Still Moving: Looking at Chien-Chi Chang’s Practice

Transcending the photograph, Magnum artist Chien-Chi Chang has developed a multimedia practice that places his work firmly at the intersection of moving and still image. His piece Bongo Fever explored the HIV / AIDS epidemic in Tanzania in images and sound woven together in a tightly edited, and highly immersive, film format. Recently, his documentation of the refugee crisis in Europe took a turn for the personal. Here, in advance of an exceptional six-month mentorship program with the artist which starts in China later on this month, Chang opens up to Magnum about creating multimedia formats and his transition from still to moving image. 

Magnum: What is the relationship between moving and still image in your practice? 

Chien-Chi Chang: First of all, both moving and still images can be moving. Lately I have been using still images as a kind of punctuation, to stop or redirect viewers in the middle of a flow. At the beginning of a project, you have a vision for the end product, but you need to leave room for serendipity and surprises.

M: What can multimedia do that photography can’t?

CCC: The main thing that multimedia adds to a project is a soundscape. The final mixdown can accomplish a desired sonic balance between its various elements to correspond to the vision for the project. Video and photography can do a lot, yet without sound, the visuals will be handicapped.

M: Does linearity play a role in the stories you want to tell?

CCC: Linearity does not have to be linear. There does not have to be a single story line. You can have multiple story lines colliding with each other to tell a richer, fuller and more complex story.

M: What are the subjects that interest you most? How do you choose in which medium/how you will tell a story?

CCC: I have spent two thirds of my my life away from home. The subject that is nearest and dearest to my heart has always been the push-pull between being home and being on the road.

Sometimes a project requires a certain medium. I don’t always know what or how I am going to do until I am immersed in a situation. The problem is I have to carry a lot lot of gear!

M: What skills does a photographer need to move into film/multimedia?

CCC: For starters, one has to feel a deep necessity to express his or her story via film/multimedia. The essential skill set can be acquired in the course of this workshop and be personalized by experience.