This timelapse experiment is an exploration into the pain of nostalgia. Things that are forever lost, or bound to be.

About the Film

This timelapse experiment is an exploration into the pain of nostalgia. Things that are forever lost, or bound to be. China is a perfect place to indulge in this feeling, the willingness to shed the old clothes and start a new, "more comfortable" life is mind-boggling. However, the speed of this transformation will make it hard for some to keep up with modernization.

This movie was recorded in my appartment in August 2009, using two DSLR cameras. My appartment is in the center of the city, going to the Forbidden City will take no longer than 20 minutes by bike. It is an area that is undergoing massice gentryfication. First, because the destruction of large parts of the old city center's architecture and the "restauration" of the remaining parts has caused a massive onslaught of tourism, from both foreigners and well-off chinese. Second, families are moving to the area, despite the comparitively high prices, for the supposedly better schools. This is another part of the pursuit of a "better life".

The type of house i am living in was build in the 80s, and, at that time, perceived to be a great advantage to those who were able to get an appartment in one of them. Today, they are "old", and a place like mine - with the original windows and doors, pretty much in the exact same shape as 30 years ago - is not considered to be "good". My guess is that this type of house will sooner or later be gone. Actually, the speed and scale of the replacement of old things with new things is unimaginable to the average European.

However, hearing and reading accounts of people's childhood memories, and taking into account the density of the population in these places, I cannot help but fear that too many personal histories, too many fond and not-so-fond memories will be eradicated at a pace faster than is healthy for the soul of a community.