球球怎麼不見啦？ Where Have All the Mud-balls Gone?

鄭中和
Chung-Ho Cheng

臺灣 Taiwan

年份 Year
2017

地點 | Location
階梯廣場旁樹林 Forest near the Outdoor Theatre

材料 | Materials
泥土
Soil

理念 | Statement
蚯蚓平時棲息在泥土中，晝伏夜出，僅將部分身體伸出洞口外，尋找地面上腐葉做為食物。其他大部分時間則在吞食泥土，目的不只挖掘洞穴，泥土中含有的腐植質、微小動物或蟲卵，都是蚯蚓重要食物來源。蚯蚓會將糞便排至地面，其中含有很多泥土，稱之為「糞土」。糞土堆便是土地裡蚯蚓含量的重要指示。

有些蚯蚓對重金屬如鎘等很敏感，有些反而可將重金屬累積在牠們身上，透過「生物濃縮」功能幫助人類移除土壤中的重金屬污染；也有些蚯蚓對有機磷類或氨基甲酸鹽類的農藥敏感，只要曾使用過農藥，該土壤裡即不易找到那類蚯蚓，因此蚯蚓可說是觀測環境汙染的指標性生物。

我們曾經迷信、追逐所謂的「經濟效益」而大量使用化學肥料，過度依賴農藥做為防治作物病、蟲、甚至草害的糧作方式，結果不僅破壞了蚯蚓等生物賴以生存棲息的空間，更導致普遍性地土壤劣化。而對土地所造成的傷害，恐怕是再花費數倍的時間與精力，也無法回覆原來的樣貌。

水田濕地對於都市叢林的環境生態淨化功能， 就如同蚯蚓能改善土壤結構、修復被汙染的土地一樣。 那麼，是否在這高度開發的台北盆地裡，關渡平原也正扮演著蚯蚓的角色， 對都市環境進行著改變其理化性質的重要工作？！

作品以蚯蚓洞口糞堆為發想，將糞土球的顆粒放大，並將散落的數個糞土堆以糞土球串連，排列成一座可供人遊走的小型「門馬羅」迷宮。迷宮在形制上不採用阻斷式（碰到無路可走）而設計成迂迴式，我天真地期待，現今人類與蚯蚓所面對的生態危機，僅是稍須繞行遠路的過程，而問題終究是可以圓滿解決的。迷宮中心與若干轉折處堆有小球堆，是蚯蚓的洞口，讓親子在走迷宮時可了解蚯蚓到地表排便的習性，更想不時地提醒大家，在阡陌間如此常有現象的消失，意味著什麼？對於自然界裡微小如蜜蜂蚯蚓等生物所發出的警訊，自詡為高等生物的我們人類又接收到了嗎？

Earthworms live in the soil. During the day they burrow underground; at night they come to the surface to feed on decaying leaves and microorganisms. Earthworms ingest small soil particles and excrete in the form of casts, which is an important index of earthworm species richness as well as soil fertility.

In addition, earthworms remove heavy metal from the soil and accumulate it in their body tissues. The application of organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides has caused the decline of earthworms. In other words, earthworms are an indicator of metal pollution in soil. The advent of chemical pest control has inadvertently and irreversibly harmed earthworms and the soil micro-organisms.

The significance of paddy fields to the city is as earthworms to the soil. They both play a role in ecological purification and restoration. Guandu Plain, like an earthworm to its soil, the Taipei Basin, positively change the structure of their environments, and is essential to a healthy ecosystem.

This artwork was inspired by earthworm feces in the shape of mud balls. Muds in the park were collected and processed into clays and arranged into a labyrinth. The circuitous rather than blocking-up labyrinth routes allow people to walk in and reflect upon the ecological changes when they have to make a detour. This artwork offers a chance for people to know more about the behavior of earthworms, and also works as a reminder of the decline of worm castings in the paddy fields, which is an alert to the environmental crisis. This is an issue that no one can sit on the sidelines.