People nominee

Every summer, people gather by the thousands at airshows around England to share in their passion for aviation. Over these ‘green and pleasant lands’, the sound of Rolls-Royce Merlin engines reverberates.* Aircraft of every vintage soar through the skies, calligraphing with their smoke trails and leaving transient autographs.

These are quaint occasions bearing every hallmark of the British summer: from sunburn to soft-serve ice cream. Lawn chairs and tents line the flight line; food stalls and shops selling aviation memorabilia dot the landscape. Rain or shine, people young and old wait with bated breath for the next heart-racing aerobatic display.

The attendees are delightfully eclectic; some are highly eccentric. From toy guns to telephotos, ‘Top Gun’ t-shirts to top hats, everyone is here for a different reason. Some come for the machinery and some for the history; others are dragged along by their partners. Nevertheless, there is a sense that all in the crowd are transfixed—each with their eyes and hearts turned skywards.

*Unlike ‘in ancient time’

Wei Jian Chan (b.1991) is a Singaporean-born photographer based in London. His photography seeks to find beauty in the chaos of modern life.

Wei Jian first picked up a camera at the age of 14 while growing up in Singapore. Over the years, as he moved to Oxford to attend university and to London for work, the camera has been his constant companion. In his time behind the camera, photography has grown from a pastime into a source of inspiration and a passport to new experiences.

Working primarily in black-and-white, Wei Jian utilises both traditional wet darkroom processes and modern digital techniques in his work. His work frequently incorporates elements of geometry, architecture, and motion.

Wei Jian’s photography has been exhibited in various locations in the UK and Europe, and has been published by The Guardian, Deutsche Welle, National Geographic, Amateur Photographer, and Leica Camera, among other publications/ organisations.