同一沙丘 兩種靈感

說起著名的沙丘作品，自然不得不提日本攝影師植田正治拍攝的鳥取沙丘，還有美國攝影師Edward Weston在加州拍攝的Oceano Dunes，而Justin及Palani拍攝的這個沙丘名為魯卜哈利沙漠（Rub' al Khali），也稱Empty Quarter，因面積佔阿拉伯半島四分之一而得名，是世上最大的沙丘沙漠。

身處一望無際的沙漠，人類顯得十分渺小，Justin選擇在日落時分拍攝沙丘，斜陽的光線在不同形狀的沙丘表面留下獨特的光影，凸顯出沙丘的輪廓與線條，與Edward Weston在加州拍攝的Oceano Dunes有幾分相似。高反差的光影效果令照片顯得超現實，同時充滿想像空間，正如Justin所說，the desert is a meditation into the vast unknown。

The long-awaited epic sci-fi film, "Dune," adapted from Frank Herbert's novel, reminds me of Hong Kong architect and photographer Justin Hui's Dune images.

The photos were taken in Rub' al Khali Desert, also known as the Empty Quarter. It is named because it covers a quarter of the Arabian Peninsula and is the largest dune desert in the world. Justin photographed the dunes at sunset. The rays of the setting sun leave unique light and shadow on the surface of the dunes, highlighting the contours and lines of the dunes. The high-contrast light and shadow effects make the photos quite surreal and imaginative. Humans seem tiny in such an endless dune, and the desert is a meditation into the vast unknown.

https://www.justin-hui.com/at-last-light

攝影師Palani Mohan過去兩年曾在阿聯酋居住，也被這片一望無盡的沙漠吸引，用很多時間拍攝壯觀的沙丘。有天早上，他在沙地阿拉伯與阿聯酋邊界的沙漠上發現動物的足跡，細小的腳印有規律地延續，恍如大自然的藝術。

他從博物學家口中得知，這些足跡既有鳥類、昆蟲，也有避日蛛（Camel Spider）、沙漠壁虎（Gecho）及蛇等，祂們只會在夜晚的沙丘上活動，留下不同形狀及節奏的腳印，然後在日出之前鑽進沙子裏，以避過白天超過50度的高溫。在沙漠的風吹之下，這些足跡可能很快就會消失得無影無蹤，然而翌晨又會出現不盡相同的足跡，不同足跡有時更會交織在一起，令人好奇發生過甚麼事情。攝影師除了耐心及細心去觀察、尋找，也需要運氣，他還幸運地看見一隻「晨運」的沙漠壁虎，為廣闊無邊的沙漠畫布添上微細的足跡。

Photographer Palani Mohan has lived in the UAE for the past two years and was also attracted by this endless desert, spending a lot of time photographing the spectacular dunes. One morning, he found tiny animal footprints in the desert. The continued regular footmarks are just like the art of nature.

Palani learned from naturalists that these footprints included birds, insects, Camel Spiders, Desert Gecho, snakes, etc. They usually appear on the dunes at night and get into the sand before sunrise to avoid the high temperature of over 50 degrees during the day, leaving rhythmic footprints with different shapes.

These footprints may soon disappear without a trace under the wind blow. However, there will be different footprints the following day, and the footmarks are sometimes intertwined, making people wonder what happened. In addition to being patient and careful to observe their traces, the photographer also needs luck. Yet, he was lucky enough to see a desert gecko in the morning, adding subtle footprints to the vast expanse of desert canvas.

Sand Trails and Storm Clouds

Date: From Now On

Time: 10:30-19:30 (open daily)

Venue: f22 foto space, Shops BW11&13, The Peninsula Hotel

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