c8400.comThe Spirit of the Citiesexhibition statement (cn/en)(English below)隨著現代化的進程日深，城市生活的節奏越趨快速且緊張，日常生活也漸漸被講求速度效率的服務填充著，「快」幾乎成了都會生活的同義詞。然而，求「快」反讓我們失卻了更多，「慢」的概念因此相應而生：唯有讓身心將速度放慢下來，才能夠看見並察覺到身邊更多的事物及其質感，就如同慢動作播映影片時才能夠留意到畫面中更多的細節一樣。「快」與「慢」看似相對立，卻彼此相生相依，所以說，城市的特質、狀態並不能僅用單一面向來形容與定義，它必然是相對立的二者共同織就的，如同喧囂掩蓋不了靜謐的音聲，熱鬧紛雜之後一轉身常常是抖落滿身的孤寂。因此，「城市精神」一展邀集五位藝術家以城市景觀為主題的攝影作品，從藝術家不同的視角，重新觀看我們居住過、或者相當耳熟與眼熟的城市景緻。面對看似再熟悉不過、再尋常不過的城市景物，藝術家往往能再框攝並表達出的另一種我們沒見過的樣貌，這無關攝影功力的高低，而是心識影響了對世界的觀看與呈現。 As modernization continues, the rhythm of city life is faster and more tense. Day to day life is filled with services that emphasize speed and efficiency. For example, fast food and words like “delivered within XX hours” are everywhere. The word “fast” has become synonymous with life. When we want everything to be fast, we often have a one track mind, with our sights set only on the goal. Yet, we often forget to enjoy the journey to our goal. There is a certain infatuation with speed. The pace of city life is based on this infatuation, which in turns lead to loud and busy behaviors and activities. When we want things to be “fast,” however, we lose more. Hence, the concept of “slow” was born. Only when the mind and heart slow down, can they see and feel its surrounding and the things in it, similar to how we are able to pick up more details when watching a slow-motion film. “Fast” and “slow’ seem to be polar opposites, but they are still co-dependent. That is to say, the quality and state of a city cannot be described or defined with one single aspect. It is comprised of two opposing ideas. For example, loudness cannot drown out the tranquility of music. And bustle and loneliness are often two sides of one coin. “Spirit of Cities” has invited five artists to showcase their photography of cityscapes. We hope to look at the cities we’ve lived in or with which we are quite familiar, with fresh eyes, through the different perspective of these artists. When face-to-face with a cityscape that can’t be more familiar or more ordinary, artists are often able to use their cameras to bring out a never before seen side of the city. This has nothing to do with the skill of the artist, but rather, how their thoughts affect the way they see the world. In other words, if we spent more time and attention on our thoughts and views, we would able to see external scenes and things in a different light. Similar to when we want to view something on a projector, we should input the right settings in order to see the image properly, instead of changing the image itself. Cityscapes have to be diverse and multi-faceted for the city to show its personality and many faces. It is not the number of buildings that were torn down or erected; it is how its people see the relationship between the internal and the external, and how they imagine the city they live in. (Text written by Tsai Jia-Zhen) |