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展覽：福利社區運動中心
媒材：物件裝置
地點：視盟福利社，台北
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展覽論述：
在浴缸裡游泳：紀紐約的拓異術
文｜佟孟真
記得幼時不會游泳之前，我是先在浴缸裡模仿動作，煞有其事地浮出水面潛進，很快就頂到頭，身體仍無視空間地自在撥動。然而這種技術在學會游泳後的初次潜水經驗中喪失功能完全不想動，身體因沈浸在無邊界的奇異裡，而感到與自己更加地緊密。由一個在北回歸南四年裡劇增十五公斤老說沒時間運動的人來談紀紐約此次作品其實是感到汗顏的，不過在深談過往創作那天，從紀紐約口中說出「其實我創作的美感原型是來自於『糯米龜』」那刻，我瞭解到其實我們都可以再次回頭檢視自己「遭經」地是否美麗。
在此我們知道紀紐約的作品並不是真的「遭經」，而來自「乞龜文化」原型裡的造形實感、共享關係與經由分享而消失的主體特質也一直存在於他過往作品的脈絡中，只是這次紀紐約要如何經由過渡時間的延長、作品不再消失的狀態下，再次從作品中拓異出身體與空間的回應關係，也許可以從去年開始的《運動三部曲》談起。《運動三部曲》指的是紀紐約2013年於寶藏巖駐村期間創作的《莫名x綻放》、弔詭畫廊展覽呈現的《三角桌》，與台南草埕駐市計畫發表的《八角圓》，分別在畸零縫隙、幾何結構、水路曲巷的土地空間中，透過羽球、桌球與呼拉圈的運動形式展現因空間改變的身體變異。
這三件皆為回應空間而生產的運動方式，分別提醒了一種因既定場域消失的陌生所帶來的奇異與愉悅，也回應紀紐約自言「喜歡遊晃」、並藉由這種「避免準確也要常練習」方式所帶來「多感受綜合狀態」的前行路徑，在經驗以外自我延伸出的一種增生技術。這些運動方式某層面也喚醒曾經熟悉的無縛時間與身體感，例如跟夥伴一走出屋外、教室便可逕自打起羽球的狀態、在泥土空地上隨時挖洞畫弧就玩起的彈珠、只要幾條橡皮筋串起拉到哪裡就可呼朋引伴玩起的跳高語言，那些人們享受閒置場域上隨時助跑、跳起、揮臂、追逐——也是因閒置場域過多所以長輩時常告誡哪些地點不要任意前往——伴隨柴燒味，亦是人們享受外部 空間與交誼距離的身體時代。
紀紐約八年前從繪畫訓練系統轉為現地製作與行為藝術的創作方向，其實是向內也對外的拓異技術開發，並在分享的過程中等待隨時的變異發生。此次「Free Yourself個展」所製作的圓形撞球檯、浪型高爾夫、等腰三角桌、八字冰壺、無目的飛鏢與雙打彈珠檯，於既有場域中創造出無空間/方向感的運動技術與過渡身體的獨特展現，在帶有公共性質的自制場合中解放對「運動中的身體」的想像，是他試圖喚起身體在面對隨時變化的環境時本存的應對機制，也是現代生活一切既定關係與空間裡的健康擾/運動。或許平常我們用既有但陌生的肢體處理一切對外的預設狀況，但這個月，就讓我們在未知中拓異自己的姿態，走出別人的浴缸，實肢實逍吧。
SWIMMING IN THE BATHTUB:
NEW-YORK CHI’S ALIENATION SKILL
Written by Sandra Tung
I still remember when I was still a child, before I learned how to swim, I always imitated the movements in the bathtub, pretending to dive in the water and to swim forward until it took no more than one second to reach the end, and my body would continue to “swim” without noticing the limited space. However, I lost the skill in my first diving experience right after I learned how to swim. I had no intention to move at all, with my body immersed in the borderless fantasy. I felt I was closer to myself than ever. As a person who has gained fifteen kilograms in four years after moving to the south, I did not consider myself to be the right one to talk about New-York Chi’s recent works. However, thinking of how Chi mentioned “the inspiration of my works originated from Glutinous Rice Turtle” when we talked about our previous works, I realized both of us could look back to see if we fell beautifully.
Here, I want to make clear that New-York Chi’s works have never “had a fall.” We can always see the prototype of “Glutinous Rice Turtle” as well as the essence of its context, including the substantial shape, the relationship based on mutual sharing, and the subject which has disappeared after being shared, in the narrative of his previous works. However, this time, New-York Chi again alienates the corresponsive relationship between body and space through the extension of transitional time and the works which remain in sight. We may begin with last year’s Exercise Trilogy Series. Exercise Trilogy includes Chi’s Blooming without Reasons, a work created during his artist residency at Treasure Hill Artist Village in 2013, Triangle Table at Crane Gallery, and Octagonal Circle at Howl Space. In these works, the artist examines how body varies in different spaces (the crowed hill with fragmented space, the geometric structure, and the meandering streams and alleys respectively) through sports such as badminton, table tennis, and hula hoop.
Each of three sports, created as the response to the space, reminds us of a strange pleasure originating from the alienation caused by the disappearance of certain space. They also echo New-York Chi’s self-description of how he “loves wandering” and extends a multiplication technique beyond one’s experiences through a progressive path of “multi-perceptive complex” as one “frequently practices to avoid precision.” In some aspects, the sports evoke the unrestrained sense of time and physicality which we were once familiar with, like how we used to walk out of the door or the classroom to play badminton with friends, dig a hole and draw an arc to play marbles on the ground, or string the rubber bands together to practice rope skipping. We enjoyed the empty space by running, jumping, waving our arms, or chasing each other right at the moment when we entered the space. (Perhaps we had too many empty spaces so we were always warned by parents that we should not go to these places if not necessary). It was a time of physicality when we could fully enjoy the outer space and interpersonal intimacy as we enjoyed a homemade dinner.
About eight years ago, New-York Chi switched from the training in painting to site-specific art and performance art. He was developing the alienation skill inward and outward at the same time. During the sharing process, he waited for any kind of changes to take place. The circular pool table, triangle table tennis, one-person golf, two-person curling, aimless darts, and two-way pinball in the artworks demonstrate the transitional bodies and the sport skills which have been deprived of a sense of space/direction in the specific space. It liberates our imagination of “body in sports” in a self-restrained public space, revealing the instinct reaction as he attempts to awake body to confront the constantly changing environment as well as the healthy movement/disturbance in any specific relationship and space in modern life. We might try to deal with all the expected circumstances with our living bodies which are both familiar and strange to us, but this month, let us alienate our gestures in the unknown world, walking out of other’s bathtub to embrace our limbs.
