負地平線 2016 台灣國際錄像藝術展


奇蹟尋踪
In Course of the Miraculous
2015
單頻錄像
single-channel video
467’00”
程然
Ran CHENG

中國 / 1981年生於內蒙古，現於杭州生活及工作		China / 1981 born in Inner Mongolia, now living and working in HangZhou
「『離開這裏』，這就是我的目的地。」－弗朗茨•卡夫卡（Franz Kafka）的短篇小說《出發》（The Departure, 1921）中國藝術家程然的〈奇蹟尋踪〉是一部長達467分鐘的史詩式電影。這個標題源自於荷蘭藝術家（Bas Jan Ader）於1975年最後的行為表演作品，他在洛杉磯完成作品的第一部分，最後於大西洋的航行過程中失蹤。程然將這個事件與另外兩個旅程並置：1942年英國登山者首次挑戰聖母峰後失蹤，以及2010年從海上返回中國過程中喪失大部分船員的一個懸案，以隱喻且象徵性的流動影象交織這三個情節迴異的故事，在真實與虛構之間探討「尋找」的代價與意義。這部長片延續程然對電影語言的觀察，467分鐘的長片遠超越錄像藝術或是商業電影的標準長度，突破既有框架，使創作變得自由，但同時也挑戰觀者的感知閾限。在此片中他參照早期電影的模式，設置序幕、中場休息、幕前休息、退場音樂等，回溯老電影年代與劇場之間相延續的關係，重溫那個年代對電影的尊重與儀式感，創造觀看經驗的美學。		“‘Away-from-here,’ that is my destination.” – Franz Kafka (1921). The Departure (short story) Chinese artist Ran CHENG’s In Course of the Miraculous is a 467-minute epic film. Its title derives from the final performance work of Bas Jan Adler in 1975, who had finished the first part of the work in Los Angeles, and disappeared on the voyage in the Atlantic Ocean. Cheng juxtaposes such episode with two other journeys: the disappearance of a British mountain climber in the first attempt of climbing Mt. Everest in 1942 and the mystery of a voyage returning to China via ocean with most of its crew disappeared in 2010. Through the metaphoric, symbolic moving images, the three separate chronicles are intertwined to investigate the price as well as the meaning of “search” in between the truth and fiction. Such long film follows Cheng’s observation on film language. The 467-minute film goes far beyond the length of video art or that of commercial films. As such, it breaks the existing boundaries, leaving room for creativity while challenging the threshold of audience’s perception. In this film he refers to the pattern of the movies of the early days, arranging its overture, intermission, entr’acte, and exit music. Via the retrospect of the relationship between movie and theatre in the old days, it brings the audience to recapture the respect as well as the sense of ritual toward movies back in the days, and creates the aesthetic of viewing experience.
完整放映場 12月10日12:00-21:00 Woolloomooloo 西門店（台北市萬華區武昌街二段120巷2號）		Complete Screening: 12:00-21:00, December 10th, 2016; Woolloomooloo Ximen (No.2, LN.120, Sec.2, Wuchang ST., WanHua Dist., Taipei)