A Conversation with Yu-Ying Chuang
Yu-Ying Chuang is a creative based in Boorloo/Perth, working behind the scenes as an arts admin. His practice moves between photography and writing, often pairing images with text — part documentation, part public diary.
For Flash. Issue 03 — a Project See & B × Jean Marie Film collaboration that gave twenty creatives second-hand film cameras and total freedom — Yu-Ying used a Minolta Dynax 5000i to take a second look at a city he’s grown used to.
His work, Day Dreaming, is a double exposure project. One frame holds the everyday Perth backdrop. The other holds what slips through: memory, feeling, the dreamscape that shows up mid-afternoon when your mind drifts.
As Yu-Ying writes in his artist statement:
“Day Dreaming is a double exposure project depicting a mind wandering in a dreamscape that resurfaces as the mundane paints a background for effervescent memories.”
Where did this project begin for you?
“The idea sparked when I found less and less inspiration from Perth after getting too used to the landscape and life here. It started out as my ‘Double Take’ on Perth — capturing memories on a backdrop of Perth.”
How did you approach making the work?
“I knew the method would be double exposure, so I took it as an opportunity to experiment controlled exposure only through the process of taking photos — film, shutter, light. No post-edits were involved in creating this piece.
By doing so, I was trying to translate my memory process through the process of photo-taking: I would snap moments (sometimes site-specific) in one round, then capture Perth landscape in the other, emulating the ‘same place, different feelings’ sentiment.”
What were you hoping the work would hold?
“In short, it’s my second look at a city that I am very used to by now. I’m now lodged into a commute-based life. One afternoon, on my way back on the Mandurah line, lights jumping on the Swan River triggered flashback to some personal memories. It might have had to do with the music I was listening to — nonetheless, it got me thinking: what is keeping this place exciting for me?
Against a skyline I partake in and withdraw from every day, these are the moments that live in my head (and the way they present themselves).”
How would you describe your practice?
“Photography is a hobby after all. I just take my camera(s) with me when I go travelling, when I help out on a set, or simply when I feel like fun things might happen — or I might see something worth noting. I almost always accompany my photos with text. Really, they are public diary entries that I don't mind people getting too close to.”
What’s inspiring you creatively right now?
“Most of the time it’s really fleeting, subjective, and feeling-based. In my 20s, I found myself trying very hard to explain and document one-on-one interpersonal relationships (mostly personal experience). Now starting my 30s, I expect myself to capture more of the bigger picture, involving more than two people or species. Ultimately, I observe others through lenses — of a camera, of a body — then come to an ever-evolving introspection on how I want to be involved with the world.”
What’s next?
“I’ve been experimenting with printmaking, bookbinding and book design for the past few years. Last year was all about binding — this year I would like to dive into methods of making prints. And I feel a pull towards cyanotypes and tampering my films (e.g. puncture, forced light leaks, more odd ways of double exposure). The better if the outcomes are unknown, so the end product will always be a surprise.”
To follow along with what Yu-Ying is making next, find him on Instagram @woocco.
Flash. — Exhibition & Issue 03 Launch
Flash. Issue 03 One-week-only exhibition:
19 — 25 January 2026
10am to 4pm daily
Terrace Greenhouse Gallery
223 South Terrace, South Fremantle, WA
Free entry
Project See & B is dedicated to amplifying under-represented voices in the creative industry. Issue 03 was made possible thanks to the support of The Blackbird Foundation.
