video stills provided by Sylvia Eckermann
In the picture: art work by FENG Zhengjie
Progress, Change and Utopia are three topics of an art project on intellectual and social environments and their relations by Austrian artists Gerald Nestler and Sylvia Eckermann who have worked in many cities in the world. The project is called "Breathe My Air", the two artists interviewed Western and Chinese artists, writers, and curators who have been to the land of each other's and make them talk about what they think of each other's place on those three topics and therefore make a "paradox conversation". They are also preparing to put the videos together and give the exhibition in a pavilion set up in a public space. The pavilion will be provided with air purification and oxygenation system, making it a recreational as well as metaphorical space. According to the artists, "The two basic materials of Breathe My Air are both invisible: air and thoughts... (and) the project examines air aesthetically as a sculpture."
For more information, pls. go to the artists' websites:
Sylvia Eckermann - http://syl-eckermann.net/
Gerald Nestler - http://www.geraldnestler.net/
I was very honored to be included in the interview too. Following is a brief of what I talked about on those three topics.
“进步、变化、乌托邦”是一个叫做“呼吸我的空气”(Breathe My Air)艺术项目的三个话题，这个艺术项目讨论了知识环境与社会环境以及它们之间的关系，由两位在世界很多城市工作过的奥地利艺术家Gerald Nestler和Sylvia Eckermann发起实施。两位艺术家采访了一些来过中国的西方艺术家、作家和策展人，让他们针对中国就以上三个话题进行讨论，同时又邀请去过欧洲的相应中国艺术工作者就此三个话题讨论欧洲，由此形成一个“相互吊诡的对话”。他们接下来准备为这些对话的影像做一个临时展厅(pavilion)，放在公共空间中展出。展厅内的空气会经过纯化和加氧，令人放松，同时又是一个隐喻。按照艺术家的话来说，“‘呼吸我的空气’最基本的两个材料都是看不见的：空气和思想…… 这个项目是将空气看作雕塑的艺术作品”。
欲获取更多信息，请访问艺术家网站：
Sylvia Eckermann - http://syl-eckermann.net/
Gerald Nestler - http://www.geraldnestler.net/
非常荣幸，两位艺术家也采访了我，以下是我就以上三个话题谈论的主要内容。
Advertisement layout of Milan Wedding, a Taiwan-Shanghai based "Wedding Dress Photography" company
“米兰婚纱”（台湾、上海）平面广告
Utopia - Occidentalism 乌托邦 - 西方主义
"Occidentalism"(as an inversion of "Orientalism") is a word I would like to use to describe the idea that images of the West in Chinese/Asian/Oriental people's minds, usually constructed by what they see on TV, in the movies, on the internet, in advertisements, ect., often generate fantasies in their minds and therefore an Utopia of their own. Paradoxically, they would prefer to use a western image when trying to sell something believed to be luxurious, advanced or stylish.
“西方主义”（与“东方主义”相对）这个词我在这里用来描述一个事实，即中国人/亚洲人/东方人日常在电视、电影、互联网、广告等媒体上获得的对西方的印象往往给他们造成一种幻想，于是形成他们自己脑中的乌托邦。吊诡地是，在推销那些看作为奢侈、先进、有型的东西的时候，他们往往喜欢借用西方的形象。
Progress - China Delusion 进步 - 中国错觉
The first few images a westerner get on China might include Qipao, a traditional Chinese women's dress, and a Cultural Revolution style patriotic manner as we can see from the picture above. Especially for those who are familiar with Chinese contemporary art figures like WANG Guangyi, a leading Political Pop artist who continues to be popular in the western market, the Cultural Revolution impression is Big. But that is a far cry from the visual experience of a common Chinese nowadays.
Personally, as a member of the generation born in the early 80's, I feel that my peers and I grew up in pace with the growth of our country, especially in the sense of market economy. We read a lot of revolution hero stories in elementary school that are not so much taught now; and when we were in the 5th or 6th grade, companies like KFC opened their franchises in China; in junior high school, the country started importing blockbusters like Titanic; in senior high school, the Internet came to our life; and since the time we were in college, international brands of fashion and other things like Starbucks were pouring into China. So things in our minds could be very different from the picture of China that people have in the west.
西方人看中国，最初的视觉印象可能会包括上图中的旗袍和那种文化大革命式的爱国主义姿态。特别是那些熟悉中国当代艺术的，西方市场中一直很红的那些像王广义的政治波普式的图像在他们的脑中会是很主要的的印象。但这些印象与现在中国平常百姓的视觉体验已经拉开很大距离了。
特别从个人角度而言，作为生于80年代初这一代中的一员，我觉得我们的成长与这个国家的成长是同步的，尤其是市场经济方面。我们这一代，上小学的时候读了很多革命英雄故事，而这些故事学校里现在大多已经不教了；然后到了五、六年级的时候，像肯德基这样的公司开始在中国开店；初中的时候，国家开始引进“泰坦尼克”之类的大片；再到高中，互联网进入了我们的生活；上大学之后，国际时尚品牌和星巴克之类的连锁店开始大举进军中国。所以我们脑子中的东西与西方人对中国的印象很可能是非常不一样的。
Babel of Europe 欧洲巴别塔
To me, Europe is mostly about lifestyle. When I look at it's history, I see powers tagged with things like denominations, races and languages fought against each other, trying to conquer the whole continent, but they ended up remaining in their own places - where they feel most comfortable with. To be sure, things like denominations, races and languages are fundamental things of people's lifestyle, so when Europe is a continent composed of powers in the unit of small countries, it enjoys a great diversity of lifestyles. For example, Europe has the most brands from Luis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen to Adidas and Swatch.
However, I see things developing into a different way now. The whole world is more and more sharing a similar lifestyle to each other, Europe is no exception either. Ironically, I found some lines in Trainspotting that represents this idea very well, here goes:
"I'm going straight and choosing life... I'm going to be just like you. The job, the family, the f*cking big television, the washing machine, the car, the compact disc and electrical tin opener, good health, low cholesterol, dental insurance, mortgage, starter home, leisurewear, luggage, three-piece suite, DIY, game shows, junk food, children, walks in the park, nine to five, good at golf, washing the car, choice of sweaters, family Christmas, indexed pension, tax exemption, clearing the gutters, getting by, looking ahead, to the day you die. "
Well, Trainspotting was something in the 80's and 90's. In this new era, there are things that connects the world even closer - the Internet, iPod, and... the Financial Crisis.
在我看来，欧洲体现了生活方式的多样化。从历史上来看，各种标以宗教派别、种族和语言等旗号的力量相互争斗，妄以获取整个大陆的控制权，结果却是各自守退到家门口——还是自家地方呆着舒服。诚然，宗教派别、种族和语言之类元素仍是人们生活方式的基本构成，于是欧洲的一个个小国家便作为这些力量争斗的结果呈现出了生活方式的多样性。这种多样性体现在很多方面，比如欧洲拥有最多的品牌，可以从Luis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen数到Adidas和Swatch.
然而，接下去的发展轨迹可能会很不一样。经济全球化已经让我们彼此的生活方式越来越接近，欧洲也不例外。嘲讽的是，我在电影“猜火车”中找到一段台词可以很好地阐释这一点：
“我要向前走，选择生活…… 我会变得像你一样。工作、家庭、他妈的大电视、洗衣机、CD和电动开罐器、健康、低胆固醇、牙医保险、按揭、首次置业贷款、休闲服、旅行行李、三件套西装、DIY、游戏展、垃圾食品、孩子、公园散步、朝九晚五、练好高尔夫、洗车、选羊毛衫、圣诞合家欢、退休金、免税、清理沟槽、混混日子、考虑将来、来世重来（原文是‘直道你翘的那一天’，呵呵）”
不过“猜火车”已经是八、九十年代的作品了。在这个新的时代，还有一些东西把我们的世界拉得更近：互联网、iPod和……金融危机。
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For full text of the transcript (I talked in Chinese in the video but so far I have transcript in English only :), please e-mail me at tonyfu@yahoo.cn
欲察看录像文字稿全文 (在录像中我用中文叙述，但目前文字稿只有英文的 :)，请电邮我至：tonyfu@yahoo.cn
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