JOSHUA TREE,2010
2011
drawing +text installation
The series was made based
on the trip I had in California in 2010. The wild landscape of desert and the
specific Joshua tree had left a strong impression after the trip. The isolation
of no man’s land often is used in my drawings. These shallow images I received
from the landscape remain progress the recording in my mind. Regarding the
landscape, I provided two semi-fictional journals that are personally related to the trip in
terms of providing more spacious imagination and engagement to audiences.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
此系列畫以加州的風景為主，荒涼開闊的景象以及樹種特異的Joshua Tree，在心中留下特殊的印象。無人地帶的孤立常常在我的畫中出現，這樣的粗淺與浮光片羽，在這次的旅途中照樣進行它自己的感性紀錄。與這樣的風景相連的是兩段私人的遊記，佐以文字字面上的空間劇情想像，將令這樣的風景寫生更加完整。
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
text 1 (EN):
Dec 12,2010
“ Do I see a bear here?”
“Of course not.”
“Do I see a snake here?”
“I am not sure about that,” S said:“ but,
certainly here is no more dangerous than in Taiwan. That is the most possible
place in the world to see poison snakes.”
“Yeah, you are right.”
They continued walking to the direction that
looks like boarder. At that time, the sky was so bright to keep the eyes shut
and almost impossible to look up from the angle higher than forehead. Wind
breezed. The higher they moved, the top of the hill that looks like boarder did
not seem come any closer.
Desert, in general impression, is more likely
desperate as its endless extension of sand as Sahara Desert. But in the Joshua
Tree National Park ,located in south California,
the kind of desert is attached with variously spiky and dry plants but full of
strength. The way they sprawled on the land is as well delicate.
“So,
this is Joshua Tree?”
“I guess so.”
“It indeed looks bizarre.” K tried her best to
explain: “ It looks like the firework from Ukiyo”.
“Oh? How’s that like?”
“Some sort of falling, dropping feeling, in a fatigue
way, but at the same time sadly beautiful. Especially its limbs seem soft, like
twisted wires.”
“Also like mutated palms.” S added.
“Yeah!”
S started his fragment research. His big films
mostly were exposed as: left over food, plastic pieces, abandon photos or
fliers. That he took from street. A half-burn single armed couch in brown from
a short distance got his attention. A couch left in the desert? Apparently it
was perfect to increase more mystery of the desert in his photos.
Perhaps the dry air in desert easily caused
fire. The back hill they walked through was like a former community that has
been burnt down and can only be traced by these tiny pieces. Most of the land
was covered by nature again. Except those personal objects that can be linked
to human activity, like, abandon couch.
“OH,LOOK!! What is that?” K shouted. A furry
mass in brown with long legs ran from a brush at one side to another in a rapid
speed. “That is a specific desert bunny-Jack.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Their ears and feet are particularly long, a
bit like kangaroo.”
K narrowed her eyes with sunglasses on. She was
so excited and desperate to see them again. Jack moved with a cautious act even
they were in a far distance. Unexpectedly and all in sudden, Jack’s long ears
ran across very fast again.
The sky then totally blinded ups their eyes.
The landscape behind the sunglasses was as coated with a calmly filter color. K
slid her sunglasses above her noise up and down, up and down again, just to
make sure the true color.
But, what is true after all? Apparently it is
more confusing in this no man’s land. Large size of cactus stands next to a
shop as someone’s toy accidentally plugging there. It does not seem belong to
the real world that has regular dimension. But its towering existence seem
reasonable, just like all of these Joshua trees, surreally reasonable. Nearby,
the spiky and strange plant wired up with the metal chair outside of the shop.
Hot air soaked in the skin.
“I need to get some more water.” S said.
“Me too.” K echoed.
text 2 (EN):
Dec 12,2011
“What are you doing ? said by the dark shadow
appearing from the pink house.
“Oh, excuse me.” K was very shy.
“What are you doing?” It was getting clear this time. The voice
came from a woman who seemed get sunburn on the face and did not seem very
happy.
“I am just taking some pictures.”
“What are you doing?” The volume was higher this time and no smile
on the face.
K decided to wave her arms, turned over and walked away quickly.
Hot desert is way enough to evoke rage, not to mention an unknown
stranger shows up and takes photos of the house with no reasons.
The road looked even brighter under the strong sun. S already
walked toward a bizarre house and got ready for a good position to take a
photograph. There was no one walking out there, not even a car. It was December
then. The most important holiday of the year will crush this country a couples
of week later. Even the atheist who always kept distance from religion would eventually activate
the holiday mode after getting in December. S is one of them.
This community that its entrance has scattered super market
trolleys did not look fairly energetic, a bit more like a Republican community.
The nearby desert gathered a tidy and tough atmosphere. The neighbored military
base inevitably spread out its killing air. More or less, this country has
always been linked with battles of justices. Although some colorful houses
tried to distinguish themselves from the killing air, for example, the pink
house with serious face, still, the air was filled with noticeable strength
that seems could remain survive even swallowed by desert.
Usually the December holiday would cooperate with cold air, white
snow and cozy warm stove. But apparently the December in desert would not be
categorized into the warm one.
S stopped in front of a strange house. Luckily there was no upset
face looking out of the door. S and K started taking photos toward this strange
house.
Three family size of Christmas tree stood on the roof covered by
military fabric. It looked like a giant monster. A four wheels drive car parked
next to the house probably described the character of the owner: short hair in
wild orange, Homer Simpson’s beard, slight muscle, suntans that almost looks
like a boiled shrimp, white top with khaki shorts, slippers on feet sunglasses
on head, mid age white man. At least K figured that image in mind.
“Hey, what kind of people do you think would decorate their home
like this?” K asked.
“Maybe a Republican ass? They might be very scary, or might not
what we think of at all.” S said.
They both sank and wondered. They were thinking what would that be
then if he was not the kind they thought of.
.........................................................................................................................
(CH):
Dec 12, 2010
「這裡會有熊嗎？」
「當然沒有。」
「那這裡會有蛇嗎？
」
「這我不能確定。」S說：「但是再怎麼樣也比不上台灣危險，那可是全世界毒蛇物種比例最高的地方。」
「也是。」
他們繼續往看起來像邊境的地方走去，這時的天空已經湛藍到眼睛無法完全張開，更無法以眼睛直視頭皮以上的地方。四周吹來微微的風，愈往高處走，那個像邊境的沙丘頂端並沒有要靠近的意思。
一般人對沙漠的印象總是像沙哈拉沙漠般的細綿延展令人絕望，但是位於南加州的JOSHUA TREE國家公園，卻附著了各類刺刺、看似枯竭卻很有力的植物，它們散落的方式也很巧妙。
「所以JOSHUA TREE就是這種樹？ 」
「我想是的。」
「它的確長得很奇特，」K嘗試形容，「有點像浮世繪裡的煙火。」
「喔？怎麼說？」
「某一種虛軟垂下的感覺，但是同時間又有一種淡淡的哀傷的美，尤其它的樹幹看起來軟軟的，像是被任意彎曲的鐵線。」
「也像變種的棕梠樹」S補充著，
「對！」
S開始進行他的碎片研究。他的大膠卷裡大部分會顯影出來的內容是：地上的食物殘骸、塑膠碎片、被丟棄的照片或傳單。
不遠處半燒毀的咖啡色單人沙發椅引起了他的注意。「沙漠中的沙發椅？」顯然這必定會增添了照片中沙漠的神秘性。
也許是沙漠的乾燥容易引起火災，他們行走的後山像是遭受過祝融的社區，只不過大部分已被自然再度淹沒，除了一些像是被丟棄的極私人物品，像是「一張沙發椅」。
「噢！看！那是甚麼？」K大叫。一團長腳的棕色毛團，從一團乾烈的草叢快速的跑向另一端的草叢，「那是沙漠特有的兔子－傑克兔。」
「有甚麼不一樣？」
「他們的耳朵及腳特別長，有點像袋鼠。」
戴上墨鏡還是瞇著眼睛的K，興奮的希望再看一次，兔子的移動很小心，縱使距離人類還很遠，尖長的耳朵不期然又一次快速的暴走。
天空在此時光亮到讓人睜不開眼睛，而墨鏡下的景色又帶有一種冷靜的濾色，所以墨鏡在K的鼻樑上滑上滑下，為的是想確認真實的顏色。
不過，究竟什麼是真實呢？顯然在這種不著邊際的地方更加不能體會。仙人掌巨大的矗立在商店旁，就好像誰的玩具不小心插在那裏，不屬於一個正常比例的真實世界，但是它的突兀卻有點理所當然，就像這裡滿地的JOSHUA TREE，超現實般的理所當然。一旁尖刺的奇怪植物和商店外的金屬椅子纏在一起。
熱氣呼呼的滲進皮膚。
「我需要再喝些水。」S說，
「我也是」K附和。
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dec 12, 2010
「你在做甚麼？」從粉紅色小屋探出頭的黑影說。
「噢、不好意思！」K害羞的說。
「你在做甚麼？」這次看得更清楚了，是個皮膚曬紅的女人，看起來不太高興。
「我只是照幾張像。」
「你在做甚麼？」這次聲音更大了，臉上並沒有微笑。
這次K揮了揮手，快速轉頭就走。
大太陽下的沙漠是足以讓人心情不好，更別說莫名其妙的路人在家門口不知道為何原因的拍照。
艷陽下的路看起來更加白亮了，S已經走向裡邊朝著奇怪的房舍調整姿勢拍照。戶外一個人也沒有，也沒有流動的車輛。這時候已經十二月，一年之中最重要的節日在幾個星期後會癱瘓這個國家，縱使向來和宗教保持距離的無神論者，也在進入十二月後漸漸歡欣的啟動假日模式，S便是其中一個。
這個由散放超市購物車的入口進入的社區不是很有生氣，有點像共和黨的社區。沙漠的附近氛圍整齊又荒涼，鄰近的軍事基地不自覺擴散了它的肅殺氣息，況且這個國家向來和關於正義的戰爭扯在一起，雖然，某些艷麗色彩的房舍勉勉強強想說明它不是，例如，那棟有著嚴肅臉孔的粉紅色房子。但空氣中好像有股被沙漠吞噬了般的也有一種不容忽視的力量，一直在一旁虎視眈眈。
通常慶祝十二月節日的時節，伴隨著清冷空氣與藹藹白雪、還有溫暖的壁爐，但沙漠中的十二月顯然不想被歸類為溫暖的節日。
S在其中一家奇特的住家前停了下來，幸運的是並沒有不高興的臉從門內探出頭來。S和K不禁拿起相機朝這有著怪異屋頂的房子拍攝留念。
三座家庭用的裝飾用聖誕樹，立在披著迷彩帆布的屋頂上，猛然一看，有些像一個龐然怪物。一旁停著架高車輪的四輪傳動，大概說明屋主可能是個留著橘紅短髮，蓄著像辛普森爸爸的鬍子，身材微壯，全身曬得像煮熟的蝦子，穿著白上衣、卡其短褲、涼鞋又帶著墨鏡的中年白人男子；至少K是這麼想像著。
「你覺得甚麼樣的人會把自己家裝飾成這個樣子？」K問。
「大概是個共和黨的愛國混蛋，他們可能很令人害怕，或者完全不是我們想像的那樣。」S答。
兩人陷入沉思。他們在想如果不是所想的那樣，那麼又會是哪種樣子呢？
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
installation view
 |
| courtesy of HO MING-KUEI/installation view@Hong Gah museum/2011 |
 |
| courtesy of HO MING-KUEI/installation view@Hong Gah museum /2011 |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
selected details
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
