Thisispaper Community
Join today.
Enter your email address to receive the latest news on emerging art, design, lifestyle and tech from Thisispaper, delivered straight to your inbox.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Instant access to new channels
The top stories curated daily
Weekly roundups of what's important
Weekly roundups of what's important
Original features and deep dives
Exclusive community features
Thisispaper+ Member

Aeronautics in the Backyard by Xiaoxiao Xu

Dates:
✧ Collect Post
Aeronautics in the Backyard by Xiaoxiao Xu
Hitoshi Arato
Nov 2, 2021

Aeronautics in the Backyard by Xiaoxiao Xu is a mythical, fairytale-like photo series about the dream of flying, freedom and creativity.

All over China, in the most unexpected of places, farmers rise up to build their own aircrafts. They don’t work in fancy hangars with all the equipment one could wish for, they simply play around in their backyards, recycling scrap metal and using household tools. They are self-educated, self-employed and penniless.

Some of these aeronauts have worked for decades but never achieved to get airborne. Although that might sound like a waste of time, they see it differently. For them, the game is not about how far or high they can fly, it’s about pushing their boundaries in order to achieve the impossible. They call it real-life science-fiction.

Xiaoxiao is driven by questions of why, of all people, Chinese farmers have the guts and skills to become aeronauts, even though they lack both education and resources, and how they manage to achieve such dazzling goals while working full-time jobs on the side and taking care of their families on a daily basis.

In 2015 Xiaoxiao drove across China’s extensive land for several months, residing in eight different villages spread out over three major provinces, meeting and interviewing eight different aeronauts. Although coming from similar backgrounds, all eight have completely different ways of building their machines, and all carry countless unique stories with them.

Xiaoxiao recorded their tales, took pictures and simultaneously collected many original aircraft drawings and technical documents. All these little artefacts will be brought together in the book, thereby unveiling the hidden world of Chinese aeronautics in full detail for the first time.

With this project Xiaoxiao shows the creativity of individual farmer, deeply touched by their resourcefulness, flexibility, positivity, playfulness and childishness.

Interested in Showcasing Your Work?

If you would like to feature your works on Thisispaper, please visit our Submission page and sign up to Thisispaper+ to submit your work. Once your submission is approved, your work will be showcased to our global audience of 2 million art, architecture, and design professionals and enthusiasts.
No items found.
We love less
but there is more.
Become a Thisispaper+ member today to unlock full access to our magazine, advanced tools, and support our work.
Join Thisispaper+
No items found.
Hitoshi Arato
Nov 2, 2021

Aeronautics in the Backyard by Xiaoxiao Xu is a mythical, fairytale-like photo series about the dream of flying, freedom and creativity.

All over China, in the most unexpected of places, farmers rise up to build their own aircrafts. They don’t work in fancy hangars with all the equipment one could wish for, they simply play around in their backyards, recycling scrap metal and using household tools. They are self-educated, self-employed and penniless.

Some of these aeronauts have worked for decades but never achieved to get airborne. Although that might sound like a waste of time, they see it differently. For them, the game is not about how far or high they can fly, it’s about pushing their boundaries in order to achieve the impossible. They call it real-life science-fiction.

Xiaoxiao is driven by questions of why, of all people, Chinese farmers have the guts and skills to become aeronauts, even though they lack both education and resources, and how they manage to achieve such dazzling goals while working full-time jobs on the side and taking care of their families on a daily basis.

In 2015 Xiaoxiao drove across China’s extensive land for several months, residing in eight different villages spread out over three major provinces, meeting and interviewing eight different aeronauts. Although coming from similar backgrounds, all eight have completely different ways of building their machines, and all carry countless unique stories with them.

Xiaoxiao recorded their tales, took pictures and simultaneously collected many original aircraft drawings and technical documents. All these little artefacts will be brought together in the book, thereby unveiling the hidden world of Chinese aeronautics in full detail for the first time.

With this project Xiaoxiao shows the creativity of individual farmer, deeply touched by their resourcefulness, flexibility, positivity, playfulness and childishness.

Interested in Showcasing Your Work?

If you would like to feature your works on Thisispaper, please visit our Submission page and subscribe to Thisispaper+. Once your submission is approved, your work will be showcased to our global audience of 2 million art, architecture, and design professionals and enthusiasts.
No items found.

Join Thisispaper+
Become a Thisispaper+ member today to unlock full access to our magazine, submit your project and support our work.
Travel Guides
Immerse yourself in timeless destinations, hidden gems, and creative spaces—curated by humans, not algorithms.
Explore All Guides +
Curated Editions
Dive deeper into carefully curated editions, designed to feed your curiosity and foster exploration.
Off-the-Grid
Jutaku
Sacral Journey
minimum
The New Chair
Explore All Editions +
Submission Module
By submitting and publishing your work, you can expose your work to our global 2M audience.
Learn More+
Become a Thisispaper+ member today to unlock full access to our magazine, submit your project and support our work.