Ask the Author Romain Jacquet-Lagreze

As a group of avid readers in the LRP team we are very happy to have recently expanded our book offering online and in the showroom. We knew you would be interested in finding out more about some of the wonderful authors and illustrators who have created the ones we've selected. All books have a Hong Kong theme whether it be written or illustrated by someone who lives here or is about the city, the stories and the history of the place so many of us call home.

This week we are meeting photographer Romain Jacquet-Lagreze whose beautiful book, Echoing Above,  is a visual journey through the hidden beauty of Hong Kong’s skyline. It particularly highlights the artistry of bamboo scaffolding which is such an iconic sight in Hong Kong but may not be for much longer. :(

About
I am a French photographer based in Hong Kong where I moved in 2009. Since then I have been pointing my camera on my new home to document the different aspects of this city. My latest photo book 'Echoing Above' is a photographic trilogy uncovering wild trees growing on residential buildings, men deftly crafting bamboo scaffoldings, and birds soaring amidst concrete landscapes in the heart of Hong Kong. My photos document how these three echo each other’s resilience, weaving a narrative of adaptation in the urban jungle.

I started this book by focusing on the Chinese Banyan trees that are growing directly on the concrete of residential buildings. This very resilient species of tree that grows on top of other trees in the jungle adapted very well to the city and makes small fig fruits that birds love to eat. While looking up for these trees, I started to notice the elusive men building the bamboo scaffolding (Fei Paang - 飛棚 meaning ‘flying shed’) up on the facade of buildings in order to renovate one specific unit. In the second chapter of the book I take record of their impressive skills and their high confidence in their craft that has been part of Hong Kong culture for centuries. Observing these men led me to discover the wide diversity of birdlife soaring above the streets of Hong Kong, and I put my focus on them in the third chapter of the book.

What I love the most about Hong Kong is its old districts like Mong Kok, Sham Shui Po or Sheung Wan. I love walking through these streets and discovering new details that I haven't noticed before and taking photos of them in order to share them in my books.