湖：趨近於一段跨文化的對話--澳洲與台灣攝影、聲音、文字新作

I. 策展論述

The Lake : Towards a Cross-Cultural Dialogue Recent Photography, Sound, and Text from Australia and Taiwan



Introduction : On Cultural Exchange and Curatorial Practice as Artistic Practice

The conception of this project begins with my inclusion in the Asialink Artist Exchange Residency Program to represent Taiwan in Australia. As a means to further the idea of ‘cultural exchange’ and maximize the capacity for this exchange, I chose to utilize a combination of curatorial and collaborative practices as a strategy to instigate a dialogue with photographic practitioners in Sydney. This approach allows me to understand this new land, its histories and landscape through the perspectives and voices of those who are most familiar with the place, its residents. My positions as both an artist and project organizer allow me to be a colleague-like inquirer, while the slightly formal air added by the organizer role helps to distil the dialogue and exchange.

The Lake as Subject : Retracing Intuition

‘The Lake’ as a subject came to me intuitively. There is not a significant personal experience that triggered this topic to my mind, though if I attempt to analyse this intuition, stretching it a bit, it can lead to the English translation of the title of the last novel, ‘The Lake’, by the acclaimed Japanese author Yusanari Kawabata, a writer of utmost delicate subtlety, and certainly a curious last work for those who have followed his writings. This aside, I am drawn to this subject for its reference to an intimate space, a place one might recall, a place for recall, to backstroke on its reflective surface, to camp near by, and dream, sink, into the deep black, green, blue, the transparent dark. To fish, for food, mostly bigmouth bass, as I did with Roger, my friend, neighbor, in New York, just before 9/11… For me, a lake covers a rather small lot of land, perhaps closer to the definition of a pond. But there is latitude on it’s size. Through conversations I’ve had with other artists in Sydney, I've learned that for many, it represents a vast expanse of space. I absorb a little shock every time the answer is different from mine, but the wide latitude of opinions indeed lends itself for varied interpretations.

The Context of a ‘Lake’ for Each Contributor to Consider

“The Lake” in this project, serves as a conceptual springboard and a marker for a specific geographic location, a photographic exercise, since the catalyst for this project begins with ‘cultural exchange’, it is a pertinent context for each artist to consider. For me, this project is also a meditation on geography, a sense of space, a fieldtrip, an exercise to learn a little more about where we are. The initial audience for this project is already predetermined. The audience is the participating artists, those who will own these stories, the twelve Australians and twelve Taiwanese. What do we tell one another about where we are from? Where are you telling this from? For me this project is created in the hopes of allowing me and others in Taiwan to learn more about Australia through the eye : photography, the mind : the interpretation + imagination, and the heart : text, the craft, of the ones, that are from the inside - and vice versa, for the Australians to get a glimpse of Taiwan through the Taiwanese.

Interpretation on the subject of ‘The Lake’ is open, though locale information and personal relationship to the site must be provided. Texts provided by each artist will be an integral part of the exhibition and will play a central part in providing the context for which the photograph will be experienced. Each artist is encouraged to provide additional textual anecdotes about the place they have chosen to depict. For in the end, or the beginning, the finished work/stories will be sent to Taiwan to be assembled, subsequently, it will be resent with the other half of the prints/stories back to Australia.

The Lake: as a recounting, to someone afar.

Chance Encounters and Curatorial Decisions in Sydney, Australia

The inclusion of the Australian artists here does not represent a survey of contemporary Australian photography, for I knew very little of Australia prior to my arrival, or the art community of Sydney. For me, the mining of artists from another country, to represent a nation, would take a team of professionals closer to two plus years or more, not through a two plus months residency of a single artist. I perceive this project as chance encounters, but most often, ‘informed’ chance encounters, with the people that I have met in Sydney and Brisbane between October and December of 2003. The singular and essential criteria that I have for inclusion requires that we each have had a viewing and discussion of each others' work: an exchange. These artists come to me through consultations and recommendations from various administrators of various fine art institutions, directors, professors, gallery owners, managers, and artists - resources that are available to me as a newcomer to the city. Those who are here, in town, in this enormous country, those who may have recently exhibited, represented, may perhaps be more visible, coupled with my own readings of journals, essays of various photography exhibition catalogues, visits to museums, galleries, artist studios, as well as artists I befriended throughout my stay at the Gunnery Studios, atop of Artspace, both hotbeds of artistic production, where I have gathered much information.

Chance Encounters and Curatorial Decisions in Taipei, Taiwan

As a relatively new resident in Taiwan (just over two years), my native home from which I immigrated from in 1982, and subsequently never returned, the dehabilitating problem with language in my mother country is an overwhelming task to conquer. This project based on the exchange is perhaps masked over by the exchange between Taiwan and Australia, but the subtext, which could easily be reinstitute as the central text is that it may be an exchange between the United States and Taiwan and Australia. As I write this essay in English, it reminds me and remarks on my foreignness and distance to the history and geography of Taiwan. In order to counter erasure from which time can take its toll and retrace the path from which roots take hold on the supple surface of the mother tongue, that such a project on cultural exchange and understanding is an ever-meaningful endeavour for me to embark on.

Due to the difference in my understanding of Taiwan and Australia, the curatorial decisions I have made in Taiwan also reflects on this difference. In Taiwan, I have assembled a group of photography practitioners in various genres. These photographers include photojournalists, contemporary art photographers, as well as commercial photographers. Age and gender are also considerations in this curatorial project, for I want to include a wide array of perspectives on this collaborative representation of a geographical location. This decision is also an attempt to make a comparative analysis of the different ways in which the language of photography is used by the makers of photographic media and to the public whom consumes this information. The Lake : Synthesis of Photography, Sound, and Text

The organic progression of this project in Taiwan since departing from Sydney has led to the further contextualization on the subject of ‘The Lake’ and the medium of photography with additional writings and the integration of sound. ‘The Lake’ project is now a synthesis of photography, text, and sound; a collaboration between visual artists, sound artists, and writers. The initial impetus of ‘exchange’ has now broadened into the exchange of mediums as well. With the inclusion of participants from the United States and Germany, this exchange has also stretched beyond the original geographical boarders initially began from the exchange between Taiwan and Australia.

Writings presented in ‘The Lake’ are composed by poets, novelists, short prose writers, playwrights, news reporters, and art critics, whom as a whole; contextualize this subject on geography and cultural interpretation. The multiple vantage points of these texts provide a diverse interpretation of the subject at hand. For this project is centralized on the dialogue instigated by the multiple fragments contributed by artists in each medium. Poets, novelists and prose writers will contribute writings based on the topic of ‘The Lake’ while art critics and curators will contribute critiques that place the photographic works in context.

The integration of the audio component to ‘The Lake’ is the finalizing element that reinforces this project based on exchange, collaboration, and contextualization. The sound artists in ‘The Lake’ is comprised of experimental sound composers and jazz musicians whom work mostly with electronic media as well as acoustic recordings.



Wei-Li Yeh, Mujha, Taipei, Taiwan, July, 2004. 湖：趨近於一段跨文化的對話--澳洲與台灣攝影、聲音、文字新作

前言：文化交流與策展經驗作為一種藝術實踐

展覽計畫的構想源於我代表台灣赴澳洲參與「Asialink藝術家交流駐地計劃」(Asialink artist exchange residency program)之際。為了進一步實現「文化交流」的概念，我選擇一種結合策展和集體合作的策略，來促成與雪梨的攝影工作者之間的對話。這個方式讓我得以透過最熟悉當地風貌與歷史的當地居民眼光與聲音來瞭解這個新天地。我身兼藝術家和計畫主持人的雙重身份讓我可以做個同僚般的探詢者，同時，主持人的角色所賦予的些許正式感，則有助於讓對話和交流更為精練。

以湖命題：回溯直覺

我直覺地以『湖』作為計畫主題。事實上，並無特殊重大的個人經驗在我腦海中引發這個題目，然在我嘗試探究這個直覺、並更加延伸它時，我倒是憶起了這位備受讚譽的日本作家Yusanari Kawabata的最新小說作品『湖』的英譯本，他是位極細緻靈妙的作家，而對於一直追隨他的讀者而言，『湖』絕對是一本令人好奇的新作。此外，這個題目之所以如此吸引我還在於：它令我聯想到某種秘密空間，一個人們可能憶起的地方，一個值得回憶的地方；可以浮游在它如鏡的水面上；可以在它附近露營；在那裡作夢；也可以潛入那深深的黑、綠、藍底下，甚至是透明的黑暗中。在那裡釣魚—最常見的是大嘴鱸魚，並烹而食之，就像我曾和紐約的朋友，也是鄰居Roger，恰於9/11前夕所做的⋯。對我而言，湖所覆蓋的只是一小片土地，或者更貼切的說，更接近池塘的樣貌。實際而言，湖有不同的大小。在雪梨與當地藝術家們交談後，我才知道，對很多人而言，湖是一片寬廣的空間。每次聽到別人對湖的看法與我不同時，我都有點吃驚。也因為這麼多不同的看法，賦予湖多樣的詮釋。





每位參與者將進一步思考湖的語境

在這個計畫案中，『湖』作為一個概念的跳板，也作為特定地理位置的標記，更作為攝影的課題；因為這個展覽計畫是因「文化交流」而發生，在其所具有的涵義上，『湖』是個值得每個藝術家去思考的主題。對我而言，這個展覽計畫也是對地理環境的思索、一種空間感、一趟鄉野之旅，藉以對我們的所在有更深入的瞭解。這個計畫的觀眾是預設的；也就是這些參展的藝術家，十二位澳洲藝術家和十二位台灣藝術家，各自帶著自己的故事。我們如何相互述說我們從何處來？你的述說是基於何種觀點？就我而言，設立這個展覽計畫是希望讓我和其他台灣的人們透過眼睛／攝影；心靈／詮釋＋想像；內心／文本、作品與其創作者，來更瞭解澳洲，而反之亦然，讓澳洲的人們透過台灣藝術家，而窺見台灣。

『湖』這個計畫將以敘事形式表現。攝影作品及文字為表現的結構，而對主題的詮釋是開放的，儘管，仍須說明拍攝地點與其與藝術家的個人關係。每位藝術家所提供的文字將被整合於展覽之中，並且為其作品的觀賞經驗之重要背景框架。我鼓勵每位參展藝術家對其所選擇描繪的地點另外提供文字軼事，而這些文字的完整集結，將會呈現在可供閱讀的立式玻璃展示櫃裡，並與其對應的編號攝影作品有所呼應。結束之際，也或是另一個起始，這些完成的攝影作品／故事將被寄送到台灣展覽，然後再和另一半在台灣的攝影與故事集結在一起，寄回澳洲。

湖：猶向對遠方某人的傾訴回喚。

於澳洲雪梨，契機的偶發與策展決議

出訪澳洲以前，我對澳洲及雪梨藝術圈瞭解有限，因此本展覽所邀請的澳洲藝術家並不傳達一種對當代澳洲攝影的縱覽。我認為要在另一個國家發掘代表該國的藝術家，需要一個專業團隊，並且需要兩年以上的時間，才得以達成，只憑個人藝術家駐地兩個多月，實屬難為。我視此計畫為一種機緣巧合，不過其實是在於一個已經充分預知與瞭解的框架中：也就是於 2003年10月至12月間，我在雪梨及布里斯班(Brisbane)見過的那些人。我邀請這些藝術家時，所持唯一而基本的準則是：要求每 一個參與者審視並討論彼此的作品，也就是一個交流。

這群藝術家的聚合是從各種諮詢與推薦而來，藉由各藝術機構的負責人、藝術指導、教授、藝廊負責人、經理人、藝術家等，成為像我這樣一個城市初訪者所能運借的資源。所能利用的幫助都運用了，在地的、在鎮上的，或在這廣大國度裡的；最近展出過、呈現出作品的那些藝術家或許能見度更高，再加上我閱讀報章、各種攝影展專輯的文章、參觀美術、藝廊、藝術家工作室。而我在「葛納麗工作室」(Gunnery Studio)，及「藝術空間」(Artspace)這兩處藝術產出的溫床所停留之期，結交到不少的藝術家朋友們，亦從那裡得到許多訊息。

於台灣台北，契機的偶發與策展決議

自1982年移民美國後就一直沒再回到的家鄉台灣現在成了我近來的定居點（剛滿兩年），而我卻因為長期旅居在外，而造成目前在自己的土地上面臨語言障礙的巨大窘境。這個企劃雖然表面上看似為一個台灣與澳洲的交換計畫，但事實上隱藏其中的主要內涵，卻更貼近被定義為一項美國、台灣與澳洲的交換計畫。在我以英語書寫此篇論述的同時，它更是提醒並且標記出我對台灣史地人文的陌生距離，為了面對時間消弭的空白並且尋找那條重返我浮移的母語根源之徑，這樣的一個文化交流計畫對我個人而言有著更深刻的執行實現意義。

我對台灣與澳洲的認識異同也反應在策展的決定上，在台灣我囊括一群不同美學類別的攝影從業者，有攝影記者、當代藝術攝影師、商業攝影師，而年齡與性別也同樣為策展計畫的考量點。我企圖為這樣一種地理空間點的集體再現包容更寬廣的視角，並且，這個決定也是為了在不同攝影媒體操作者的影像語言與其所面對的資訊消費者間做一個比較分析。 湖：攝影、聲音、文字的合題

這個計畫的有機進展自離開雪梨後便在台灣更進一步地對『湖』這個主題有更多的回應與發展，而除了攝影之外，也又添增了聲音與文字的文本。『湖』現在已經轉成了一個攝影、聲音、文字的合題，一個視覺藝術、聲音藝術與作家之間的集體合作。最初交流的能量現在已被擴大到媒材上的交流。又由於美國與德國的計畫參與者，也再次打破了原本僅在台灣與澳洲的地理疆界。

『湖』其中的文字作品有來自詩人、小說家、散文作者、劇作家、新聞記者與藝評，他們以或是地理上的或是文化上的詮釋來表現傳達這個主題，由這些文體的多重觀點優勢，也提供了對此主題的多元詮釋。由於這個計畫是由不同媒材的藝術家所貢獻的多種要素所啟發的對話為中心，詩人、小說家與散文作家將以湖這個主題作為創作的主題，而藝評與策展人則將以計畫中的攝影作品作為論述評論的對象。

『湖』中音樂元素的整合為最後一項加強這個以交流、合作、互文為根基的元素。參與『湖』的聲音創作者組成有實驗音樂與爵士樂背景，他們的作品多為電子媒材與錄音。

葉偉立 台北木柵 2004年7月./ 呂岱如 編