廢墟情報局 Ruins of the Intelligence Bureau

廢墟情報局 Ruins of the Intelligence Bureau

單頻道錄像裝置 Single-channel 4K ultra HD video，13'30"，2015
製片 Producer：Le Fresnoy

Ruins of the Intelligence Bureau was filmed at its historical site in Huai Mo Village. The original building of the Intelligence Bureau no longer exists, yet the foundation slab, now governed by the Thai army, still remains. The artist invited former intelligence officers who still live in this area to participate in the filming. The foundation slab was turned into a stage for a traditional Thai puppet show. The narrator in this video is the head of the Huai Mo Tzu Chiang House, who served as an intelligence officer for thirty-nine years. The video also reveals the narration recording process.

The video opens with the puppet show upon the grounds of the Intelligence Bureau; the puppeteers are dressed in black and wear black masks. Simultaneously, the narrator recounts an ancient legend about the monkey general Hanuman rescuing the army. This classic myth is well-known amongst the South East Asian nations. In this story, Hanuman leads the troop to battle and helps the prince to return to the kingdom he was exiled from.

While the narrator tells this story, the camera switches to the studio and shows the veteran officer in the middle of recording. While looking at a huge projection, he recites the myth and describes his own personal experiences as well as the real situation of other former officers in Huai Mo Village. Unlike the prince in the myth, they cannot return to their kingdom. In fact, these veterans cannot go back to their home country. When the camera cuts back to the site of the Intelligence Bureau, one can see a large audience watching a performance of a puppet troupe. Some performers currently serve in the Thai army, and some are former informants. All of them wear black masks. They are a group of unknown people who have been forgotten in the tides of history. The final scene of the video reveals an empty recording studio where only the video is still running. Weaving together folklore and reality, documentary and fiction, this video reveals the complex identities, memories and dreams of people in Huai Mo Village.

《廢墟情報局》是在回莫村的情報局遺址所拍攝而成，情報局原有的房舍已經拆除，現今只遺留下地基，並且由泰國陸軍所管轄。藝術家邀請了目前仍居住在這個區域的情報局老兵參與拍攝，並以此地基作為一個舞台，演出泰國的傳統木偶表演。此外也邀請擔任情報員39年的老情報員（同時也是自強之家院長）錄製這部影片的旁白，同時在錄音室錄製旁白的過程也成為了影片的一個部分。

影片從情報局地基上的木偶劇團表演開始，操偶師頭戴黑色面具並身著黑衣在進行這場表演。而旁白述說著一個遠古的傳說，關於猴子將軍哈努曼（Hanuman）拯救軍隊的故事。這是流傳於東南亞各國的經典神話，在神話中，哈努曼帶領軍隊作戰，最終協助王子回到他當初被驅逐的王國。

旁白描述著這個故事的同時，畫面切換到了錄音室，老情報員正在錄製這段旁白，他看著巨大的投影，一面說著遠古的傳說，一面描述著自己的真實經歷以及這些老兵在回莫村的真實處境，他們並不像神話裡的王子一樣能夠回到自己的王國，事實上這些老兵再也回不去他們的家鄉。當畫面回到了情報局遺址，舞台前聚集了很多觀眾正在觀看木偶劇團的表演，一部分是目前駐守在此的泰國陸軍，另一部分的觀眾則是情報局的老兵，他們全部戴著黑色面具，他們是在歷史洪流之中被遺忘的一群無名之人。影片的最後一幕是錄音室的空景，只有這部影片在錄音室獨自撥放著。這是一部結合了神話與現實、紀錄與虛構的電影，並呈現了回莫村複雜的認同、記憶與想像。