The Monster Babies Are Coming! A New Chapter in Collaborative Storytelling

If you caught my last blog post, Confessions of a Flower Spirit, you know my long-term project, "We Are the Things Monsters Love," often takes unexpected, magical turns. It's my deeply personal dive into identity and belonging through speculative portraiture, capturing the vibrant lives of Hong Kong’s marginalized youth as they fuse ancient myths with fierce Voidpunk counterculture. We explored how Max Pinckers’ ideas of "speculative documentary" came alive when the Flower Spirit and the Spotted Dove staged their defiant "wedding" protest in Hong Kong Park—complete with a brief, fascinating interlude with the police that only amplified their message.

Well, the story, as all good speculative tales do, continues to unfold in the most wonderfully unpredictable ways.

Just after I published that last post, sharing all the portraits and behind-the-scenes glimpses, my phone rang. It was Holok Chen, the brilliant "Oracle of Voidpunk," calling with an invitation. "We need to do a new portrait session," they said. "A pregnancy shoot."

Now, my mind immediately went to the traditional idea of a pregnancy shoot, and I'll admit, I was a little thrown. "I don't understand," I probably stammered, "what does this have to do with Voidpunk? I'm documenting the evolution of this counterculture, not here to do a photoshoot for a couple who just got pregnant, haha!"

Holok, with that serene patience I've come to admire, clarified: "The Flower Spirit and the Spotted Dove are having lots of monster babies. And the Flower Spirit's stomach is already filled with many colorful monster embryos." They had even reserved a location, and both the Flower Spirit and Spotted Dove would be ready for me. Suddenly, it all clicked into place—this wasn't just a photoshoot; it was a continuation of their ongoing narrative, a truly speculative pregnancy. When I arrived, the Flower Spirit indeed had a new, adapted look, embodying this fantastical transformation.

After the shoot, before even beginning to edit the photos, I happened upon a paper that felt destined for that moment. It was "Sharing the Power - A Multivocal Documentary" by Jay Ruby, published in Perspektief in May 1991, one of a bunch of recommended readings my teacher, Alexey Yurenev, had given me during my time at the International Center of Photography. Luckily, I picked it up right after the shoot. Reading it, the new portrait session I had just completed resonated so profoundly with Ruby’s arguments that it felt like another stroke of magic.

Ruby's paper critiques the traditional documentary approach, where the photographer or filmmaker acts as the sole "author," often "speaking for" their subjects. He argues for a radical shift towards "multivocal productions," where subjects actively "share the power of authorship". He points out that for too long, traditional Western imagemaking has controlled how "other cultures" or marginalized groups are perceived. Ruby champions the "right to represent oneself", emphasizing that this control over cultural identity is deeply intertwined with political power.

This new "pregnancy shoot" is the ultimate, joyful testament to Jay Ruby's vision in practice. The Voidpunks, particularly Holok as the Flower Spirit, aren't waiting for an outside observer to define their story or their future. They are actively creating it, literally manifesting their next evolutionary stage—the birth of "monster babies"—and inviting me to document their vision. It’s a perfect example of subjects seizing the means of representation to "negotiate a new cultural identity". My role has seamlessly shifted from traditional "author" to a privileged collaborator and witness, someone there to capture their unfolding mythology, exactly as they choose to present it.

This development in "We Are the Things Monsters Love" isn't just a series of new portraits; it's a living, breathing demonstration of how communities can reclaim their narratives and exert profound agency. I'm here simply to witness, to press the shutter, and to revel in the wonderful surprises and miracles as they unfold before me, confirming that true documentary can indeed be a shared, evolving journey.

After the shoot, I asked the Flower Spirit and the Spotted Dove, "I have a feeling these monsters will be born soon. When do I get to meet them?" They just laughed, and replied, "It’s up to them. We can't rush the monster babies; they will appear when the time is right."