David Kim
Moments
Capturing the beauty of the mundane through a lens.
Research shows that technology can hinder people's happiness. Phones and other devices led users to focus their attention on their digital lives only, resulting in people spending most of their time on screens. With our eyes down at our phones, we miss the beauty of the mundane in the present moment. Every moment we live now will pass — and one of the best efforts that humans have made to preserve the present was to invent the camera.
In this project, I used photography to conserve the present moment and showcase the beauty in mundane life. I began by taking snapshots on my daily commute and expanded the project to moments within my daily life. The series resulted in a photobook that showcases how we always have beautiful moments all around us, even if the scenery seems mundane compared to our screens.
I started photographing the mundane on July 27. I took a camera with me every time I commuted and aimed to take up to 50 pictures each day. I took photographs while walking on my usual pathway or taking a bus, rather than going somewhere special. I brought a camera on my way to the university and began to take photographs of the mundane moments inside the bus or through the window. After several weeks, I decided to expand the project to take photos in my everyday life. I brought the camera with me whenever I left my house and while walking around the city.
The series was then curated into a photobook. I experimented with layout and sequencing, and utilised typography and colour to capture the essence of 'the mundane' in the work.
