來日之書
Avenir

2022
紙、油墨
Oil on paper
65 x 340 cm
Mounting by Chun Rong Fan
Photograph by Chung Ping Wang





「過橋了,要跟好!」
「火來了,快出來!」
「死貓掛樹頭,死狗放水流。」

出於對亡靈去處的好奇與著迷,我開始研究傳統民俗與古文明中有關超渡亡魂的習俗與流傳下來的圖像。在眾多繁雜的儀式之中,最引起我情緒上觸動的習俗是上述所引用的兩句呼告與一句諺語。這兩句呼告,皆是指示家屬在引領與陪伴亡魂往正確的方向順利離開陽間,以免孤魂驚惶不安,四處飄散。而俗諺則暗示著如果不依照貓與狗的陰陽屬性,讓他們的靈魂適得其所、盡快超渡,否則將化身成妖怪,陰魂不散。無論是出於尊重或害怕,亡魂要如何離開世間這趟旅途都至關重要。上古的馬王堆T形帛畫、古埃及的「死者之書」,除了是棺槨的陪葬、儀式符文,同時也都具有路標、指引的作用,像是給亡靈的地圖。「來日之書」是給所有我想紀念的亡靈的地圖。無論有名無名,在太陽起落、月圓月缺之間,都能夠「跟好」,心無罣礙的穿過火焰,化為塵煙。  

這件作品以數位繪圖轉化傳統宗教繪畫的圖像元素,例如《極樂世界圖》中的寶塔、敦煌壁畫中的山石與火焰,再將圖像以雷射切割的方式在紙板上切割出深淺不一的塊面,並以凹版印刷印製在薄透的楮皮紙上,最後將個別的圖像排列並裱褙在同一個畫面。將傳統圖式的元素拆解,重新組合在空白的背景,此時的空白暗示著這不是一幅連續性空間的風景,而是一張工作桌面,一張思考著事物是如何連結起來的工作桌面。在圖像的來回排列中,我反覆確定著事物的關係、對應著的秩序,好像可以藉此看清靈魂離開人世間的路徑,以及所有在我們看不見的抽象世界中的結構。

"Cross the bridge, stay close behind!"
"Fire is coming, come out quickly!"
"Dead cats hang from tree branches, dead dogs are placed in flowing water."

Out of curiosity and fascination with the destination of the deceased, I began to study the customs and images related to the salvation of souls in traditional folklore and ancient civilizations. Among the many complex rituals, the customs that most emotionally touched me are the two quoted calls and a proverb above. These two calls instruct family members to guide and accompany the souls to leave the mortal world smoothly in the right direction, so that the lonely souls do not wander in panic and scatter everywhere. The proverb implies that if cats and dogs are not treated according to their yin and yang attributes, allowing their souls to rest in peace and be transcended, they will transform into ghosts and their spirits will haunt. Whether out of respect or fear, how the souls leave this journey in the world is crucial. The ancient T-shaped silk paintings from Mawangdui and the ancient Egyptian "Book of the Dead" are not only burial accompaniments and ritual runes for coffins but also serve as road signs and guides, like maps for the souls. "Avenir " is a map for all the deceased I want to commemorate. Whether I am familiar with the deceased or not, between the rising and setting of the sun, between the full moon and the waning moon, they can "follow well" and pass through the flames without any barrier, turning into dust and smoke.

This work transforms the traditional religious painting elements through digital drawing, such as the pagodas in the "Pure Land World Map" and the mountains, rocks, and flames in the Dunhuang murals. The images are then laser-cut into varying depths on cardboard and printed with intaglio printing on thin translucent mulberry paper. Finally, the individual images are arranged and mounted on the same surface. By disassembling the elements of traditional patterns and recombining them on a blank background, the blank space at this moment implies that this is not a landscape of continuous space, but a work desk, a work desk contemplating how things are connected. In the back-and-forth arrangement of the images, I repeatedly confirm the relationships of things, the corresponding order, as if I can see the path of the soul leaving the mortal world and the structure of all the unseen abstract worlds.

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