| |
◎車。人。地點。
避開交通要道，確定不是警察會開單的時段，靠邊隨意停，運氣好時才會恰巧停在地圖標示的 位置旁，經常是，在附近繞了又繞。
熄火，壓下車子四邊暫停的閃燈，下車，鎖上門，戴上帽子，換成太陽眼鏡，檢查一下 SONY 機身的電池狀態，地，靜坐;名，待著;車子在一旁見證。小跑步穿越道路，手機高高舉在胸前， 低頭查看著藍點地標，身體不斷移動，路口向左，巷子底向右......到達眼睛一直盯著看的定點 「藍星」。 寬心。
大樹旁屋簷下的在地人(絕大部分是年長者)，坐著，沒有站起來:找誰?沒有水土不服的反應，自然的閒應：無頭無尾褪了色的老故事。
一樓住家紗門口。
大大小小正擺、翻面的拖鞋，紅布面的球鞋，男士的工作鞋。 附近的治安好，連狗都不會偷偷的叼走？
抬頭
沒有電梯的五樓公寓，住頂端阿嬤數著：晚飯前，上上下下我今天已經爬了多少階的樓梯。
穿著附近高職制服的女生擦身而過。請不要問我:巷頭的豆漿店，每天可以賣出幾碗鹹豆漿？
帶著黑色安全帽正把機車停下來的男人，請問：里長是男的還是女的？
羊肉攤小小告示板：「加湯不加價」。外地人不知道，碗裡要留一根骨頭或小肉塊，不是捧著 空碗去要老闆免費加湯。
需要上廁所？答案很肯定：一定得找到 7-11，不是阿公阿婆的柑仔店。
◎「心智複見」的潛影
底片相機，
感光的膠卷深藏在機身裡。拍照，絕大部分的人：微閉一隻眼睛，另一隻緊貼著觀景窗框景，對焦，快門按下，當下看不到底片上「潛影」的結果。外在的世界和成像時間的作業差;眼睛、手指、圖像不同步;認知先行切割，再另尋時機結合的官能經驗，經常是傳統攝影家產製藝術的必要。
數位相機，
一片薄薄的記憶卡取代了感光膠卷。電源開啟，先進光學的鏡頭在高階顯像的螢幕上，不斷線的現場假像便即時呈現了：小號、有邊框的現實孿生體。數位攝影家，以即時性的眼見為憑，浮動的訊號為證，不討論照像的潛影現象和藝術。
數位照像。
雙眼、螢幕景窗之間，詭譎的位置和距離，快速轉換著真假有別的景物。微微散漫的眼神，自動糾正了景物的生理錯覺，按下快門前、拍照中、成像後，心智持續感知著螢幕四周更多的現實世界。數位虛擬的當下、實體的機身，斷隔了視點的持續，甚至攜手擋住了眼前部分實景的認知。它，毫不閃避的讓真假共時並生，心、眼忙碌交疊的「複見現象」，成了數位攝影中，有關於人的最大參數。
其實，
無論是底片或數位相機，照像瞬間，人的主觀似有若無，但又實質省略了其中心智對現實世界的遮掩。視覺持續建構的經驗於是斷層了，攝影者兩眼加總的所見，也從未比手上單眼透視的拍照結果更為完整。
轉身。
視覺看不到的內容或許有遺憾，但未知的部分實質上也無法抗拒。想想：意識總是自動排除對自己不利的現象，不是大聲嚷嚷、急急的推給無心，就是推托給「河道上的訊息」真假難辨。我，面對著世界，即使不轉身，數不盡如同數位拍照的「心智複見」，行、走、坐、臥，近在咫尺。
◎舊地，新人留下
沒有北上工作的 機運
沒有和外地人成為男女朋友 自立門戶
沒有生計以外的 儲蓄
留在老爸出生的地方 沒有可以即時兌換的遺產
搬遷。租卡車。打包。
買大一點點，至少厚一點的紙箱，地球暖化天氣多變，最好是防水的。捆綁的繩子。不要忘了剪刀和一把鋒利的美工刀，隨時用得上。
單門自動除霜的小冰箱。有脫水功能的雙槽洗衣機。自己釘做，上過透明保護漆的電視櫃。跟前男友等高的矮衣櫃。沒有床架，單人加寬的床墊。吃飯，偶爾看書，多機能櫻桃色的方桌。有輪子，可以調整座位高低的辦公椅。三人座，義大利假皮的淺色沙發。單環嵌入，雜牌停產的瓦斯爐。(廣告說)具紫外線消毒功能的桌上型烘碗機。大前年中秋節，鄰居買了沒有用過的戶外烤肉架。今年尾牙抽到，三層、空空的灰色工具箱。已經長出銅綠，阿嬤單隻，左右不分的嫁妝耳環。老媽年輕時，約會(不是和老爸)穿過幾次，黑白格子交叉的小背心。...... 別人眼中不值錢的心肝寶貝，罄竹難書。丟掉一些？部分捐贈？一定得現在嗎？陳年無法做出決定的決定。
新家。
中國製的便宜大門鎖一定要換新。舊地板清潔打蠟，最好整體換成和小妹新家一樣，北歐(哪 一個國家不清楚)進口仿木耐磨的塑膠地板。臥室靠窗的牆壁，應該是有雨水進來，一點髒，有時間自己再來粉刷。鐵灰色細片的百葉窗，後面的日文的標籤還在，應該要拿到新家再用，但是下班後會有時間拆下來清洗嗎？老家的 Wi-Fi 不是 5 G，連接視訊卡卡的，移過去需要更新 嗎？......
貸款。
倉儲曾經留美的小經理說，年底之前我有機會可以加班，如果有急需可以先貸款給我。心想，買台新機車可以早點回家，開門，燒水沖泡麵，坐在電視前等每個月初的彩券開獎，應該也是一種很實際的日子。
縐摺。
新家要做的事情很多，重新適應麻煩，又有鄉愁的問題。榮民阿公的房子，半夜上廁所有先人保佑，摸黑都行。等待機會，寂寞迷惘。正向，讓被等待的對方產生負面的虧欠，前提：得有對象，或反問：自己是個值得被等待的對象嗎？生活的縐摺已成生命，自在。移動的終點還是移動，自己做不到可以繼續留給下一代，子子孫孫永遠都會有搬遷的夢。天荒地老煙灰滅盡前，我，安身立命就地不動，一切照舊。
◎「明室」成像
手機拍照，攝影者多隨即低頭檢視一下螢幕上的影像。脖子，微微往下垂的體感，腦筋，冷不防閃出了攝影術發明前，畫家藉由描繪的輔助工具「明室」(Camera lucida)的景象。
畫家低著頭，一隻眼睛，緊緊盯著眼前的景物，另一隻眼睛，盯著「室內」45 度、
斜角三稜鏡的鏡面上：外貌寫實，有規則性消透感，和實際景物的左右方位剛好
相反的現象。
畫家專注的眼神，實際上還得伴隨著餘光，引導著持筆的手，在一旁的紙上，將
兩眼在鏡面上以及實景之間，快速互換的視覺記憶，或平行移轉，或潛意識的選
擇，甚至詮釋，描繪出了單隻眼睛在「明室」內所觀看到的結果。
旁人不一定有機會和「明室的畫家」討論：
圖，可是你畫家對原始環境知識系統的模擬？
例如：把遠山描繪得非常逼真，山的前面如果有房子，畫面上，就應該呈現
出前後的位置關係;碰到左右物件大小不同時，也必須有可以理解的比例關
係。
圖，或許根本就是你畫家獨立意識的投射？
例如：用個人美學的涵養，局部取捨了早先在「明室」內的所見。
旁人更不察：
和現實世界逼真的「明室畫」是畫家用手所畫出來結果，不是光學自動成像的固
定形體，所以，當然不會是照片的前身!
倒是，如此具有顯著消透線的圖像，為後來的照片和擬真的圖像美學打下了基礎。
不在場的哲學家冷冷的說：
「明室畫」所指涉的對象，(好像)在那兒，卻又不在那兒(但曾在那兒)......
◎Dropping A Pin
Dropping a Pin draws its inspiration from the evocative power of placenames. The names
that draw you to personally witness, explore, and set foot upon these curious sites. Or it may have been the strange and complex ways that digital information works in today’s society
that unexpectedly triggered my car’s GPS to lead me to these "mystical" locales.
During the initial stages, I realized that the names which captivated me most often embodied both a confident and ethereal essence. As I continued to visit these locations, I came to understand that their enduring presence was not solely due to their intrigue, but rather stemmed from a spiritual essence that has been cultivated since olden times.
Before and after arriving, I wondered whether my method - standing in place while
gazing at the tracking blue dot on my car’s GPS to investigate a scene for a photograph - contradicted with my random selection of suggested place names generated by the GPS. The cool quietness and multitude of repetitive scenes recorded in my computer or camera is not intended to be representative of a virtual landmark for the places photographed.
The rhythm of my approach— tight, loose, tight, loose— is an attempt to evoke the
enigmatic aspects of my inner self and the unknown content buried deep within.
After visiting nearly two hundred places, my ideas about Dropping a Pin revolve around:
Project is not about the origin of a name, nor matters of land justice, and is irrelevant to social media.
Intention to be on site in-person, to resist the inundation of virtual information against old civilization with physical presence.
Writing about forgotten places and past place names, associating them in present-day environment.
Images that don’t seek authentic representation, nor for the production of digital maps.
Thus, I reluctantly eliminated the vast majority of human traces that evoke an immediate
and fleeting sense of "once being there," as well as historical references of placenames that scholars and cultural workers have studied (such as those related to colonization and political science, mythology, legends, ancient indigenous words, Dutch or Spanish terminology, as well as directional, topographical, hydrological, and resource-related place names). I also discarded numerous compound placenames (such as the terms indicated by geomantists: "upper," "lower," "top," "embankment," "enclosure," "parapet," "ridge," "port," "slide," "pit," and more) as well as endearing names beloved by wildlife enthusiasts. I even excluded names associated with old aristocratic cites, ancestral properties, and "residences" that refers to dwellings and settlements.
◎Latent Images of Mental Double Visions
Light-sensitive film is hidden in film cameras. When photographing, most people close
one eye as they press the other against the viewfinder to focus and release the shutter. In
that moment, they cannot see the result of the latent image on the film. There exists a
discrepancy between the external world and the process of image-making; the eyes, fingers,
and image are not synchronized. Cognitive separation begins first and is later combined with
the sensory experience. This process is essential for traditional art photographers.
In digital cameras, a memory card replaces light-sensitive film. High-resolution images are instantly displayed by sophisticated lenses, creating a parallel reality on the small screen.
Digital photographers rely on real-time vision and changeable signals from their devices
without considering cognitive separation, latent images or artistic interpretation.
Digital photography. Between the two eyes and the viewfinder, there is a mysterious
interplay of positioning and distance, where real and fake scenes swiftly alternate. The faintly unfocused gaze automatically corrects the physiological illusion of the scene. Before capturing
the image, during the process, and after the image is formed, the mind continuously perceives
the surrounding real world through the screen. At that moment, the physical existence of the camera disrupts the continuity of perspective, obstructing the perception of certain elements
in the actual scene. It boldly allows the simultaneous existence of truth and falsehood, the convergence of the active mind and observing eyes, giving rise to the "phenomenon of a
mental double vision" in digital photography— a condition paramount to human experience.
In fact, the subjectivity of the photographer appears to fade away in the instant of taking
a photo, regardless of whether it is done with a film camera or a digital camera. The
concealment of the real world by the mind often goes unnoticed. As a result, the continuous
stream of visual experience is disrupted, and what the photographer's eyes have seen becomes
less comprehensive in perspective compared to what a single lens reflex camera has captured.
Turning around, the content that remains unseen by our eyes may leave us with some regret. However, the allure of the unknown is undeniably irresistible. Consider this: our consciousness instinctively filters out unfavorable phenomena. We either vehemently protest and swiftly make excuses for unintended errors or attribute them to the difficulty of discerning truth from lies in social media. Facing the world, even if I don’t physically turn around, the innumerous instances of mental double-vision, reminiscent of digital photography, are closely surrounding me in every step I take whether walking, sitting, or lying down.
◎Staged Photography of Digital Images and Information
Diverging from widely-questioned digital documentary photography, Dropping A Pin
responds to my previous photography project of "staged photography", namely French Chair
in Taiwan and Puppet Bridegroom. In these two projects, I placed an object with strong
cultural symbolism in front of each scene. Dropping A Pin marks a new phase of "staged photography" for me as I no longer incorporated a dialogic object in the scene, but rather
used the digital camera’s built-in hardware and location app to capture search outcomes
on-site and afterwards. During post-production, I inserted this geographical information
into each photograph.
Dropping A Pin, with its precise overlays of location information, embodies the essence of
digital "staged photography", highlighting the modern-day reliance on digital information of landscapes and placenames. As information becomes integrated into the environment, the line between reality and fabrication can blur, occasionally obscuring elements of the actual scene.
These visual disruptions compel viewers to navigate and perceive the subject by bypassing a
direct route. Images with ghostly overlays are:
Sometimes disguising themselves as one of the visual elements in order to blend
into the scene: Da Chien
Other times resembling badges hung in the foreground, honoring the cultural
contribution of the place and its name: Niu Shih Shui
At times accentuating small objects easily overlooked in the scene to disrupt the
audience’s reading behavior: Nei Lu
From time to time playing the role of uninvited guests who conceal the crucial or
secondary content in reality: Tong Bi
More often, representing a photographer who intrudes on a strange place, looks but
doesn’t stare, and mindlessly moves around the site: Jiao Shu
......
Dropping A Pin embraces a varied and unconstrained form. First, it visually portrays my
curiousity. Second, it subtly mocks the overwhelming weight of information that can disrupt
daily life. |
