Thomas Sauvin Explained

Thomas Sauvin is a French photography collector and editor who lives in Beijing. Since 2006 he exclusively works as a consultant for the UK-based Archive of Modern Conflict,^{[1] [2]} an independent archive and publisher, for whom he collects Chinese works, from contemporary photography to period publications to anonymous photography. Sauvin has had exhibitions of his work, and published through Archive of Modern Conflict.

Beijing Silvermine

Sauvin started the Beijing Silvermine project, accumulating more than 850,000 anonymous color negatives (as of December 2019) destined for destruction in a Beijing recycling zone.^{[3] [4]} It covers a period of 20 years, from 1985, namely when photographic film (which contains microscopically small light-sensitive silver halide crystals) started being used massively in China, to 2005, when digital photography started taking over.^{[5] [6]} This period is the beginning of post-socialist China.^[7]

Publications

Publications by Sauvin

• Thomas Sauvin: Silvermine. London: Archive of Modern Conflict, 2013. . Five albums each containing 20 prints. Edition of 200 copies.
• Amc2 Journal Issue 8: Quanshen. London: Archive of Modern Conflict, 2013. Photographs collected and edited by Sauvin.
• Silvermine albums. London: Archive of Modern Conflict, 2013. . Five albums each containing 20 prints. Edition of 200 copies.
• METV. Self-published, 2014. With Erik Kessels.^[8]
• Until Death Do Us Part. Jiazazhi, 2015. First edition of 1000 copies; fourth edition of 2000 copies; third edition of 2000 copies; fourth edition of 2000 copies.
• Xian. Self-published, 2016. Handmade book, composed of fifty-nine paper boxes made of black folded paper, 90 facsimiles of vintage prints. Edition of 200 copies.
• No More No Less. With Koike. (M); Skinnerboox; Jiazazhi, 2018. Edition of 400 copies.
• Six. 2018. Set of 3 Softcover postcard booklets.
• MeNu. London: Archive of Modern Conflict; Galerie Ben Alors. Edited by Ruben Lundgren and Timothy Prus. Edition of 300 copies.
• Great Leaps Forward. Silvermine, 2019. . Edition of 750 copies.^[3]
• 17 18 19. Athens: Void, 2019. Edition of 750 copies.

Publications with contributions by Sauvin

• Happy Tonite. London: Archive of Modern Conflict, 2010. Edited by Ed Jones and James Welch. . Edition of 1000 copies. Photographs selected by Ed Jones and James Welch from the collection of Chinese photography assembled by Sauvin. Includes the work of Liu YiQing, Cai Hongshuo, Chang He, Zeng Han, Yang Changhong, Bai Chuan, Dustin Shum, Chang Qing, Fang Er, Feng Li, Luo Dan and Jiang Yiming.
• The Chinese Photobook. New York: Aperture, 2015. Edited by Martin Parr and WassinkLundgren. ; Mid-Sized Edition, 2016, . With texts by Gu Zheng, Raymond Lum, Ruben Lundgren, Stephanie H. Tung, and Gerry Badger.^[9]

Exhibitions

• 2010: Dali International Photography Festival, China.^[10]
• 2012: Open City Museum, Brixen, Austria^[11]
• 2012: Singapore International Photography Festival, Singapore.^[12]
• 2013: Format International Photography Festival, Derby, UK.^{[13] [14] [15]}

External links

• Beijing Silvermine
• Sauvin on Flickr
• Documentary about Sauvin and Silvermine (video)
• Amateur photos from China in the 1980s

Notes and References

1. News: Chinese Family Memories, Recycled. 1 March 2013 . 3 January 2015 . Kerri . MacDonald . .
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0Gd_0KUkYM Archive of Modern Conflict
3. Web site: 2019-12-22. Memories from beyond: Long discarded photographs reveal a changing China. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/photography/bejiing-china-photos-photography-thomas-sauvin-a9223976.html . 2022-05-07 . subscription . live. 12 December 2019. The Independent.
4. News: Thomas Sauvin’s Beijing Silvermine. 20 October 2014 . 3 January 2015 . Amy . Connors . .
5. News: Branigan. Tania. Negative views: collection of camera film captures changing face of China. 4 January 2013. The Guardian. 4 January 2013. Beijing.
6. Web site: Rescued Chinese negatives - in pictures. The Guardian. 4 January 2013. 4 January 2013.
7. News: Tania. Branigan. 2019-12-22. Negative views: collection of camera film captures changing face of China. The Guardian. 4 January 2013. 0261-3077. www.theguardian.com.
8. News: Sean. O'Hagan. Sean O'Hagan (journalist). 2019-12-22. The world's weirdest photo albums. The Guardian. 30 March 2014. 0261-3077. www.theguardian.com.
9. News: Sean. O'Hagan. 2019-12-22. Fake bats, non-people and soccer tips from Chairman Mao: Martin Parr's side-on history of Chinese photography. The Guardian. 17 April 2015. 0261-3077. www.theguardian.com.
10. "Dali International Photography Festival", China Daily. Accessed 3 January 2015.
11. "The artists Giovanni Melillo Kostner, Thomas Sauvin and Lei Lei at 'Open City Museum'", Cuartel. Accessed 3 January 2015.
12. "Silvermine ", Singapore International Photography Festival. Accessed 3 January 2015.
13. "Thomas Sauvin", BBC World Service. Accessed 3 January 2015.
14. News: Sean. O'Hagan. 2019-12-22. Format international photography festival – review. The Observer. 10 March 2013. 0029-7712. www.theguardian.com.
15. News: Sean. O'Hagan. 2019-12-22. The best photography of 2013: Sean O'Hagan's choice. The Guardian. 22 December 2013. 0261-3077. www.theguardian.com.