Physically linked by a small chain around
their waists, day in day out, only unlocked for sleeping, the more stable of
the two is supposed to assist the less lucid in their daily chores. Usually
they are matched to each other by what is deemed to be complementary, eg. the
violent with the mild-mannered, the shy with the outspoken. Often, the old
timer has the upper hand over the newcomer, although sometimes the sicker one
dominates. With their ties to society severed, but bound by the ‘chain of
compassion’ to one another, the interactions between the paired outcasts can
only be fraught. As Chien-Chi Chang comments: “The most pathetic part is that
once the two are chained together, they are forever incapable of fighting
against it. Their only alternative is to become submissive, to give in, or they
will never walk out of that place.”
Chang Chi-chien
was born in Taiwan
in 1961 and he is now an American citizen. Chang joined Magnum Photos in 1995.
He lives and works in Taipei and New York City. For more
about Magnum Photos, please visit www.magnumphotos.com
