SPIEGEL ONLINE : Mr Jacquet-Lagrèze, children jump rope, adults smoke or hang laundry: Why are Hong Kong's roofs so busy?

Jacquet-Lagrèze : There is an acute lack of space in Hong Kong. The apartments are usually very small and force people to adapt. They have to find somewhere else.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Who is allowed to enter the roofs?

Jacquet-Lagrèze : They are freely accessible to the inhabitants of the houses - sometimes even the front door is open, so you can enter them if you do not live there.

photo gallery


11 pictures

Hong Kong's roofs: The view from above

SPIEGEL ONLINE: How do you choose the roofs that they use to photograph?

Jacquet-Lagrèze : I'm looking for buildings that have the right height. I want to be high up, but not too far away from my motives.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: How do you discover the people on the rooftops?

Jacquet-Lagrèze : When I stand on a roof, I can see dozens of other roofs. But it is not always easy to find someone. Since my photos are not staged, I have to be very patient and watchful.

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Romain Jaquet-Lagreze:
Concrete stories

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SPIEGEL ONLINE: You photograph people without them knowing it. Do you think that's alright?

Jacquet-Lagrèze : I feel uncomfortable about invading people's privacy. That's why I focus my camera only on what happens in the open air, which can also be seen from the thousands of surrounding windows. In addition, I focus on scenes and actions instead of people or clearly identifiable places. I also avoid showing people so close that you can recognize them.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Which scene has impressed you the most?

Jacquet-Lagrèze : Once there was a demonstration down in the street. I could not see her from above, but hear. Suddenly, I spotted a female silhouette on a roof opposite. I pointed my camera at her and realized that it was a young girl in school uniform holding the demonstration with her smartphone. From this scene, one of the photos for my illustrated book "Concrete Stories" was created.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Will there be roofs in the future?

Jacquet-Lagrèze : There are still many, but there are fewer. As housing prices in Hong Kong continue to rise, old buildings are being bought, demolished and replaced by much larger ones. In modern houses, access to the roof is prohibited. I am very sorry that the old quarters of Hong Kong are slowly disappearing.