We were keen to show the walled city as a community. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Greg girard is a canadian photographer who has spent much of his career in asia. After several failed attempts, kowloon walled city was finally demolished 20 years ago, leaving behind a legacy of fascination that continues to grow, fuelled in part by the extraordinary communitys many urban legends. The seeds of what eventually became the walled city were planted nearly a century before girards first visit. The kowloon that greg girard knew was only one of many walled cities that stood. Now, with their kickstarter campaign recently clearing its goal, an updated version of the book with new photographs, documents and drawings is due to be. Revisited the walled city was a kind of architectural touchstone in terms of what a city can be unplanned, selfgenerated, unregulated. Sometime around 2000, i met greg girard the oldfashioned way. The strange saga of kowloon walled city atlas obscura. Blue lotus gallery is proud to present city of darkness. I think the book is thorough and representative of what living and. Greg girard kowloon walled city rooftop kai tak view.
Between 1987 and 1997 girard photographed on assignment across asia. Greg girard on revisiting kowloon walled city imprint lab. This influential body of work, which to date sold over 25,000 book copies, will be on view in a gallery setting for the first time since first published. Their images were collected into a book, city of darkness, which was. City of darkness is a book about life in kowloon walled city, a book that is, in fact, about density. After several failed attempts, kowloon walled city was finally demolished 20 years ago. Remembering kowloon walled city, the lawless outpost that. His work to date has examined the social and physical transformations taking place throughout the region. This influential body of work, which to date sold over 25,000 books, will be on view in a gallery setting for the first time. This book describes kowloon walled city which is a district in hong kong. Girards first book, city of darkness, was a groundbreaking document of the kowloon walled city, the chinese enclave that became an astonishing vertical settlement before it was demolished in 1993. Life in kowloon walled city, first hit bookshelves in april of 1993, shortly after demolition began on the settlement. Life in kowloon walled city and city of darkness revisited, a record of the final years of the infamous kowloon walled city in hong kong. His forthcoming city of darkness revisited, with ian lambot, revisits and updates the seminal 1993 book city of darkness.
Read photographer greg girards biography and see related photo galleries and more from national geographic. A lavish photojournalistic record of the last four years or so of the walled city of kowloon before it was demolished, city of darkness is a mesmerizing glimpse into a world that only existed for the briefest of moments in reality. Because of the continued interest, greg girard is working with his fellow kowloon walled city photographer ian lambot to finish a new book of their stunning photographs, entitled city of darkness. He is best known for his kowloon walled city images accompanying this interview, and previously featured phantom shanghai. It was a place your parents told you to never go to.
Photographer greg girard biography national geographic. In 1993, with coauthor ian lambot, he published the book city of darkness, a document of the final years of kowloons walled city, a hong kong highrise that was home to 35,000. Buy city of darkness revisited by lambot, ian, girard, greg isbn. The life and death of an impossible city kickstarter. Though demolished 20 years ago, fascination in kowloon walled city just continues to grow, fired in part by. But they tell many other stories of kowloon walled city as well.
Though demolished 20 years ago, fascination in kowloon walled city just continues to grow, fired in part by the many urban legends that forever swirl around this extraordinary community. Seeing the hong kong skyline for the first time is exciting, just as it is today. In kowloon walled city ian lambot, ian lambot, ian lambot, greg girard on. Life in kowloon walled city by lambot, ian, lambot, ian, girard, greg isbn.
Life in kowloon walled city city of darkness revisited. The kowloon that greg girard knew was only one of many walled cities that stood in that spot. Between 1987 and 1992, canadian photographer greg girard and british publisher ian lambot took hundreds of photographs of hong kongs kowloon walled city, once the most densely populated neighborhood in the world. Available for sale from blue lotus gallery, greg girard, kowloon walled city rooftop kai tak view hong kong 1990, archival pigment print on hahnemuhl. The original edition of the book, city of darkness. Id just like to say how impressed i was, not only with the book but how well it was packaged to. City of darkness revisited by greg girard and ian lambot.
Life in kowloon walled city lambot, ian, lambot, ian, girard, greg isbn. Well, the author, greg girard, actually tracked me down on facebook and kindly offered to send a. A revised, expanded and updated version of the influential original city of darkness, first published in 1993. In 1986 he began his photographic career at asiaweek, covering news and features in hong kong. How the dark legacy of the kowloon walled city lives on in. His work examines the social and physical transformations taking place in the region. Designed and edited by greg girard and ian lambot the team behind city of darkness. It documents life on a parallelogram covering only 2. He became a professional photographer in 1987, based first in hong kong and later in shanghai. The authoritative text on kowloon walled city archdaily. Twenty years later, girard and lambot released city of darkness revisited, underscoring the timelessness and enduring legacy of this singular community. Yet without legislation and with little regard for basic. Kowloon walled city night view from sw corner 1987 by greg girard photo. This influential body of work, which to date sold over 25,000 book copies, will be on view in.
For nearly 50 years, the extraordinary community of kowloon walled city cut a dark presence in the heart of hong kong. This story is excerpted and adapted from james crawfords book. Greg girard is a canadian photographer who has spent more than 30 years photographing in asia, living first in tokyo in the late 1970s, hong kong in the 1980s and 90s, and based in shanghai from 1998 until 2012. It was the most densely populated places on earth with the extraordinary population stimated in 33.
City of darkness revisited by ian lambot and greg girard. Please help greg girard and ian lambot complete the new edition of their book about life in kowloon walled city. Life in kowloon walled city, served us remarkably well for close on 20 years, transforming from hardback to softback and being reprinted multiple times, despite the fact the complete book existed solely in the form of the printers films produced when the book was originally published in 1993. Photographed between 1986 and 1992, girard s kowloon walled city photographs form the basis for the books city of darkness. Because of the continued interest, greg girard is working with his fellow kowloon walled city photographer ian lambot to finish a new book of photographs city of darkness. Richmondkowloon april 18 june 28, 2015 vancouverbased greg girard spent three decades working and living in asia examining the social and physical transformations of. The original book was in print for nearly 20 years, and as the 20th anniversary of the walled citys demolition approached it seemed like the. So it is with great personal pleasure to finally have a conversation with greg girard here on ipa. I sent a letter to the publisher of city of darkness, a brick of a photo book about kowloon walled city that greg made with his friend ian lambot. Greg girard kowloon walled city, north west corner.
Life in kowloon walled city ian lambot, ian lambot, ian lambot, greg girard on. When the british leased the new territories in 1898, the agreement excluded a chinese garrison overlooking kowloon city, a busy market town that served a. City of darkness revisited is a photo book and cultural history of kowloon walled city, a largely ungoverned, densely populated enclave within hong kong. First visiting kowloon walled city over 25 years ago, greg girard and ian lambots 1993 book city of darkness. Darkness and life stories from the kowloon walled city. Courtesy of greg girard and blue lotus gallery thats hard to imagine now because the duos photos of life inside the walled citys teetering threemetrewide highrise buildings have. Originally a military fort, the walled city saw its population rise dramatically during the. Girard s photos, published in photo book called city of darkness revisited with an essay by ian lambot, dont shy away from the profound degrees of crime and grime. Through a series of letters, faxes, and phone calls, i eventually interviewed the. Life in kowloon walled city quickly became its definitive visual record. The kowloon walled city through the eyes of photographer greg girard this photo of kowloon walled city reminds me of my childhood days in chowkit living in a row of. Kowloon walled city was a large settlement raised in hong kong. The kowloon walled city was a singular hong kong phenomenon.
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