate 30% of it area to those warnings of how smoking can cause cancer. Of course, in the Chinese society, it is like trying to put out a forest fire with a squirt gun but I suspect that the younger generation is more likely to not smoke than the older population of the society.

In taking the images that comprise this compilation, I had someone write a note for me in Chinese asking if I could photography their cigarettes. I took this note with me to the one vendor I had selected and was greeted with curiosity and approval. I setup my tripod with camera and began selecting packets one by one all the while drawing a crowd of curious locals to see what this strange western person was doing. After I had selected about 10 different ones, the Chinese lady who owned the little street stall began saying something in Chinese which I understood by the look of her face and the inflection of the voice that she was becoming tired of reaching for any more packets but I
persisted with little more than a few extra ones to photograph and ultimately had to stop with what I had.

It is a simple compilation yet demonstrates how much the Chinese take art and apply it to something as simple as the cigarette and they do not stop there as the individual cigarette itself is also decorated to some extent as well and the flourish of designs are continued to the product contained in the packet.
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Critiques [Translate]

une bonne idée... d'image modérée par le titre qui vient redonner sa dimension "au modèle"

bonne idée Jeff


dd, ile de la Réunion

  • Great 
  • nova Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2733 W: 263 N: 864] (8653)
  • [2009-08-24 16:51]
  • [+]

Nice artwork done with all those cigarettes packs.This is very colorful.I love the designs.Your notes are very interesting.Hoping to see some more photos from you,Thanks for sharing,
Michel

This is great--you've put together a nice collection. When I was in China in the early '90s, smoking was so prevalent that you couldn't watch a film in the cinema because of the dense haze of smoke. It's much better now--especially on public transportation.

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