zspace

 Dispatches from the Mind's Eye 

The Talk of Artist's Night

This exhibit is made up of four themes, one on each floor of the gallery. Starting with the first floor, they are: obscured reality, constructed reality, perceived reality, and personal reality. The exhibit starts with the deepest depths of our lives and works its way up gradually, floor by floor, through the tiers of experience until it finally emerges into the top floor, whose theme represents the warmest, most common and easily digestible aspects of our exsistence. I'll talk a bit about each theme and then take questions at the end. 

The first floor, obscured reality, explores the deepest, most buried parts of the human condition that are dealt with in this exhibit. These elements are rarely seen but affect us in the most foundational way. This work explores the most fundamental issue of the human condition, the fact that we are all here in this place, but we don't have any idea where we are or why. There are mysterious and unseen connections, patterns, and forms that deeply affect us but of which we are either completely or mostly unaware. There is also a duality here between connectivity and separation. We are all in the same situation, sharing in the same basic experience, connected by bonds both visible and invisible. At the same time, we are all completely isolated from one another. No matter how close we get to each other, it is impossible for us to share any experience from another's perspective. This body of work probes the varying degrees of hidden truths. 

The second floor's theme is constructed reality. This is the next most base, fundamental part of our lives as a society. We have built these institutions and this societal infrastructure to help us make sense of the mystery of the obscured reality, and to give it form and function. It is ever-present, but often working behind the scenes and therefore unrecognized when it influences us. We've all had a hand in the building of these traditions and the social contract, but a small few have taken the reigns of this level of existence. Unable to hold power over the most basic part of the human condition, that small but powerful minority has hijacked the next closest thing, and twisted and exploited it more often for their own small benefit than for the benefit of humanity for which it was created. I hope someday we'll all see and explore this level of our lives with a view from the first floor, instead of the seemingly lofty vantage of the upper parts of this exhibit, and as a result we'll remember why these institutions were brought about. 

The third floor deals with perceived reality. This is the observation of the real and imagined worlds, both of which constitute daily reality. They are the observation from sight, the viewing, interpretation, and transcription of life as it is lived in the world. It also involves the observation of theme, of ideas prevalent in daily life, of fears, anxieties, and hopes both imminent and dreamed, and of places built of these emotions. These observations are important and significant, but also distract us from the deeper realities present on the lower levels of our situation. 

Finally, personal reality. The top floor of the exhibit opens to the sky and the light, and contains the most surface, most everyday, evident and knowable experiences that shape most of our daily consciousness. It is people in their personal places and situations, and it is the common places of our interior lives. In many ways it is the most important part of our ongoing existence, but also the most superficial and ultimately meaningless. These intimate spaces and moments shape our lives, but are far more ephemeral than the deeper depths we've explored. This is the most comfortable place to be, it is less frightening and easier to digest and grapple with in comparison to the lower floors. 

All of these realities are necessary to the completeness of our experience, and all are worth exploring and discussing.(by Jon Renzella)

這個展覽由四個主題構成，每一樓層一個主題。從一樓開始，分別是：朦朧的現實、建構的現實、感知的現實，和個人的現實。從我們生活和工作的最深處開始隨樓層逐漸上升，透過經驗層次的排列到最高的樓層，代表著最溫暖、最平凡，也最容易咀嚼消化的存在經驗。我將針對每一個主題談談，最後讓大家提問。 

一樓「朦朧的現實」，探索的是這次展出作品中最隱晦、最深層的人類內在，這些元素很少被看見，卻從根本影響著我們。作品探討人類狀況的基本議題——我們所在的此時此地，然而我們卻不知我們身在何處以及所為何來。那些看不見的神秘連結、圖案、形式，深層地在我們身上發生作用，而我們多半或全然沒有覺察它們的存在。其中也存在著一種二元性——介於連結與分離之間。我們都在同樣的處境裡，享有同樣的基本經驗，被可見與不可見的束縛所維繫。同時，我們又是全然地彼此孤立，無論我們如何親近對方，都無法以另一個人的觀點分享彼此的經驗。此一作品的主體意欲探究不同程度的隱匿的真相。 

二樓的主題是「建構的現實」，這是我們生活所依存的社會的次要基礎，我們建構了這些機制，而社會機制又幫助我們了解朦朧現實的奧秘，並且賦予它形式與功能。機制始終都在，但通常僅在幕後運作，因此當它影響著眾人時並不被覺察。我們都參與了傳統和社會契約的建置，但只有極少數人統治這一層次的存在。無法將權力用於處理人類現狀的基本問題，那些強而有力的少數人綁架了周邊的事物，並且加以扭曲、剝削，經常只是為了獲取個人的利益，而非為多數人謀福利。我希望有一天我們能夠以一樓作品中的透視力，看見並且揭露我們生活中的這個層面，而非以看似優越的角度出發——如同這一展覽中的上層（三、四樓），最後我們將會記得這些機制為何而存在。 

三樓展出的作品處理的是「感知的現實」，是對「真實」與「想像」世界的觀察——此兩者構成了日常的真實。它們是從眼睛所見、瀏覽、詮釋，以及對生活的改寫轉譯而成，也涉及對主題、日常生活中普遍的想法、恐懼、焦慮，乃至對希望的觀察，當然也包括對產生這些情緒的地方的描寫。這些觀察不僅重要且意義豐富，但也同時將我們的注意力從一、二樓所傳達的深層現實中轉移開來。 

最後是「個人的現實」，在空間的最高樓層展出，有天空和自然光，內容由最表層、最日常、最明顯可知的經驗所構成，那也是形塑我們日常意識的經驗。作品中傳達人們在他們個人的地方和情境，也是我們在室內空間的真實生活景象。在很多方面看來，這是我們存在最重要的部分，也是最膚淺、表面、無意義的部分。這些親密的空間和時刻形成我們的生活，與先前我們探討過的深層狀態相比，非常地短暫易逝。這是人們最感舒適的地方，和樓下的作品相較，少了使人害怕的成份，也比較容易咀嚼消化。 

所有這些現實都是我們完整生命經驗的必要，也都值得不斷地探索和討論。(此文為藝術家之夜講稿/ by 雷強)