When another prominent “One Belt and One Road” artistic and cultural practice started in Shanghai cultural circles, the “Never closed” “Deke Erh Silk Road Visual Documentary Center” was inaugurated in DOBE E-manor of Xuhui on April 28, 2015.
Deke Erh, the freelance photographer who was the earliest to have the spirit of independence in China, will drive a 60 feet sailing boat to cross the oceans. With the perspective of a visual artist, shouldering the academic ideal of a historical image photographer, he plans to spend several years finishing the “Maritime Silk Road” in history. DOBE Group also actively takes part in by sponsoring Deke Erh’s voyage lasting more than 200 days. To realize synchronous recording of the trip along the Maritime Silk Road, convey real-time visual effects, let more souls take part in, listen and feel this extraordinary cultural trip, realize and share every ordinary man’s good dreams, Deke Erh’s research accumulations on the “Silk Road” over the 15 years and the results of his future observation will be open to the public for free in the form of a perennial exhibition. Meanwhile, he will absorb college teachers and students to develop scientific research and cultural products.
Deke Erh was the first photographer to raise the concept of visual document in China. His footprints can be found all over the world. He has taken lots of visual documents for this changeful age. Deke Erh started the Silk Road visual documentary shooting project as early as in 2000. Once he and his wife Li Lin drove 18,000km in 56 days, from Shanghai to Hamhurg of Germany, and finished the Silk Road on land. In the past 15 years, Deke Erh traced the footprints of Richthofen, Sven Hedin, Huang Wenbi and other forerunners, traveled the whole Eurasian Steppes, and included Chinese and foreign scholars’ expeditions, excavations, research results on the Land Silk Road into his combing and shooting scope as visual documents. Last year, to respond to the state’s “One Belt, One Road” Strategy, “One Man’s Silk Road——Deke Erh’s Visual Documentary Exhibition” jointly sponsored by People’s Daily and Shanghai Municipal Publicity Department was held in China Art Palace. The exhibition displayed all the visual documents taken by Deke Erh on the Land Silk Road in the past 15 years, lots of precious visual documents, physical objects, historical materials, and cultural relics to the public. He became known as a “folk cultural ambassador who studies the Silk Road on foot through camera lens.”
This year, the Deke Erh Silk Road Visual Documentary Trip sponsored by DOBE will start a new chapter, extending from the land to the ocean. It’s reported Deke Erh will set off from Shanghai in the near future, and sail 11,549 nautical miles. He plans to sail 109 days on the sea, spend 96 days for interviews onshore, and finish his “21 Century Maritime Silk Road” Visual Documentary Project in Europe in the end after traveling round half the world. During the voyage, Deke Erh will put his visual documentary project into practice, and rediscover this legendary sea lane, as well as the culture, history and current situation of every city. During the journey, Deke Erh Silk Road Visual Documentary Center will become the front “window” of this great project——Deke Erh will transmit real-time materials to DOBE E-manor of Xuhui through synchronous transmission. With the help of his lens and pen, people can witness his discoveries and thinking and have interactive participation in the project with DOBE.
Deke Erh Silk Road Visual Documentary Center
Opening hours: 10:00 a.m.-17:00 p.m.
Appointment hotline: 021-64150675
Address: Room 102, Building C (DOBE E-manor of Xuhui), No. 27 Lane 345, Shilong Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai