"紐約記憶遊戲"(2001/2002)

    一向喜愛收集都會風景明信片並以其為創作出發點的我，在九一一事件發生後不久，開始將紐約明信片、報章圖片和自己旅遊紐約所拍的相片作了重新的組合，完成了這件遊戲作品"New York Memory"(紐約記憶遊戲)。

    根據德國一家遊戲出版社的網頁資訊說，這個大眾所熟悉的"記憶遊戲"在德國已有四十多年的歷史。這個遊戲的主要宗旨在訓練幼童的方位和圖形記憶能力。誰能愈快在覆蓋的牌當中翻出兩張兩張相同的牌使它們湊合還原成為雙雙對對誰就是贏家。一般人所熟悉的記憶遊戲都是一對對相同的圖案，而在我的遊戲作品中人們找不著完全相同的牌偶。它們只是神似雙胞胎。 為什麼呢? 因為我將兩張不同主題的都會圖案一起剪成比一般的拼圖(puzzle)更不規則的碎塊，然後將這些碎塊拼湊成一對等於是互補的圖案。(一般的拼圖遊戲是將碎塊拼回原來的主題圖案)

    我第一次展覽這件作品是和觀眾直接玩這個遊戲。遊戲當中觀眾的反應從驚訝、迷惑、困頓到"啊!原來如此"(恍然大悟)，觀者和創作者之間形成了一種互動。我不時地被問道: "牌面上寫著是什麼呢?" 每一張牌面上都印有"紐約"兩個黑色字體，乃"New York"的字面音譯。藉由一個紅色部首"手"字我試著傳達一種"更改"的訊息。"紐約"的"紐"可以被更改為"扭"字！ "扭"這個字在中文裡的主要意思是一種扭轉的動作，例如扭乾布塊、扭動身軀，扭轉事物甚而扭曲事實...

    總而言之，這件作品結合記憶、拼圖和文字遊戲成為一副相當錯綜複雜卻又平易近人的遊戲作品。主要在於表達創作者個人對九一一事件及後繼種種的震驚。我誠懇地邀請大家來"玩"這個遊戲，用我們的"雙手"來發掘、揭開、翻轉並收集這些宇宙混沌...沒有輸贏也沒有勝負...

請查看完整的48 張遊戲牌: http://www.flickr.com/photos/daidihusartwork/sets/72157604169631283/

"New York Memory" (2001/2002)

48 playcards, cut off from the postcards of New York, illustrations of newspaper and photographs of own travel experiences (right after 11th September 2001), evolved into a "memory game" as artwork.

According to the biggest publisher of games in Germany, "memory" is well known as a popular game since 40 years, especially for children. The aim of the game is to discover 2 cards (always in pairs) with same motifs or figures. I have modified it. You can no longer find two cards that look the same. Instead there will be two cards with similar motifs. And these will still be identified as "twins". The fact is, that there is another common game of patience, the "puzzle", hidden in the "memory". The playcards consist of 2 motifs which have been cut in irregular forms (like puzzles but modified), then mixed up and rearranged together.

My first experience with playing the first 16 cards (eventually expanded to 48 cards) with audience during the first exhibition explored something like: confusion at the unexpected, irritation and the "Aha"-experience. The game became an interaction between the artist and the audience. They kept asking me: "What is written on the covers of the cards?" There are two Chinese characters, 紐約, written in black on every cover of the cards, "New York". One radical or part, 手, that means hand (in red), has been added to the first character. The red color also indicates a correction to the first character 紐, that means "a knot". So a new meaning is derived and it changes into another character, 扭, which has many meanings in Chinese. Most commonly, it indicates "twisted movement" (like wringing a towel to dry), "to turn things up side down" or in the sense of "to change" or even "to twist or hide the truth".

In short, this is a complex game, which combines 3 games of "memory", puzzle and language, to express my personal feelings to the happenings of September 11 and what followed afterwards. I sincerely invite everyone, to "play" (the cards) with me, to discover, to turn, to cover and to collect the cosmos and the chaos in our own "hands"...There are indeed no winners and no losers at all here!

You could see all 48 playcards (collage) of the game "New York Memory" here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daidihusartwork/sets/72157604169631283/

影音欣賞建議連結：
Eric Clapton：Tears in Heaven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRsJlAJvOSM