exhibition view 學學白色空間 2018
exhibition view 學學白色空間 2018
exhibition view 花蓮藝托邦展出 2011
exhibition view 花蓮藝托邦展出 2011
Animals on Meilun Mountain
Meilun forest park is on the slope behind our house. Part of it serves as a military facility, and the rest is open to the public for recreational activities. I used to walk my dog regularly in this park. One day I spotted a collection of funny-looking animals made of cement. One could tell the craftmanship was pretty rough. The animals usually came as a family, a mother elephant followed by her young one, a hippopotamus couple right next to their baby, or a joey not too far from her mother.
Perhaps it was due to a lack of management, or years of wind and rain, but some animals were missing an ear, and some had lost their paint. One could even see some of the metal structure exposed and rusty. After two years, I found myself charmed by those cement animals that I once simply thought funny. This was especially true when the light after sunset cast a whimsical layer of color over them. They looked real and magical.
Those cement animals remained silent as time went by, as if they stood aloof from the world. I walked on the forest paths at night with my flashlight shining on their faces, and it felt almost as if we were having a secret garden party.
美崙山動物們
住家後面的美崙山，是一個小山坡，內有軍事用地，也規劃為民眾休閒活動的公園綠地。來到花蓮兩年，常常帶家裡的小狗到公園散步，進而發現一群作工粗糙而造型滑稽的水泥動物們。這群動物大多以家庭為單位出現，大象帶著小象，河馬爸媽身旁有隻小河馬，袋鼠媽媽所在位置不遠處，會發現一隻小袋鼠。
可能缺乏管理，可能年久失修，有的動物少了一隻耳朵，身上油漆剝落，或者做為骨架的鋼筋已經外露生鏽。而兩年以來，這些當初顯得荒謬可笑的動物們，竟也慢慢對我散發出魅力，尤其是太陽下山以後，這群動物換上一層魔幻的色彩，既寫實又奇幻。
美崙山動物們在時間之流中靜默不語，似乎冷眼看這個世界。在夜裡，遊走於林間小徑，拿著手電筒替牠們上妝，好像與這些動物一起秘密party。