失落共同體Community of lost

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“any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.”
「任何人的死亡，都是我的減少，做為人類的一員，我與生靈共老。」
《No Man is an Island》—John Donne
 
失落共同體源自諸多生命從生活中匿跡的缺憾。
 
真實感超過蠟像和錄像的標本能夠在靜謐的時光中體驗一種靜態的多群集狀態，能夠碰觸與感受，如同在曠野中驚覺牠們伴隨在自己身邊一般，經由凝視得知關於牠們生命的種種，並且更加確定彼此之間的關係存在，是一種既親暱又疏離，相生相隨的特殊混種關係，互相化為彼此對生機的滋補，相異、相反卻相同。
 
無論基於什麼理由擁有標本，最終都能夠歸納進一個共同特徵：標本是曾經有生的鐵證。
 
將標本置入人類社會的荒謬與獨立感將化為一種孤獨，或許每一個人都視他人為野獸，即使互相凝視，除了軀體碰觸之外全都遙遠得不可捉摸，意識也好、生命也罷，在這個人類之城中盡情地物化彼此。
 
展覽中將拘禁∕送遞、守候∕等待、交錯∕凝望等種種概念一同建構影像、化為裝置，來自異邦的動物穿梭在城市裡，牠們伺機而動，並且在街頭與世界一次次相遇，通過如此經歷來詮釋關於生命中的參與與缺席、凝視與輕忽、感受和無覺，參觀動物與人的荒誕時刻。

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“Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.”

- “No Man is an Island” by John Donne 

 

The collective of oblivion is born from a lack of many lives disappearing from our life.

 

Once born as one of the animals, it is unbearable for human beings to affectionately link ourselves to mere species, though, many animals are excluded from the human society when it is finally established. In spite of the familiarity with the world outside human beings’ sphere, we, the mankind, seem to hardly notice the existence of animals. The sense of deprivation from the gradual loss of the sound of nature appears to a telltale sign that human beings are no longer rooted in the world.

 

Consequently, the spectrum of human kind’s life is filled with each and every thing about animals, such as carpet, leather shoe, sofa and Chicken McNugget. As the link to another life form, remanufactured products losing their original forms are involved in our life, leading to deformities that can’t be called anything but wonders and longings that can’t never be satisfied.

 

This paradox can be well explained by the techniques of specimens, which were created in the past to display the harvest and show off, but are also used today to commemorate and preserve memories. Outstanding taxidermists can reproduce the appearance of the preserved creatures vividly with superb craftsmanship through the literacy of animal anatomy and the understanding of animals’ living habits.

 

Specimens whose realism exceeds that of wax figures and video recordings allow viewers to experience a static multi-cluster state in quiet time. They can be touched and felt as if they were accompanying us in the wilderness without us evening knowing it. Through staring, we are able to learn aplenty about their lives and be more certain about the relationship between we and them. It is a mutual, special and hybrid relationship that is both intimate and estranged, making both of the mankind and animals the nourishment of each other’s vitality even though we are completely different and opposite, yet identical.

 

No matter what the reasons are behind the ownership of specimens, they ultimately can be concluded into one common feature, i.e. specimens are the irrefutable evidences of what were once alive.

 

The sense of absurdity and independence from give a place to specimens in the human society will turn into a kind of loneliness. Maybe all of us regards people other than ourselves as beasts. Even if we stare at each other, we are all far away except for the physical contact. In this city of human beings, all existences, be it consciousness or life, objectify each other to the fullest.

 

In the exhibition, different concepts, such as detention/delivery, waiting/staying and interlacing/gazing, are constructed as one and into images and installations. Animals from exotic places travel through the city, wait for opportunities and encounter the world again and again on the streets. With such experience that interprets the involvement and absence, staring and neglecting and feeling and insensitivity in life, we finally witness the absurd moments of animals and human beings.