生之一瞬 Forming

Matt Chun

澳大利亞 Australia

年份 Year
2016

材料 Materials
黏土
Clay

位置 Location
自然中心一樓觀景窗
Nature Center

理念 Statement
Matt的作品以泥土為素材，思考它的質性和符號意義。泥土是自然和人為環境間的連結，呈現彼此之間脆弱又共生的關係。Matt使用關渡自然公園現地的生土，以手工製陶：泥土經過風乾、浸泡、過篩、揉捏成形，過程中有陽光、河水、樹枝等來自自然的幫助。

Matt在公園裡發現了一些磁磚和餐具的碎片，引發他思考泥土的生命歷程：土歷經工業生產流程，用於蓋屋或製成日用器皿，最後變成碎瓦殘片，再次回歸大地。土的生命歷程必然如此行進，同時也映照出人為環境的脆弱。人類的文明，在自然之中顯得如此短暫渺小。Matt的泥塑未經窯燒，便是要凸顯物質生命的瞬息短促。這件作品很快就會風化崩解，回歸塵土。

這件作品由眾多單獨物件共同構成，呼應台北的天際線，也象徵著任何的文明終究會漸漸崩解重組。本次創作過程中，Matt深受台灣的鬼故事、廟宇雕塑啟發，常來找他玩耍的孩子也給了他不少靈感。

For the Festival, I have considered the nature and semiotics of an individual material - clay - as it makes its passage through both natural and human environments, emphasising their mutual fragility and symbioses. My works are created from raw clays, dug from the Guandu Nature Park site and processed by hand; my first encounter with the material in its primal state. The clays are dried, soaked, sieved and massaged into a useable form, utilising sunlight, river water and tools carved from sticks and branches.

Exploring the Park grounds, I have also discovered the buried remnants of ceramic tiles and dinnerware; the material at the far end of its trajectory through industrialised processes, human habitats and domestic utilities; laid to rest in shards of debris alongside unprocessed clays.

Its trajectory evokes both the perpetual inevitability of its cycle and the fragility of our built environment; natural imperatives set against the relative impermanence of our social and cultural constructions. By exhibiting my clay sculpture unfired, I emphasise this act of ephemera. The work will quickly weather and break down, returning to its original state in the soil of the Park.

In its congregation of individual forms, my works echo the distant skyline of Taipei, which, like any civilisation, will eventually succumb to the same process of collapse and recomposition. I have also been influenced by Taiwanese ghost stories, narrative sculpture in local temples, and the playful participation of local children.

一起來認識澳洲藝術家Matt Chun！

Q: 為什麼會想參與這次的藝術計畫？
A: 我曾經到過越南、泰國、中國、馬來西亞…等亞洲國家旅行，在亞洲城市裡我感覺很自在。當看到關渡的藝術計畫的時候，我發現自己對台灣非常陌生，就上網查了一下，想要來台灣看看這裡和其他亞洲城市有什麼不同。另一個原因是，我經常以「鳥」為繪畫題材，查資料時我發現關渡是個鳥類天堂，便對這裡很感興趣。當我在看這個藝術計畫的相關要求時，我很贊同「使用現地自然素材創作」這個遊戲規則，一方面這對我是個有趣的挑戰，另一方面我從這個藝術計畫的主題設定、田野調查等安排，感受到這個計畫的核心宗旨是要傳達對環境的關懷，不只是為了做出作品而已。作品在這樣一個自然環境裡呈現，較之在一個藝術中心裡呈現，意義會是不同的。

Q：你來之前有上網查一些台灣的資料，內容大概是怎樣？實際來到這裡之後，有什麼樣的發現？
A：那時我看了一些資料，初步了解了台灣的政治和文化，知道這裡有高度的新聞自由，人與人之間的關係似乎很融洽。來到這邊之後，我常常清早到觀音山健行，有時還會和路上遇到的山友們一起喝杯茶。在台灣，雖然身處城市，但近郊就有國家公園和自然保留區，不需花很多時間就可以接近大自然。另外我覺得台灣是很棒的美食之都，因為我在澳洲也經營一家小咖啡店，所以也特別留意台灣的飲料文化，發現這裡也很流行喝茶喝咖啡。我覺得對飲食的愛好，其實反映了那個文化重視儀式的程度，因此也會發展製作食器的材料跟技藝。實用性是傳統工藝很重要的一環，台灣有深厚的陶藝傳統，和豐富的飲食和茶文化絕對互為表裡。

Q: 你之前主修陶藝，有很多用土創作的經驗。這次創作時，關渡的土用起來有什麼特殊之處嗎？現地的土跟這次作品的關係又是什麼？
A: 其實我也還在試。不同地方的土硬度、濕度等條件都各不相同，我還在觀察關渡的土經過一段時間會產生什麼樣的變化。在田野調查觀察環境的時候，我注意到遠處的台北的天際線，城市裡的建築物也是土建成的，雖然它們最後變得不像土了，但仍然是土的生命週期一部分。我這次創作，是用關渡的土打造一個微型城市。城市的群落展現了某種文明，但精心打造的房子經久也會毀壞崩解，種種變化都是生命的循環。土要成為捏製的素材，必須歷經採集、水洗、過篩、練土等過程。我在公園內撿拾了一些磚瓦碎片，它們其實也是土的一個生命階段。物質的轉換變化，像是一場表演，不同生命時期，都有屬於那個階段的故事。而最後，任何生命終究會歸於天地。建築之於大自然，一是人為環境，另一是自然環境，看似對立，實則相連。我認為這呼應了這次藝術計畫的主題「來自真實的故事」。我用物件來敘事，講一個關於材料的生命故事。

Q: 這次的製作過程中，有很多小朋友很喜歡到你的基地玩，每天也有不同的志工來協助，這樣人來人往，會不會很難靜心創作？
A: 我很習慣創作時，身旁有人來來去去。我在澳洲的小咖啡店隔壁就是我的工作室，咖啡店客人可以看到我在工作室裡作畫，有時候他們還會進來寒暄一番。人來人往也會幫助我保持玩心，讓創作過程不那麼嚴肅。一開始來到公園的自然中心，我發現小朋友很喜歡圍在一樓的觀景窗旁邊，所以我希望做一個在他們視線高度的作品。我一直都想做小朋友也會喜歡的東西。如果小朋友喜歡，表示它觸及了人類某些最根本的情感。和不同志工合作確實不容易，我希望他們可以在協助創作的過程中也展現自己的個性，因此我必須將工作流程設計得更有包容性，讓不同的人都有辦法參與。其實和志工們相處，就如同現在我使用土這項自然素材，總是需要面對某種未知，像是土質、溫濕度、天氣…作法都得不斷因應狀況調整。土跟人一樣，有自己的個性，所以學習接受我當下所有的，是個很好的挑戰，因此也有很多驚喜。這份相處之道，不是由我來決定，而是由遇到什麼樣的材料、什麼樣的人所決定的。對我來說，藝術就是一門關於溝通的學問。

Let's meet Matt Chun from Australia, the artist of 2016 Guandu International Nature Art Festival!

Q: Why do you want to participate in this art project?
A: I've travelled some countries around Asia: Vietnam, Thailand, China, and Malaysia. I felt easy being in Asian cities. When I saw the open call of this art project, I realized I didn't know very much about Taiwan. So I did some little reading about Taiwan, and I want to see how Taiwan distinguishes itself from other Asian cities. Another reason is because I've worked on birds as a subject for quite a few years. I read that Guandu is a bird sanctuary, so I'm interested in this area. Besides, I like the idea of limitations when I'm working. The brief about only using the materials found at the park is really compelling. I also like the framework of the Art Project. So I'd like to take the challenge. I also found the motivation of the Park not necessarily about contemporary art. The primary concern is environmentalism. Having artworks in such a natural setting is not like a contemporary art institution can be.

Q: You said you did some reading about Taiwan online. What was it about? And how you find Taiwan after you really come here?
A: I read something about Taiwan's political situation and culture. I knew Taiwan has relatively free press, and people seem to have good relationship with each other. After I arrived here, I usually went hiking in Guanyin Mountain in the early morning. Sometimes I would have a cup of tea with people I met in the Mountain. In Taiwan, you're lucky to be able to reach national parks or nature reserves within short time even though you live in a big city. I also found here a city of food and drink. I run a little café in Australia, so I noticed that Taiwan has a strong tea and coffee culture. The love for food and drink kind of reflects how the culture interested in rituals and traditional crafts. Food and drink have a deep connection to utilization objects. Taiwan has a strong tradition of clay and vessels. It must have to do with the tea tradition here.

Q: You have a lot of experience in creating artworks with clay since you majored in ceramics in art school. What's special with the clay in Guandu? And what's the relationship between the local clay and your work?
A: In fact I'm still trying. The conditions of soil in each place are different. I still keep my observation on how the clay works here. At the first week I noticed the landscape afar in front of the wetlands. I realized the buildings in the cities are also made of clay even though they don't look like clay in the end. I will work on a miniature landscape model to force adults to take children's perspective seeing where we live in. What I'm presenting is the life cycle of human civilization. The clay can be used for modeling after process of collecting, soaking, so it becomes creamy and smooth enough as a texture. I also picked up some tiles from the Park. They might be some fragments from some constructions, and they were different life stage of clay. It shows how a laborious process could be back to its initial state. It is just like a performance. Each stage has its own story. Over a long time everything will return to the earth after all. Constructions and nature seem to be quite opposite, for one being human environment and the other being natural environment. However the material itself creates some kind of link. I think this responds to the theme "Based on a True Story" this year. So I'm taking a narrative approach to tell a story about materials.

Q: During the production process, many kids loved to come to play at your site. There're also different volunteers came to assist you every day. Do you find it difficult to focus on work with so many people around you all the time?
A: What happens here is totally normal for me. My café in Australia is just right side by side with my studio, so my customers can see me working in the studio. Sometimes they would come by and say hello. Having people come and go helps keep the working process playful, helping me not being so serious about the process. When I first came into the Center, I found that children love to gather around at the window area. So I decided to make something just their height. I always want to make work that children can engage with. I believe if a work appeals to children, it must have something related to basic human emotions. Working with different volunteers isn't an easy thing. I want this process to be more personalized for them, so I have to make changes to accommodate different people. It is just like play clays. All clays change a lot. I always have to deal with some unknown, such as its texture, humidity, weather, and so on. I tried to figure out something for everyone. Clay is a material of its personality. I challenged myself in only using what I found here. So as cooperating with my volunteers. And that has brought surprises too. The interaction is very organic. It is rather a decision made by materials, not by me. For me, art is always about the communication, so I share a process with people.