News Release

About the Exhibition
“Documenting the Dammed” is a photography exhibition documenting the cultural landscapes that are disappearing due to the construction of China’s Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydroelectric dam to date. This exhibition is a collection of photographs of towns along the Yangtze River in Chongqing Municipality (located in southwestern China). Taken over the span of 1 ½ years, this body of the work identifies the regional characteristics of the local architecture in Chongqing, with a focus on the ways the architecture was adapted to the formidable climate, the mountainous topography, and the ways of life of the local residents. “Documenting the Dammed” began as a research project in September 2001 with funding from the U.S. Fulbright Organization.

About the Photographer
Pauline Shu began the research proposal “Documenting the Dammed” when she was awarded a U.S. Fulbright grant to China in 2001. She continued working on the project in the fall of 2002 while teaching architecture at the Chongqing University School of Architecture and Urban Planning. Upon returning to the U.S. in 2003, she has been living in San Francisco and has been working at Kodama Diseño Architects in the city. She is a graduate of the Yale School of Architecture, with an undergraduate degree from Duke University.