"MISTED ESSENCE" marks the debut photobook of Taiwanese artist Robert ChangChien, weaving together a retrospective of his past works with new, evocative series. The collection seeks to craft a "mysterious poetry" within the dimensions of time and space, embedding semiotic layers and metaphors within every frame and layout.
With a background in architecture, Robert operates as an interdisciplinary creator at the intersection of engineering and fine art. His work is characterized by a cinematic sensibility, where the interplay of light, shadow, and human emotion tells a profound story. These dreamlike, dramatic compositions are born from his deep reflection on life and the fundamental essence of space. For Robert, photography is an aggregation of secrets—fragments of memory and spatial-temporal meditations. Through these images, "MISTED ESSENCE" explores the liminal space between reality and illusion, translating complex concepts into a visceral, emotional experience.
《MISTED ESSENCE》為台灣攝影創作者張簡長倫(Robert Chang Chien)首部攝影集，此書將其多年作品脈絡予以編織，包含未曾發表的系列，蘊藏許多符號及語彙，希望在時空中留下詩謎。跨領域背景的經驗使他擅長透過空間場域中光影與人物的情緒姿態進行細膩描繪，解構重組為充滿電影感的影像。如夢似幻的作品源自對生命經驗的體悟，及投注在空間本質的研究探索。若時空的尺度與人們所認知的不同，所謂常理中的本質也將被顛覆，現實與夢幻世界的一切皆如此。
「光每秒能走三十萬公里，但許多恆星與地球的距離遠大於此，故看著夜空中的繁星，其實是進行一場考古。我們所看見”現在”正發亮的星星，是宇宙中過去已發生的事件，而這顆星星也很可能已經死亡。」
他認為，攝影是秘密的集合體，這些秘密來自人們的記憶片段與對時空之認知，每張影像背後都藏著看不清的本質。”MISTED ESSENCE”亦可定義為「蒙上霧的本質」，概念傳達的即是那些介於現實與虛幻之間的故事，試圖藉由攝影進行一場情感環境的實驗性書寫。
✷ 2016年 台北新書發售會與沙龍講座 / 讀者收藏回饋 影像紀錄
