笨港→ 新港 BenKang → HsinKang

我先抵達新港，在此停留十天之後，再前往東後寮--我預定駐村的地方。根據先前策劃及參與類似社區藝術計畫的經驗，我知道光靠圖片或研究來傳達想法，或先前形成的概念只限於思考層面，要更進一步瞭解一個地方，一定要實際親身到訪體驗。最好能保持開放的心態，讓一切自然發展──每一個都是發現過程的一部份。

最後因為時間不夠，我並未前往東後寮。本來我計畫在東後寮建立一個花園，藉由當地不同年齡居民的協助及教導，讓我這個城市人能瞭解當地的植物、樹木以及農村生活。我一直想著這樣的花園，不僅可以記錄當地欣欣向榮的植物群，更是一件不斷成長的活藝術品，多年之後依然可供人欣賞。也許有一天，在東後寮或其他地方，我心中的花園可以成為真實。

我與新港的居民合作，是用當地廢棄的鐵路枕木來點綴公園。雖然說地點改變了，概念本身以及概念形成及實踐的方式也不同，但整個過程依然充滿了眾人合作所呈現的豐富、多元及創意，讓人放開心胸，接納多種不同的想法、感覺及經驗──這一切都是一個有機過程的一部份，而此過程在開始之後，便持續且順利的自然發展。

這種工作方式是我藝術實踐的重要部份，不論是在我與各行各業的工作者所共同合作的計畫（如Womanifesto計畫 http://www.womanifesto.com/, 或在印度的植樹計畫），或是在我自己的裝置及表演作品的發展及表現上。因此，「北回歸線環境藝術行動」所展現的開放性，不將最後結果加以定義，任何事情都可能發生，針對當地問題，在特定地點與當地人民及環境對話，這些概念都深得我心。這樣的平台，特別是由藝術家所發起的平台，在我們亞太區域裡是很少見的。

我最後決定在新港駐村，並盡我所能來發掘瞭解這個地方、居民及環境。乍看之下，大部分小城鎮似乎都相當簡單，容易瞭解；對城市人而言，鄉鎮簡單的地理環境雖然說是一種令人耳目一新的改變，卻也顯得略微單調平凡。但每個城鎮都有自己的密碼，每個社區都有特別的隱密角落，自己所關心的利益及議題，這些是唯有願意花時間及心力來瞭解的人才能看到。

有人會覺得調查某地的地理景觀是相當容易且直接的事情，但要跟當地人接觸並連結，特別是彼此語言不同時，則是另一件事情。當一個人的「外地性」（foreign-ness）被强调，便會有一連串的問題。如當地居民是友善還是封閉？接不接受與外地人接觸？外地人如何適應不熟悉的環境，如何跟當地融合並進行藝術及概念的交流？結果我在新港駐村，很快地就不需要考慮這些問題，因為接下來所發生的一切，以及成為我生活經驗的一切，都為生命添加上豐富的層面，並證實了最直接創作行動的力量以及人類行為的正面意義。我有幸能有這樣的機會，與新港社區有此互動並做出貢獻；我深深覺得我的收穫遠比付出還多，且難以衡量。

我規劃的「笨港→新港」工作坊，目的是要結合當地各種元素，如歷史、人民、他們的故事與新舊時代的個人經驗，以及他們當今的生活。此外，我必須坦承一開始成立此工作坊是出於我個人考量──不然我要如何在短時間內，瞭解這個地方、人民以及他們所關注的議題？此工作坊是一個學習及交流過程的開始，是接觸及形成關連過程的開始，待日後進一步探索。在新港文教基金會的大力支持下，結合了一群當地居民參加工作坊，在我介紹一些概念後，鼓勵他們加入自己的想法，讓整個工作坊能順利進行，並有個顯而易見的結果。對所有工作坊的參與者，包含我自己，我們共同度過這些密集創意時刻，日後又會有怎樣的結果，則有待時間來證明。

我邀請橫跨四代的新港居民，從小孩童到曾祖父級的老人家，在他們於舊本坑陶瓷工作坊中親手做出的瓷磚上，描繪出他們所要講的故事。然後，這些瓷磚被安裝在用廢棄鐵路枕木所做的木樁上，再從新港公園開始，沿著鐵路每隔一段距離釘一個木樁，直到前往本港的舊橋前。所有材料都是當地取材；新港從過去到現在依然蓬勃發展的手工藝就是交趾陶，而我想引入的概念就是採用傳統的技術來產生現代的對話。
參加這樣的過程，意義是在這周遭一切不斷快速發展，必須不斷與時並進的時代中，讓人暫停一下，讓人沈思，搜尋自己的記憶，並從事一個悠閒的過程──用雙手捏塑黏土，構圖、繪畫，並同時擁抱自然的過程──等待溫暖帶點水氣的空氣將黏土風乾，然後再慢慢放入火窯內。
這是一個社區的活動，有許多人參與及付出心力，分享知識並創作瓷磚，包含陶瓷工作坊及新港文教基金會的人員、木匠、花匠以及新港的居民。因此，日後看到鐵路公園裡的枕木樁，就可以想到這些人。這些木樁也像是一種標示──標示出過去以及現在的時間和場景，標示出對於多元人類社會及環境層面所要傳達的個人訊息，而這些訊息不僅關聯現在，並也延續至未來。

在離開新港前，我送一本繪圖日記本給林蕙（音譯Lin Hui請明鈺問一下正確寫法!!），她是我工作坊裡的一名成員。她告訴我，她喜歡畫畫。我覺得她不僅會畫畫，而且畫得很好。我請她透過繪畫來寫日記，並附上一些短文，透過電子郵件告訴我，她生活中的點點滴滴。我透過她的繪畫跟她保持聯繫，並瞭解她生活上的感受──她的快樂及悲傷，照料祖父，並為他烹煮特別的飲食，第一次開舅舅的車子時的興奮，以及颱風侵襲造成新港街道淹水，她努力將機車牽到高地的辛苦等等……。這雖然是我們倆之間的個人交流，但在許多方面，這也讓我們更加瞭解自己以及對我們生活有所影響的許多小事情。透過這種方式，我跟新港社區居民的關係持續發展，而且除了我們所激盪出的藝術連結之外，並未對任何結果加以定義。

「笨港→新港」 是一個過程的開始，是思考及時間方式的開端，等待大家進一步的發掘。

Varsha Nair


致謝

我在此要感謝吳瑪悧、主辦單位和工作團隊。還要感謝：
~ 所有工作坊的參與者
~張瑞隆董事長以及新港文教基金會
~ 謝東哲夫婦以及古笨港交趾陶工作室員工、居民
~ 郭秀麗, 詹清森,以及黃醫師夫婦
I arrived in HsinKang with a view to spending ten days there before heading to Dong Ho Liao, which is where I was scheduled to stay and work within the community. My experience of setting up and working in similar community-based projects tells me that one can only ponder over some ideas and pre-form notions based on pictures and research, but a place must be experienced in reality before going any further; its best to keep an open mind and let things develop – all as part of the process of discovery.

In Dong Ho Liao which, in the end, I did not even visit due to lack of time, I had envisioned I would realize the planting of a garden with the help of community members of different ages who would teach me, a city dweller, about the local plants, trees and something about their agrarian way of life. The vision of this garden, a blooming archive of local flora, that would grow and be nurtured as a living ‘piece of art’ for many to enjoy over the years keeps appearing in front of my eyes. Perhaps one day, in Dong Ho Liao and in other places this ‘mental image’ of a garden will manifest as reality.

Instead of planting a garden I changed track and location and become involved with the residents of HsinKang and together, we planted discarded old railway sleepers in the local park. Notwithstanding the shift of location and the formation/realization of completely new ideas, the process undertaken to arrive at a point intrinsically contains all the richness resulting from many coming together, of human diversity and creativity. It also leads to the opening up of minds and allowing a multitude of ideas, feelings and experiences to enter - all as part of an organic process that continues and develops further well after its starting point.
This way of working is an essential part of my art practice, whether it is to do with projects I have conducted that involve a network of people from all walks of life (such as projects for Womanifesto http://www.womanifesto.com/, or planting trees in India), to the development and presentation of my own installation and performance-based works. Hence, the openness of projects such as Art as Environment - Cultural Action on Tropic of Cancer where no end results are defined and anything can and usually does happen, essentially addressing local concerns and in conversation with the people and environment of a particular place, is close to my heart. Such platforms, specifically ones initiated by artists are rare to come by in our region.

I made the decision to spend all of my residency time in HsinKang and attempt to discover as much as I could about the place, its people and environs. At first glance most small towns seem to be fairly simple, easily decodable even, with an uncomplicated geography that to a city dweller might appear somewhat banal but nevertheless present a refreshing change of environment. However, every place has its own secret codes and the special nooks and crannies and interests/concerns of a particular community only become visible to those who have the time and inclination to discover them.
Delving into the landscape of a place, one may assume, is a fairly straightforward affair but encountering and connecting with people especially if one does not speak the language is quite another matter. One’s ‘foreign-ness’ gets highlighted and the mind throws up an array of obvious questions. Will people be friendly or closed? What if they are not open to engaging with an outsider? How does one go about negotiating an unfamiliar environment in the first place, to be able to settle down and establish an exchange in terms of artistic processes and ideas? As it turned out I need not have pondered over this for any great length of time, for what ensued and how it came about, also what transpired as my personal lived experience has added yet another rich facet to life, and endorsed the power of the most straightforward creative actions and all that is positive about human endeavor. Having been fortunate enough to be presented this opportunity to interact with and contribute to this community, I get the distinct feeling that I ended up gaining much more in return that in many ways cannot be quantified.

The workshop BenKang → HsinKang was set up to bring various elements of the place together – the history, the people, their stories and personal connections from old to the new, and life as it is lived today. Also, I must admit, my initial reason to establish the workshop was a selfish one – how else would I have got to know something about this place, its people and their concerns in such a short space of time? Hence this was a way to begin the process of learning and exchanging, of encountering and forming connections, which then could be explored even further in time. With the efficient backing of the HsinKang Foundation a group of people were brought together, introduced to ideas, encouraged to input their own, the workshop could be conducted and one outcome of the process could be made visible. And for all of the participants, including myself, only time will tell what else results from these creative and intensive moments we spent together.
Four generations – from children to great grand parents were invited to present their stories visually on ceramic tiles, which they created at the Old Ben Kang Ceramics studio. The tiles were installed on old wooden posts made from railway sleepers. The posts are installed at intervals along the railway line – starting with the park in town, and ending with the old bridge that leads to BenKang. All materials used are local; one of the important traditional crafts that continues and flourishes from the old days is that of Cochin Ceramics and I thought to introduce the idea of employing this traditional technique to generate a contemporary dialogue.
Engaging in this process meant asking people to pause for a moment, when all around us seems to gallop ahead at great speed leaving us with a feeling of constantly having to catch up with things. It also meant to contemplate, to search ones memory, and engage in a leisurely process – pairs of hands molding clay, composing, drawing, painting and, at the same time, to embrace the process of nature – of waiting for the warm humid air to dry the clay to the right point before baking it slowly in a kiln.
This was a community effort that many engaged in, from those who came to share their knowledge and create the tiles to the staff at the ceramic studio and at HsinKang Foundation, the carpenters, gardeners, and the residents of HsinKang. Thus, when people come across the sleeper posts bearing the tiles installed in the Railway Park many can directly relate to them. The posts also act as markers – they mark moments and situations from history and present time, personal visual messages about the diverse aspects of human society and our environment that form connections in the present and extend into the future.

Before leaving HisnKang I presented Lin Hui, a participant at the workshop, a sketchbook/diary. She told me she loved to draw, and I saw that not only could she draw but also she could do so very well. I asked her to tell me something about her day-to-day life via her drawings, to email them to me along with short texts. I keep in touch via her drawings, and feelings – her happy moments and sad ones, the caring for her grandfather and the special meals she cooks for him, her excitement at driving her uncle’s car for the first time, her struggling to pull the scooter to higher ground when HsinKang streets flooded during the typhoon, and so on…. The exchange is a personal one between us but in many ways it constitutes a larger picture about ourselves and of the many nuances that impact on and inform our lives. Thus my relationship with this particular community of individuals continues to develop and apart from further stirring up our artistic connection, no end result is defined.

BenKang → HsinKang was the beginning of a process - an opening up of ways of thinking and doing - that is waiting to be explored further.



Varsha Nair


Acknowledgements

I wish to thank Wu Mali, the Sponsors and Organizing team of the project:
Art as Environment - Cultural Action on Tropic of Cancer 2007
~ All who took part in the workshop
~ Frank and The HsinKang Foundation
~ Mr and Mrs Hsieh and the staff at Old Ben Kang Ceramic Studio
~ The residents of HsinKang
~ Grace, Jon Son, and Dr and Mrs Hong.