In the words of his good friend, photographer Liu Chen-hsiang:
After eight years of military life, Lin Meng-san began to think about what to do in life. Still a young man, what would he like to do? What could he do?
He first sketched out a dream of going abroad to study. He wanted to learn drawing, but thought it was perhaps too late to start, so he decided upon photography. He thought it would be useful to have some photos to apply to schools, so he began roaming the streets with his camera. But he didn't really know what to shoot.
Then one time he saw a camera advertisement that said "Shoot Your World," and he decided this was exactly the theme he had been searching for. So he set out again with his gear, returning to the place where he grew up in search of people and things to record on film.
As he groped along a plan gradually took shape. He wanted to mold an image for young people living on the margins of society in Taiwan. He wanted to use the camera lens to bring the living space of these marginalized young people into the eyes of viewers. He also used the camera as a medium to make friends with these people. The settings for the photos were chosen by the subjects, and the initial prints were selected jointly with those who appear in them. The works that appear here do so by mutual consent.
In his youth, Lin himself was marginal in the eyes of friends and family. As a young man he was fond of hanging around; he smoked, drank, fought, and skipped school. In the end his family decided that the only way his rebellious character could be tamed would be to put him in the military. After leaving the armed forces, he found that he was still detached from mainstream society. Some who have seen his work think that he is revealing the dark side of society, but that is not the way he feels at all. He feels that it is society, not the lifestyle of some people in it, which is "sick," so people should pay even greater attention.
1966 Born in Tataocheng, Taipei
1982 Entered Military Academy
1991 Retired from the military
1991-1993 Did film processing and darkroom work
1992 Participated in the Taipei Photography Festival annual meeting
1994 Participated in the "Seeing the Tanshui River" photo exhibition
1994-1996 Photographer for Blanca travel magazine, Business Weekly, and Sinorama
In the words of Lin Meng-san:
I think that anyone who cares about or pays special attention to some topic must have a motivation for doing so. If you want to know why I took these photos, naturally my reason for doing so is related to how I grew up.
From the beginning of my taking photographs of these people, I have found that the most intriguing things about them are their youth and their sincerity.
Through photographing the surface appearances I came to understand their lives, listen to their music, read their books. The fact is that there are many ways in which they differ from the typical understanding the great majority of the general public has of them. Yet they face their lives with more honesty and sense of freedom than many people.
In fact, a photograph can only capture externals, can only capture the surface image. The real meaning depends on the comprehension and emotional response of each individual who looks at the image. Don't be misled by associations with heavy metal music or the clothing being worn. Look and listen for yourself to what is in their hearts and minds and what is in yours. You may very well find that they are closer to you than you expected, and that they are worthy of respect and affection.
Understand them, because they are right here at our sides, and permanently share with us this piece of earth.
In the words of one of his subjects:
You can't say that the concept is especially novel; anyway, there are people doing strange things every day. Still, I admire his determination, because the "models" he found are people who especially dislike having anyone pry into their privacy. Moreover, he wanted to use the camera to leave behind proof that these people exist, so, unless he were to be silenced, the photos would get wide exposure. Thinking about it, what he was asking of these "minority groups" was extremely objectionable for them.
So, when he told me his idea and what he wanted, I didn't take him seriously. Besides the difficulty of the project itself, long years of experience have left me unable to easily trust anyone. Anyway, there are really a great many people who like to wallow in their unrealized dreams--the streets are filled with them.
You could describe my feelings at this time in some melodramatic way, and it's true, I was moved by his determination. He would call me from time to time and ask to photograph me. Of course, besides gaining respect for his persistence in his ideal, frankly speaking I was also being driven up the wall. After having been frightened into passivity by the ridiculousness of the real world, I decided to once more try to see in practice the lesson we were all taught as small children--that those with the will can succeed.
Now, he is finally having an exhibition to show the results of his labors over these past few years. Since coming to know him, the most I have done is to stand on the sidelines waving a pennant and cheering him on, without putting in any serious effort. Still, I am very happy to see this hard-earned "report card" of his work. One reason is that I played a part in this enormous project. Another reason is that his dedication has allowed me to really once again believe that "hope," that jest, is not something that only hides in Pandora's box.
A year later, Dino had repainted his wall solid black, except for the brooding face of Doors lead singer Jim Morrison. Is it the Door's music that appeals to Dino, or the shooting-star life the Morrison lived?
The weaving together of the 17-year-old Dino and the naked woman on the wall still resonates with a feeling of youth.
Is youth a time of exclusion, or inclusion? And that is one to make of the roadwork warning light?
Having always wanted to see the lifestyle of the "God father of the southern District," I finally contacted him and took this photo of him and his girlfriend in his home.
Kenting, 1995; band friends in the camping area. The atmosphere is of democracy and the passions of the election campaign, which coexist with the sun and fresh air. They have insisted on sticking flags on their tent.
These young people have found a niche with Taipei's coolest courier service. Besides camging letters and packages. they also deliver the feelings of Taiwan's "Generation X." （photos by Lin Meng-san／tr. by Phil Newell）
