As artists Andi Schmied and Sofia Valiente are both interested in community and society, but the latest projects from the two photographers show very different – albeit complimentary – viewpoints on those themes. The pair are exhibiting together at Daniel Blau, London, and while Valiente’s series Miracle Village is concerned with human interaction, Schmied’s Jing Jin City looks at abandonment and emptiness.
Located an hour’s drive from Beijing, Jing Jin City was conceived by the Chinese government as a next-generation sustainable suburban development, boasting 3,000 luxury villas, golf courses, entertainment complexes and all the other facilities wealthy types could want. Construction began in 2002, but not even the presence of a Hyatt Regency hotel could entice anyone to go there, leaving these buildings empty and unfinished over a decade later. Schmied spent six months occupying these properties, shooting her interventionist series that plays on the eerie, echoing atmosphere of the ghost town’s unfulfilled potential.
Valiente had a less lonely time of things in Miracle Beach, Florida, although we can assume it was no less uncomfortable at times. The village was founded on the outskirts of rural Palm Beach County by a Christian ministry, and is home more than 100 sex offenders who are unable to find housing elsewhere due to legislative constraints; the law prevents them from settling within 1,000ft of locations that children congregate – from schools to bus stops. The residents of Miracle Village range from serious offenders to those guilty of consensual under-age relationships, and over the course of a year Valiente discovered their stories of estrangement and rehabilitation, publishing a book in 2014 from which these images are taken.
Jing Jin City and Miracle Village are on show until 13 February.
Andi Schmied, “Glass House”, 2014
© Andi Schmied, Courtesy Daniel Blau
Sofia Valiente, “Doug”, 2013
© Sofia Valiente, Courtesy Daniel Blau
Andi Schmied, “Jing Jin City”, 2014
© Andi Schmied, Courtesy Daniel Blau
Sofia Valiente, “Gene”, 2013
© Sofia Valiente, Courtesy Daniel Blau
Andi Schmied, “Grass House”, 2014
© Andi Schmied, Courtesy Daniel Blau
Sofia Valiente, “Paul”, 2013
© Sofia Valiente, Courtesy Daniel Blau
Andi Schmied, “Wall House”, 2014
© Andi Schmied, Courtesy Daniel Blau
Sofia Valiente, “Doug”, 2013
© Sofia Valiente, Courtesy Daniel Blau
