Photographing at the Scene of a Suspected Homicide in Yuancun

This work was photographed in an urban village in Yuancun, Guangzhou. After visiting a local ageing community, I encountered a large group of residents gathered beside a barrier. Elderly people, children, and dogs were all looking towards the same residential building. I instinctively photographed the crowd before noticing that several police officers were present.

People at the scene spoke of a possible fatal incident inside the building, yet their accounts of the number of deaths, the floor, and the circumstances contradicted one another. I later searched news reports, social media, and police announcements, and returned to the neighbourhood to ask residents, but I was never able to confirm what had happened.

The photographs preserve only the periphery of the event: the crowd, their concentrated gazes, the police, and an ordinary residential building. The event itself remains outside the frame.

The work reflects on how many events leave no searchable record, and on the limits of documentary photography. A photograph may confirm that a moment existed, while remaining unable to explain it.