輝煌的瞬間，脆弱但美好 ——蔡國強談費城特展

圖：蔡國強於紡織工房美術館的作品〈時光畫卷〉

「蔡國強：花開花落」特展於12月11日在費城美術館及紡織工房美術館揭開序幕，呈現對於時光流逝、記憶與紀念行為的冥想。展覽開幕隔天，蔡國強接受《藝術家》雜誌的專訪，談及這次展覽的想法及過程。

問：本次的展覽是以安和凱皮的友誼為出發點而擴大。請說說這個想法的開端及發展。

蔡國強：每年暑假，凱皮都邀請上百位藝術界人士到她在緬因州海邊的別墅度假，其中包括館長、策展人、藝術家、記者等，大家都帶著自己的家庭，在海邊交流、互相觀摩及討論藝術。

2004年，我到那裡，凱皮就跟我提道她很希望做我的展覽，她也跟安討論，說好要一起做。當時凱皮問我何時可以展出，我說要等到2008年北京奧運之後，她就說：「那太晚了，我可能活不到那個時候。」我說：「不會的，你肯定活到那個時候。」後來，她總是隨著我的步伐到處跑，不管我在世界的哪個地方展覽，總是可以看到她出現在我的開幕式，所以就經常討論何時可以在費城展出，她也時常表示她一直在等著我。

奧運之後，本來應該開始進行她的部分，結果又插入了一個在台北的展出，而且還做得很大，這點對她是不太好意思。我跟她這麼漫長的友誼過來，因此想要很認真地將一個主題呈現得很好。奧運結束後，我開始啟動、構思在費城的展覽，結果安在這個時候去世了。每次凱皮跟我談話時，總感歎安已經不在了，「要是她在，我們可以一起跟你談展覽，多好。」談話之間，常在懷念安、說她的故事。因此，觸發了我的想法，把她對安的美好回憶錄起來，以此為主軸呈現一個與時光、生命、無常相關的主題，這是一個比較溫情也比較詩意的主題。由於兩位館長與我的關係太近，所以這樣的作品其實不是很好做，重點是不能鎖定在這個人身上，而是以她做為一個靈感，擴大到更廣義的層面，關於人性整體的表現，而不只是對安的悼念。昨天的開幕，很多美術館館長都來了，大家看了都很喜歡、很感動，這是一種力量、一種人性。

問：火藥似乎是一種十分無法預測的藝術形式，以這次的作品為例，所有的呈現都在你的預期之中嗎？你對於昨天的結果滿意嗎？

蔡國強：我們在計畫的時候，都是看電腦圖，那是沒有煙、沒有溫度、沒有聲音的，真正執行時，這些能量常會跟預期的不太一樣，但每次都很感動，因為那是真實的。這樣的創作也是有危險的，昨天進行〈花開花落：爆破計畫〉時，上面有些火藥掉下來，以致於底下燒起來，有人跑去滅火，其實本來不應該是這樣炸起來的。原本我建議在台階上舖木板並在木板上噴水，這樣就不容易燒起來，但由於美國的法令，他們堅持用防火布。其實防火布是耐火，並不表示它不燃，很激烈地燒，它還是著火。他們倒不是擔心火災，消防隊見過太多了，而是擔心燒的時候所產生的黑煙把建築物給燻黑了，那會很不好看。

昨天做完後，我感覺大家都感到很好，雖然風大，但仍做得很漂亮、很乾淨，這很不容易拿捏。爆破是短暫的，會讓觀眾看了以後感到不過癮、意猶未盡，但是只要有理念及作品的衝擊力，就能夠讓大家感動，而不要求保留很久。尤其費城美術館正面的廣場俯瞰前方的城市，這個地點有其不可取代性。一開始他們希望我在美術館背面進行爆破，因為那裡比較好管理，但我堅持要在正面。根據多年來的傳統，費城市政府在感恩節過後，就會在美術館前方放一棵很大的聖誕樹，不過後來市政府開會，決定延到我的爆破結束後再放上聖誕樹。

問：除了現場的爆破之外，在費城美術館展出的〈時光〉及〈99艘金船〉都是以前的作品。請問你為何選擇這幾件作品來搭配新的作品？

蔡國強：〈時光〉是2007年在日本做的，那是一個紀念資生堂贊助我十五年的展覽，從我以前在日本的時候，他們就開始贊助我，這十五年的歲月中，不論有沒有刊登他們的標誌，他們永遠悄悄地在全世界的活動內贊助我。我不是日本人，而且做的是爆炸，跟化妝品沒有關係，因此有人問過他們為什麼贊助我，他們的回答也讓我很感動，他們表示，創造性及挑戰「美」的可能性是他們的企業精神，而我的作品就是表現他們的精神。這件作品跟時間、歲月相關。

至於〈99艘金船〉，是在神戶地震之後，安藤忠雄設計的新的神戶美術館開館時展出的，它不僅跟外面的〈花開花落：爆破計畫〉對應，也跟紡織工房美術館的〈時光畫卷〉那條河流對應，表現歲月、時光及河流的關係。我平時的作品都是比較暫時性的，而黃金相對是比較永久性的媒材，是永恆的。

問：於紡織工房美術館展出的作品，是看到場地後所引發的靈感嗎？

蔡國強：由於這個美術館的名稱是「紡織工房美術館」，因此一開始我就想做跟紡織相關的作品。我不希望使用印花布，這個他們平常就在做了，我希望有真正的紡織，真正用傳統的手法來編織。我們在全中國找紡織者，這很不好找，現在很多地方都使用電腦，圖案輸入進去就編織出來了，也有一些地方雖然是手工編織，可是他們只會織圖案，不會織造形。最後找到了湖南的土家族，他們既是用傳統的手法紡織，又能織造形。我們並不是刻意要找少數民族來讓觀眾看，而是因為那裡太偏遠、太山區了，最沒有受到現代文化影響，仍保留著原始的方式，一梭一梭地編織故事，能夠把「日月如梭」的概念表現出來。

我們把安和凱皮之間的故事寄給這些紡織者，讓她們以自己的想像創造圖象，所以我到現在還不知道她們紡織什麼圖案，她們也不太想讓我看，這也不要緊，因為這樣我不怕受到她們的影響，也不讓她們受到我的影響，而用最傳統的角度來呈現這些故事。

費城以前是著名的紡織城市，而且這裡也跟花很有關係。這些我以前都不知道，不過在我提出這些創意之後，策展人說我很敏感地捕捉到費城的這些特性。

問：那〈時光畫卷〉這件作品的呈現呢？

蔡國強：紡織工房美術館跟一般恆溼、恆溫的美術館很不一樣，因此他們更可以接受我這樣臨時性、有變數的作品。昨天點燃火藥、燒過之後，在這三個月的展期之內，絲絹上留下來的燒焦的痕跡會被流水慢慢洗掉，最後只會剩下一點點較大的燒痕。一件作品，花了功夫去做，又再去破壞它、消滅它時，心裡特別有感覺。

紡織工房美術館二樓展出〈花開花落：爆破計畫〉的錄像，我特別將瞬間的爆炸編成好幾分鐘，讓花慢慢地開又慢慢地凋零，呈現「想把美好的事物留住」的心情。花的意義就在於那輝煌的瞬間，而之後就要凋零，這是它的詩意所在。人生也一樣，它是美好的，但也是脆弱的，然而，就因為它是脆弱、會消失的，它才是美好的。

（原文刊載於《藝術家》雜誌416期2010年1月號）


A Splendid Moment, Fragile but Beautiful

-- Cai Guo-Qiang talks about his exhibition in Philadelphia

The exhibition Cai Guo-Qiang: Fallen Blossoms, which meditates on the passage of time and memories, opened at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Fabric Workshop and Museum on December 11^th. The day after the opening, Artist Magazine did an interview with Cai, who talked about the concept of the exhibition and the preparing process.

Artist Magazine: This exhibition started off with the friendship between Anne and Kippy. Please talk about how the idea initiated and developed.

Cai: Kippy invites many art people, such as museum directors, curators, artists, and journalists, to her villa in Maine every summer to relax and meet one another.

When I went there in 2004, Kippy mentioned to me that she would like to do a show of me. She also discussed with Anne and they agreed to work on it together. When Kippy asked me when I could put up a show in Philadelphia, I told her I was not able to do it until I finished the project at 2008 Beijing Olympics. She said, "That is too late. I might not be able to live until then." I told her, "you will definitely live until then." Since then, she followed me all around the world. No matter where I was exhibiting, I could always see her in my exhibition openings. We, thus, could often discuss the time to put up a show in Philadelphia. She constantly emphasized that she had been waiting for me. I should have worked on the project for my Philadelphia show right after the Olympics, but an unexpected show in Taipei came up, and it was a really big one. I feel a little sorry to Kippy about it. I shared such a long-time friendship with her, so I wanted to work on the show seriously to present a theme as well as I could.

After the Olympics, I started to think about the show in Philadelphia. Anne, however, passed away. Whenever Kippy talked to me, she always mentioned sadly the passing of Anne. "How great it would be if she was here and we could talk about the exhibition together," she said. She was always telling stories of Anne, which then inspired me. I recorded her recollection of Anne and used it as a main source, which was developed into a theme related to time, life, and ephemerality. This is a poetic and intimate theme. Because of the close relationship between the two directors, this kind of exhibition is actually difficult to execute. I did not want the exhibition to be simply about these two people, but I wanted to take their friendship as an inspiration and extent it to a broader level. In other words, this is not only some mourning for Anne, but also the manifestation of human nature in general. A lot of museum directors came to the opening last evening. They were moved by the exhibition, which presented a certain kind of strength and human nature.

Artist Magazine: Gunpowder, as a medium for art, seems to be incontrollable in many ways. Take the projects you did yesterday for example. Did everything happen just as what you have expected? Are you satisfied with the outcome yesterday?

Cai: When planning for an explosion project, I look at computer-simulated graphics, which show the explosion without smoke, temperature, and sound. The actual execution is usually not totally the same as the graphics, but I am always strongly moved by the real thing. There is obviously a certain degree of danger with this kind of medium. While we were doing Fallen Blossoms: Explosion Project yesterday, some gunpowder dropped to the stairs, which caused some unexpected burning at the bottom. My original suggestion was to put wooden slabs on the stairs and spread water on the wood to prevent unexpected burning. They, on the other hand, insisted on using asbeston because it was the state rule. Asbeston, however, is inflammable regardless of its heat-resistance. In fact, the people from the Fire Department have seen a lot that they were not afraid of burning. They were just afraid that the smoke would blacken the façade of the museum.

I feel like everyone was happy with the project yesterday. Although it was windy, the outcome was clear and beautiful, which was something that was not easy to control. Explosion is temporary, but it leaves the audience with an impact that lasts for a long time. Also, the location of the Philadelphia Museum of Art is especially irreplaceable. It overlooks the whole city. At first, they asked me to do the project at the West Terrance because it would be easier to control, but I insisted on doing it on the East Terrance.

Artist Magazine: Besides the explosion project, the two pieces of work, Light Passage and 99 Golden Boats, on exhibit in the museum are both your earlier works. Why did you select these two works to be exhibited in this show?

Cai: Light Passage, a piece I did in Japan in 2007, was about the passing of time. It was done for an exhibition that commemorated the fifteen-year sponsorship of the cosmetics company, Shiseido, to me. They started to support me since I was in Japan. In the last fifteen years, they have always been supporting me around the world no matter whether they were credited or not. There were people asking them why they supported me since I was not a Japanese and explosion projects had absolutely nothing to do with cosmetics. Their response to such questions has been very encouraging to me. They said that my works "present creativity" and "challenge the possibilities of beauty," which is exactly the spirit of their business. 

99 Golden Boats was first exhibited with the newly opened Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art designed by Ando Tadao after the Kobe Earthquake occurred. It not only responds to Fallen Blossoms: Explosion Project, but also echoes with Time Scroll at the Fabric Workshop and Museum. They present a relationship between river and the passing of time. My works are usually temporary, but gold is a comparably lasting medium. It signifies eternity.

Artist Magazine: Did the gallery space of the Fabric Workshop and Museum inspire you by any means?

Cai: I have wanted to do something related to fabrics there from the very beginning because of the name of the museum. I wanted to do something other than printed fabrics, which was what they have always been doing. After contemplating, I decided to do a project of traditional weaving. We went all over China to look for the right group for this project. It was not easy. A lot of places are using modern technology now. You input the images into the computer system and the machines work them out accordingly. Some other places have people weaving by hand, but the patterns were not what I was looking for. We finally found this Tujia group from Hunan Province. They weave with traditional looms, and they also do some designs. It was not our intention to show the visitors a minority group, but it just happened that their village was located in such remote mountains that their tradition was not influenced by outside cultures. They kept their weaving tradition and wove the stories shuttle by shuttle, which perfectly delivered the message of "time flies like a weaving shuttle."

I gave the weavers the stories between Anne and Kippy and let them come up with the images themselves. As a result, I still have no idea what images they came up with. They do not feel like showing me the images, either, which is perfectly fine because we would not be influencing each other then. They could apply the most traditional weaving techniques in the project.

Philadelphia has been a well-known weaving city since the past. It has a close relationship with flowers as well. I did not know this before working on this show. After I presented my ideas, however, the curator said that I caught the spirit of this city in a sensitive way.

Artist Magazine: Can you talk a little about the piece Time Scroll?

Cai: The Fabric Workshop and Museum is very different from other art museums, which have strict temperature and humidity control. It is more flexible with works that contain uncertain factors. The gunpowder on the scroll has been ignited and burned yesterday. What is remained there will gradually be washed away by water in the following three months. It gives me an especially strong feeling after I spend time finishing a piece of art and then destroy it.

As for the video recording of Fallen Blossoms: Explosion Project, I edited it to prolong the one-minute explosion to several minutes so that people would see the flower bloom and wither slowly. What I want to deliver from this video is the feeling of longing to grasp the beautiful moment. The significance of a flower is right at the splendid moment of its blossom, but it withers soon after that. This is exactly where its poetic quality lies. Our life has the same quality. It is beautiful, but it is fragile as well. Nonetheless, it is just because of its fragility and disappearing quality that it is beautiful.

(The original article was published in Chinese in Artist Magazine, vol. 416, January 2010.)