2021年6月15日星期二

貓捉老鼠 Cat and Mouse

貓捉老鼠 Cat and Mouse

單頻道錄像裝置 single-channel video installation、3D列印模型 3D printing model、特製展示櫃 customised showcase,6'30",81.5 (W) x 86 (L) x 120 (H) cm,2020

Cat and Mouse is a work of art that connects the history of Taiwan's "White Terror" era with archaeological history. In 1948, amateur archaeologist Wang San-pai (courtesy name Hong-bo) travelled to the Nanshikeng settlement located on the western slopes of Dadu Plateau and discovered prehistoric tableware, porcelain, and animal bones, thus naming the newly unearthed community the "Nanshikeng Site." However, this astounding archaeological project was discontinued due to the political climate of the time. Specifically, Wang San-pai was sentenced to prison for political reasons and executed in 1953, putting a screeching stop to a budding discovery. It was not until 2001 that the archaeological site was once again formally excavated under the direction of Dr Chu Whei-lee of the National Museum of Natural Science. 

The video is a recording of the artist's visit to Taichung and an interview with Mr Wang San-pai's daughter, Master Chang Tsz, who revealed precious manuscripts, including Mr Wang San-pai's field survey reports on the Nanshikeng Site as well as the calligraphy works and letters he had written while imprisoned. She also presented a unique inkstone Mr Wang had hand-chiselled from a rock he had found while still attending elementary school. This long-cherished childhood object shows his profound interest in field research and archaeology. Another item in his collections is a piece of pottery depicting a cat and a mouse that alludes to the political climate during Mr Wang's lifetime. The artist utilized 3D scanning technology to convert images of the inkstone and pottery piece into digital data, then created the installation using 3D printing, harnessing the powers of modern technology to reveal this complex, intertwining piece of history between archaeology and politics. 


《貓捉老鼠》這件作品串起台灣白色恐怖時期歷史與考古歷史之間的關聯。在1948年間,業餘考古學家王參派先生(字鴻博)來到位於大肚山西麓的南勢坑聚落,發現一些食器、陶器及獸骨,將此新發現的遺址稱為南勢坑遺址。但是在當時的政治局勢下,這個考古研究並無法延續,因為王參派先生因政治因素被控入獄,最終在1953年被處決,成為他個人的未竟之業。直到2001年,這個考古遺址才在國立自然科學博物館的屈慧麗博士的主持下,再次進行深入的發掘。  

影片紀錄著藝術家前往台中拜訪王參派先生的女兒常慈師父的過程,師父展示了王參派先生珍貴的南勢坑田野調查報告手稿、入獄時所寫的書法與家書。其中還有一塊獨特的硯台,是王參派先生在其小學時,自己用撿到的石頭所鑿製而成。似乎他對田野物件及考古的興趣,從這兒時的物件上就可看出一些端倪。此外還有另一個遺物是王參派先生所收藏的貓捉老鼠陶皿,也反映了當時的時空背景。藝術家利用3D掃描技術將此硯台與陶皿轉化成數位資料,並以3D列印的方式製作了裝置,以當代技術轉化這段考古與政治糾結的歷史。  











尋找沉船 Search for Shipwrecks

尋找沉船 Search for Shipwrecks

單頻道錄像裝置 single-channel video installation、3D列印模型 3D printing model、 特製展示櫃 customised showcase,6'30",61 (W) x 100 (L) x 133.5 (H) cm,2020

This work of art portrays the process of the artist's search for sunken ships. Green Island Township Chronicle tells the history of a Dutch merchant ship that had run aground and sunk near Green Island's shores in the late 1800s, approximately 1880, fully loaded with provisions. The ship's load would have sustained the islanders for three entire years, but as all of the arable lands on the island were laid to waste three years thereafter, residents of the island endured a considerable period of destitution and distress. In 2013, the underwater archaeology team of Academia Sinica initiated an exploratory survey based on these records and discovered a sunken ship that has since been named "Green Island No. 1." This video begins with views of the Green Island White Terror Memorial Park of today (previously a penitentiary for political prisoners) before diving from the sky into the sea and arriving at the excavation site of the sunken "Green Island No. 1."

At the same time, the artist has also constructed a replica of the sunken ship using 3D modelling and printing technology based on the hull dimensions specified in the survey reports and historical documents and displayed the model within the customized showcase. The digital model's irregular facets protrude from the display cases, representing a digitalized imaginative process of delineating unlived moments in history using contemporary technology.



這個作品呈現藝術家尋找沉船的過程。《綠島鄉誌》記載了一艘19世紀末的荷蘭沉船,相傳是1880年左右,滿載糧食的荷蘭商船遇風浪而迷失,在綠島近海擱淺沈沒。當時遺留下的米糧足夠島民吃三年,但三年後所有的耕地荒廢,島民在青黃不接的狀況下度過一段艱困的日子。在2013年,中研院的水下考古團隊根據此紀錄,探勘發現「綠島一號」沉船。這部影片從今日的白色恐怖綠島紀念園區出發(前身為收押政治犯的監獄),再由天空潛入海底,抵達「綠島一號」沉船的考古現場。

同時藝術家也依據考古報告當中的船身尺寸與歷史文件,透過3D建模及列印技術製作出想象中的沉船,並陳設在特製的展示櫃中。這些數位建模的不正常塊面打破展示櫃,呈現了一個數位化的想像的過程,是透過當代技術去想像一個我們從未經歷的時空。