So often in life we are used to seeing people celebrated for their successes but we rarely even get an inkling of the pain and suffering they have had to endure. This series uses the training life of a Chinese acrobat troupe to express this idea of behind-the-scenes training; the idea of having to try and try harder and harder again.

As an audience, all we ever see are the acrobats performing all sorts of acts in perfection and grace but we have never seen them or been backstage, where the real performance is – the training to achieve the seemingly impossible. This series is an outright documentation of: failure, preparation, bruising, determination and a toast to “the beginner’s spirit”. It seeks to serve as a reminder that success never comes easy and its the journey that builds character.

The images in this series centers around the moment of falling; the moment of a slip, the moment before one feels pain from a fall and the moment before one gives up. Using bland colours to portray a sense of drab with strong lighting and darkened corners to amplify a sense of height and space, the acrobats are shown in a variety of awkward and embarrassingly private moments; moments too personal that not many would openly share.

This is a series seeking to encourage all who are in difficulty, to remind everyone who trudge the tough road that behind closed doors, there are others suffering for their beliefs as well.

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CLIENT: MESSYMSXI
PROJECT DATE: 2010