Temporary Resident
Temporary Resident（2025）
Temporary Resident is a photography project inspired by my experience of living in London for one year as an international student and temporary resident. Rather than portraying the city through its iconic landmarks, the project focuses on the everyday realities of those who live abroad temporarily, exploring how a sense of belonging is formed through ordinary routines and personal experiences.
The project follows a young woman moving between apartments, underground stations, supermarkets, streets, and public parks. Through recurring objects such as suitcases, shopping bags, and backpacks, the work reflects the experience of students and young professionals who navigate unfamiliar cities while carrying the practical and emotional weight of everyday life. These objects become symbols of mobility, adaptation, and the uncertainty of living between places.
Rather than documenting London itself, Temporary Resident examines what it means to build a life in a city that is both familiar and temporary. Daily commutes, grocery shopping, returning home alone after work or study, and learning to navigate an unfamiliar environment gradually become the experiences that shape one’s understanding of a place. For many international students and young professionals, these ordinary moments form a more meaningful memory of a city than its landmarks or tourist attractions.
Through this project, London becomes an emotional landscape shaped by movement, routine, loneliness, and adaptation. Temporary Resident reflects on the experience of living between home and elsewhere, capturing the shared realities of those who leave familiar surroundings behind and learn to create a sense of belonging in a temporary place.