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The Tenement 贫民窟的篮球美梦

December 11, 2020 2020年12月11日

From the outside, Metro Manila’s Tenement Taguig is an intimidating structure. Its grey, fortress-like walls seal its tenants off from the surrounding world, with only tiny windows on its dilapidated exterior peeking outside. But once visitors find the entrance and step inside, they’re greeted with vibrantly colored walls and smiling faces. Residents here are used to outsiders these days, ever since the low-income housing project became world-renowned for its basketball court murals.

The center of this community is literally and figuratively the basketball courts, wedged tightly within an enclosure of walls that rise seven stories high. It’s a place where local ballers refine their skills and compete for glory and cash; when no games are in session, it’s also where residents gather for cookouts, parties, and a playground for the kids to let loose.

Tenement 廉价公寓位于马尼拉大都会塔吉格市（Taguig），从外表看来，这里总令人望而却步。七层楼高的筒子楼建筑，由灰黑色的外墙包裹，住户只能通过墙壁上小小的窗户窥探外界，像座人间堡垒。但当你踏入公寓楼内，迎面而来的，却是颜色鲜艳的墙壁和一张张友善的笑脸。这里有座篮球场，不少艺术家纷纷前来进行壁画创作，于是让这座廉价公寓闻名于世。如今，前来贫民窟的游客络绎不绝，当地的居民也早已习惯了人来人往的景象。

篮球场位于整栋公寓的正中央，是这片区域真正意义上的中心地带。平时的日子里，附近的篮球爱好者们聚集在这个篮球场上，他们切磋球技、一起斗牛；在没人打球的时候，楼里的住户则在这里烧烤聚餐、办派对，孩子们则嬉闹玩耍，把这里当作游乐场。

The open-air walkways look directly down onto the main court, providing a perfect view for the large-scale paintings that turn the entire court into a giant canvas and the intense games that play out atop them. A secondary court used to be unpaved, doubling as a soccer field, but it’s now outfitted with concrete benches and a bandstand.

Most of the walls on the ground floor and the roof are covered with graffiti and street art while many of the other walls are coated in bright pinks, yellows, and greens, with the ramps connecting each floor lit up brightly until midnight. In the daytime, each floor seems to glow as the warm Manila sun bounces off of the colorful surfaces. Soundtracked by the ambience of kids laughing and basketballs being dribbled, it’s something special for people lucky enough to take it all in. Even on stormy days, the complex is just as lively, with residents hanging out together in the hallways, roaming around and chatting while the rain batters the exterior.

站在楼上的露天过道向外望去，壁画尽现眼前。颜料把球场变成一块巨型画布，篮球和人都在画上奔跑。篮球场的旁边还有一处空地，原本打算建成小型足球场，如今被安置上石椅和舞台，供人休闲娱乐。

公寓一楼和屋顶的墙壁被涂鸦占领，其他楼层的墙壁则刷上了粉、黄、绿等颜色的颜料。即便午夜时分穿梭于楼层之间，公寓在月光的照耀下依旧格外鲜亮。白天，马尼拉温暖的阳光照射到这些墙面上，让整栋公寓仿佛被镀上了金光。孩子的嬉闹声音、篮球在地上拍打的声音，自然而然地带来几分幸福的感受。在刮风下雨的日子，这座公寓楼也照样热闹，大家伙在过道上闲庭散步，淅淅沥沥的雨声中，穿插着欢声和笑语。

Despite this proud and tightly knit community, many pressing issues haunt the tenants. The entire building is constantly threatened with eviction, concrete is crumbling in the complex’s many corners, and there’s no running water. Residents cart gallons of water, filled from the sole faucet on the ground floor, up the cracked ramps all day, even the elderly. Holes are so big in some places you can see straight through to the floor below. But it was these struggles that invigorated the community’s transformation into an arts-and-entertainment hub, which has helped raise awareness of the tenants’ plight and make their life more enjoyable. 

这里的生活看似平静祥和，但公寓楼如今却正面临诸多紧迫的问题：除了接二连三地收到被市政部门驱逐的威胁、很多墙壁开始脱落、自来水供应更是一个严峻的民生问题。包括年迈的居民在内，所有住户都要从一楼唯一的龙头接水，再用小拖车拉上坡道。一些楼层的地面破洞实在太大，大到甚至可以看到下一层楼面的样子。在如此艰难的生活状态下，社区中丰富的生活方式和面貌，引起了外界和社会的关注。

Fort Bonifacio Tenement, as it’s formally known, is located in Taguig City and was originally built in 1963 as part of a relocation program for informal settlers, mainly those living along the PNR commuter railroad tracks. It was home to 700 families and constructed by the Japanese government as part of the nation’s wartime reparations efforts.

Tenement 始建于 1963 年，以前的名字是 Fort Bonifacio Tenement，是一项为贫困人民专门提供的重置计划，主要面向生活在马尼拉轻轨沿线的居民。筒子楼式的建筑由日本国际协力机构建造，作为日本战时赔偿工作的第一个建设项目，有 700 多户人家安居于此。

Generations of families were born and raised at the tenement, and many of the original tenants’ families remain, including Jennifer Corpin, the current tenants’ association president. “The neighbors are like one big family here,” she says. “You don’t really need to leave to be happy, everything you need is here.” And it’s true; scattered throughout the building on various floors you can find sari-sari stores (mini convenience stores), food stands, barbershops, and public computers popularly called pisonet (named after it’s cost: one peso for five minutes of internet access). On one floor, there’s a pool table, and on others, videoke machines. “It’s a very simple life,” she adds with a smile.

许多户家庭在这里经历过好几代人，一些初期的住户至今仍住在这里，这其中就包括现任的租户协会会长 Jennifer Corpin。她对记者说：“这里的所有人像是大家庭。甚至足不出户，你就能获得所需要的一切生活物资。”确实如此，楼里的每一层，你都可以找到小卖部、小吃摊、理发店、甚至网吧。楼上台球桌，楼下 K 歌房，生活趣味无处不在。“这里的生活不会太过复杂，因为麻雀虽小五脏俱全”，Jennifer 笑着说道。

Although Corpin, known to the locals as Prez Kleng, has another home now, she still keeps her original apartment in the tenement that she shares with extended family. Her apartment speaks to the range of units within the walls of the tenement. It’s one of the nicer spaces, renovated with new tiles and updated furniture. Some other units are just as well attended as hers, while others are more modest but lovingly adorned with family pictures and mementos. Then there are those that are just bare concrete spaces. Some have been boarded up since their families left. A few of the least fortunate residents have set up living spaces in the corner landings of the back stairwells.

事实上，Jennifer 在别的地方也另有房子，但她仍然留在这里，与亲戚朋友住在一起。她的公寓算是大楼里典型的户型。房间状态也很不错，配备有新的瓷砖和家具。公寓楼里的房间大相径庭，有的房间与 Jennifer 的家一样被重新装修过；一些房间则相对朴实，家中以纪念品和老照片作为装饰；另外一些房间保留了原始的毛墙毛地，显得些许空落；还有一些木板房，是周边居民用收集来的木板搭建的房子；更有少数困难群体，在楼梯间的拐角处搭建起自己的生活空间。

Troubles first began for the tenement in the 90s. The aging building began falling into disrepair as the government fell behind on upkeep. Eventually, residents stopped paying rent. It’s unclear when exactly this started happening, but by the 2000s, pretty much everyone had stopped paying. The original residents were awarded perpetual lease contracts and were supposed to pay the National Housing Authority. But sometime during this period, they stopped sending bills entirely. And then the eviction threats started happening.

九十年代，由于当地政府未能及进行维护，让整栋公寓变得破败不堪，很多住户因此不愿意再支付房租。直到两千年之后，几乎全部住户都不为房租买张了，这违反了家住房管理局的规章制度。政府的驱逐令也陆陆续续地开始了。

In 2010, mayoral candidate Lani Cayetano stepped up and told the residents they didn’t need to worry if she was elected. “You will not be leaving,” she said. “You can now sleep in peace.” The promise helped carry her into office and she went on to serve two terms until 2019. But she went silent after that first election and barely visited the tenement, despite numerous eviction notices sent out during her tenure. “It’s like she just used the issue to win,” complains Erick Delloza Reyes, an activist and former resident who grew up in the tenement. He points out that her family is a political dynasty holding positions all across high levels of government. “They’ve been in power for how many years now? But they did nothing.”

In 2014, the housing authority again threatened the residents, saying they would be removed from Tenement, claiming that the structure was unsound and would collapse in the next big earthquake, which is expected and overdue. They offered to move them to a new location, but it was out in the province, far from work, the hospital, and the friends and family they’d grown up around. While some took the offer, the majority of tenants poured out to the alcoves, leaning over the railing to bang pots and pans in a noise barrage to protest the eviction. “We’ve asked for a third party to study the structure but they won’t entertain it; we’d have to pay for it ourselves,” Corpin says. When Neocha contacted the Japan International Cooperation Agency (the agency that took over development projects like Tenement), a representative declined to comment, saying they could retrieve no records of the project and thus were unable to provide any information about it.

2010 年，市长候选人 Lani Cayetano 站出来表示，如果她当选为市长，住户将不再会被驱逐。Lani 最终上任，她的第二任期延续至 2019 年。不过当初的承诺并未兑现，在当选之后，Lani 从未提及此事，甚至很少到访这幢公寓大楼，并向 Tenement 发起多次驱逐通知。Erick Delloza Reyes 是一名社会倡议学者，也曾是这幢公寓大楼的居民，他抱怨道：“很显而易见，她只是利用这个问题来赢得更多选票罢了。”他还表示 Lani 是政治世家，她的家人在各级政府中都有职务。Erick 接着说道：“这帮人已经执政不知道多少年了，毫无作为！”

2014 年，住房管理局再次威胁居民搬离公寓楼，声称大楼结构不稳固，下一次地震很可能坍塌，并表示搬迁的决定早已逾期，且势在必行。政府提出将居民安置到省里新的地点，但那距离他们的公司、医院以及他们一起长大的朋友和家人都很远。一部分人接受了安排，但大多数住户选择在楼中央聚集起来以示抗议，他们愤怒地拉扯着栏杆，把家里的锅碗瓢盆砸出巨大的动静。Jennifer 说：“我们要求第三方来评估大楼结构，但他们不愿意支付这笔费用，要求我们自己来承担。”对于大楼结构，居民们甚至还联系了日本国际协力机构，但对方拒绝发表任何评论，称无法检索到该项目的记录，因此拒绝提供任何信息。

It was around this time that Mike Swift got involved. Swift is a FIlipino-American rapper who grew up in the housing projects of Coney Island, Brooklyn. He moved from the Philippines to New York in second grade and returned in 2004 as an adult to pursue a rap career. He had some success from documentary-style DVDs, which included video of him performing in both countries, joking around with big-name rappers, and hooping. “Basketball had always helped me make friends, even as a kid in Brooklyn before I spoke English well,” he says. “I was already ahead in math and grammar and everything, but my accent was different. Once I landed in the Philippines, I was looking for basketball right away. ‘Where we ballin’ at?’ That’s how I became friends with everyone.”

Swift had been in the country for a full decade by 2014 and was looking for something beyond the rap world. With basketball so popular in the Philippines, courts can be found almost anywhere in the country, from little dirt clearings with boxes for hoops, to narrow alleyways with hoops on wheels so they can be moved out of the way of traffic. He’d been taking pictures of them along his journeys, collecting them on an Instagram account called Mr. PinoyHoops. He was also involved in renovating courts. “Everywhere I went, I was looking for courts,” he says. “Even in New York I was involved in clean-up jobs on the courts. It’s not major money, it’s just major time. And that became my philosophy: You don’t need the government or money, you just need to be a leader. Get a broom and a garbage bag; buy a bit of paint.”

与此同时，Mike Swift 正打算用说唱的形式表达抗议。作为一位菲律宾裔美国说唱歌手，他从小在布鲁克林康尼岛的公租房里长大。二年级时，他从菲律宾搬到纽约，并于 2004 年回到故乡，励志成为一名说唱歌手。他发行的音乐纪录片享有不错的热度和口碑，其中包括他在菲美两地演出的镜头，还有与著名说唱歌手街头过招的画面。他说：“篮球让我结交了不少朋友。那会儿我刚到布鲁克林，英语还说得不太流利，平时都是通过篮球来认识朋友。一回到菲律宾，马上就去找地方打篮球，每当有新朋友时，我的第一句话往往是’我们一会儿去哪里打球？’。”

2014 年，Swift 在菲律宾已经生活了整整十年，而他也一直想在说唱界以外有所作为。篮球在菲律宾是一项十分流行的运动，到处都是球场，简陋的水泥地球场随处可见，甚至在狭窄的小巷里，还能看到可移动式的篮筐，以方便为过往的汽车开道。他用镜头拍摄下旅途中看到的各种球场，然后将照片发布在名为“Mr PinoyHoops”的 Instagram 帐户上。除此之外，他还偶尔参与球场翻新的建设工作，他说：“我每到一个地方都会去找球场。哪怕在纽约生活的时候，我也会帮忙去做球场的清洁工作。钱不是最主要的，时间才是。这也是我的理念：你不需要行政部门的支持，也不需要很多的钱，只需要成为带头行动的人，拿一把扫帚和一个垃圾袋，再买点油漆就行了。”

 

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In 2014, Swift was featured in a Nike commercial shot at the tenement. Through that visit, he met the ballers there and learned more about the place. “I became focused on getting the world to pay attention to the tenement,” he says. “I wanted to make it attractive so people would come here, and I was interested in all elements of hip-hop, so the art came naturally. They were facing eviction and I was at a low in my rap career. We were both at lows in our lives.”

Swift decided to throw a big event called Picnic Games to help raise the resident’s spirits. There were games for the kids, food, music, and art. “It was a synergy of all the different parts of my life, but the residents really made it all happen.” The event was a success, and the Picnic Games became a regular event. As a result, the local government even briefly backed off with the eviction demands.

同年，Swift 参与耐克在 Tenement 公寓楼拍摄的广告项目。那次经历让他结识了很多当地的篮球爱好者，也进一步熟悉了公寓的情况。他说：“我尝试提高外界对这幢公寓楼的关注。加上我对嘻哈的兴趣，自然而然地就想到来这里创作。这里的住户正被驱逐，而我当时也处于说唱生涯的低谷，可以说我们是同病相怜。”

Swift 决定举办一场为“野餐游戏”的活动，鼓励家长带着小孩参与其中，包括游戏、美食、音乐和艺术环节。“这个活动融合了我生活中积累的不同方面资源，但也是靠大楼的住户共同努力，才可能实现。”“野餐游戏”活动非常成功，并变成了定期举办的活动，最终甚至让当地政府暂时打消了驱逐的念头。

Image Courtesy of Ralph Mendoza
Image Courtesy of Ralph Mendoza

The next year Swift met Maya Carandang, a local painter, tattoo artist, and dancer. The murals that they created in the tenement began to capture international attention. Their first full-court mural, designed by Carandang and painted with the help of dozens of residents, was a giant picture of LeBron James. “The mural was bait for him to come here,” Swift laughs. And it worked. The mural and its story drew one of the NBA’s best players to the other side of the world. “It became a saying around here, ‘If LeBron came to the tenement, anything is possible.'”

Swift 结识了当地的画家、纹身师和舞者 Maya Carandang。他们随后一起在公寓楼创作的壁画逐渐引起了国际上的广泛关注。第一幅覆盖球场的壁画由 Maya 负责设计，在数十名居民的帮助下完成绘画，壁画上的内容是篮球巨星 LeBron James。“这幅壁画其实是个诱饵，就是想吸引他能亲身来到这里。”Swift 笑着说道。不久之后，“诱饵”奏效了，这幅壁画及其背后的故事吸引了这名 NBA 传奇球员千里迢迢来到世界的另一端。“很多人都难以置信，这一切真的成真了。”

Despite the tenement’s newfound exposure, eviction threats once again continued. “The problem is the value of the land,” says Reyes. “The local government wants to sell the land to corporations rather than have the tenants stay there. They’re not helping residents because they want them to suffer so they are just forced to move.” Along with the eviction notices, the murals and events continued as well. The court is now repainted a few times a year, although Carandang is no longer involved. Events are just as frequent, with graffiti battles and musical performances drawing crowds from across the city. The tenement has been used as a setting for telenovelas, video games, and a Nike sneaker was even named after it. The grey walls of the tenement’s outer walls are slowly being covered in pastel hues as well, with donated paint organized by Swift.

虽然有了曝光度，但拆迁的威胁依然存在。Erick 说：“整个件事的问题都源于这块儿地的价格。当地政府想将这块地出售给企业，因此不愿意让租户继续留在那里。他们之所以不愿意提供维修，就是想让这里的生活糟糕一些，迫使人们不得不搬。”虽然驱逐通知没有撤除，但壁画创作和活动仍在继续。Maya 已不再参与，但球场每年都会有新壁画出现；他们频繁举办各种活动，通过涂鸦比赛、音乐演出吸引各地的游客前来参观。公寓也曾被用作电视剧、电子游戏的拍摄场地，甚至有一款以它的名字命名的耐克运动鞋。灰色的大楼外墙也慢慢地被全新的燃料覆盖，所用维护的费用都由 Swift 的活动筹集得来。

Earlier this year, a month before the country shut down in hopes of warding off the coronavirus, tenement residents came together once again in remembrance of Kobe and Gianna Bryant. A full-court, black-and-white mural of Kobe and his daughter Gianna was painted within days of his demise. Space was cleared on every other bit of surface surrounding the court for residents and guests to paint messages to them. Candles were lit throughout the week. “It’s unfortunate that it needs to be in mourning,” says Swift. “This tribute was the least we can do. It was so natural: There was no plan, no proposals. We all just came together out of love.” Once again, reporters and fans started arriving from across the country and the world to revel in the magic that the tenement had created. “We’re the world-famous tenement court,” Swift grins.

2020 年初，菲律宾因为疫情采取了一个月的境内封锁，那段时间正值科比父女俩人的离世，公寓大楼的居民们再次聚集在一起，纪念这位篮球巨星。就在科比离世的消息出现几天之后，一幅他和女儿 Gianna 的巨型黑白壁画就覆盖在球场上。球场四周的空间也被腾出，让居民和游客在此留下悼念。整整一个星期，球场上点满了蜡烛。Swift 说，“整个过程都是自发的，没有事先计划，没有人特意提议。我们都是出于爱而聚集在这里。”再一次，国内外的记者和球迷涌到这里，感受这幢公寓大楼的奇妙力场。

But the struggles are far from over. There’s still no running water, the concrete keeps crumbling, and the eviction notices continue. “We’re just surviving on our own,” says Corpin, a statement made with some pride rather than resignation. “We’re used to the fact that no one cares about us.”

然而，住户的斗争还远远没有结束——大楼里依然没有自来水，墙壁还在不断脱落，驱逐通知预计也将再次下达。Jennifer 表示：“我们一直都是孤军奋战、自食其力。”比起无奈，语气中却彰显出些许自豪，“我们已经习惯了不被人们关心的事实。”

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Contributor: Mike Steyels
Photographer: Earvin Perias
Chinese Translation: Olivia Li

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供稿人: Mike Steyels
摄影师: Earvin Perias
英译中: Olivia Li

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Much of our cultural vocabulary is rooted in belief systems that have constantly evolved throughout the centuries. In the Chinese language, the term used to describe the cause-and-effect of events is encapsulated in the Buddhist phrase, yīnguǒ (因果). The good fortune of making acquaintance with a like-minded person is regarded as yuánfèn (缘分), another expression borrowed from Buddhism. Such language, despite being derived from religion, is at the fundamentals of a secular society.

Chen Tianzhuo, born in 1985, belongs to a generation growing up within such a society but simultaneously experiencing a belief vacuum permeating its intellectual and cultural life. The search for spirituality is often accompanied by adapting rituals, belief systems, and mythology to contemporary understanding and needs.

在中文里，“因果”与“缘分”二词都起源于佛教。前者描述的是事件起因和结果；而后者则指与志趣相投的双方有幸邂逅。我们的语境中，不少字词都源于宗教文化，但已深深扎根于世俗社会。

1985 年出生的陈天灼，正是在这样的社会里成长的一代人，但在知识和文化方面，却又是生活在一片信仰的真空中。人们在精神追求方面，往往会因应现代生活的理解和需要，对宗教仪式、信仰体系和神话作出调整。

In his recently concluded exhibition, Recollection Pierces the Heart, Chen collated a kaleidoscope of icons and symbols from various religions, remodeling them into a visual vernacular that can be understood by the youth—which includes spraypaint scrawls and nods to rave culture. The painted works of the series are solely based on a recent trip to Tibet. In one painting, a barren tree branch is strewn across the scenery while a real stone protrudes from the bottom of the frame, a jarring element designed to disrupt the tranquility that the majestic mountain ranges originally evoked. But even more surprising is perhaps the three Chinese characters, wúmíng xíng (無名行), which translate to “Anonymous, Journey,” haphazardly scrawled against the sky-blue backdrop like amateur graffiti.

在他的展览《回忆刺穿心脏》中，陈天灼整理了一系列宗教符号和手势，加入了墙面喷绘和点赞文化等，将它们重塑成青年人可以理解的“视觉白话”。这系列的绘画作品源于他最近一次的西藏之行。在其中一幅画中，一根干枯的树桩横穿整个画面，还有一块真石头则从画面下方突出来。这些不和谐的元素打破了雄伟山景原有的宁静氛围。但更令人意外的是画面上的三个汉字“無名行”（意为“无名的旅程”），歪歪斜斜地写在蓝色天空上，就像随意的涂鸦一样。

Deeper into the heartland of the plateau and Chen’s imagination, five white stupas—Buddhist structures that house sacred reliquary—come into view. The gold of the stupa echoes the sandy hue of the arid land. Similar to the previous painting, crude graffiti markings are scribbled across the image: there is a message, one from Buddhist scriptures, written in Chinese atop the craggy terrain: birth, old age, death. The cycle of life.

Inhabiting the plateau are animals of the high altitude. In another painting, Chen’s tableau sees Tibetan mastiffs roaming around a temple ruins on which an image of a lama was painted. Unlike an icon that arouses awe in the passers-by, the lama assumes an awkward, comical expression with unproportionate facial features. The irreverent lama portrait, when alongside the sloppily drawn totem-shaped graffiti that covers the foreground, doesn’t feel all that strange. These works, contrasting the gravitas of a spiritual pilgrimage with lazy graffiti art, are a reminder that travelers like himself are tainting sacred lands such as Tibet by bringing a piece of their own urban, consumerist culture when they visit.

进入高原的中心地带，陈天灼的想象也变得更深入，五座白色佛塔（用于存放圣骨的佛教建筑）映入视野，金色佛塔顶与干旱土地相互呼应。与之前的作品一样，这幅画中也出现了粗劣的涂鸦符号，在崎岖的峭壁上，写着一条中文佛教经文：“生、老、死”，寓意生命的循环。

在高原生活着一些特别的动物，譬如在另一幅画中，陈天灼画了在寺庙遗址上游荡的藏獒，遗址上还画着一个喇嘛画像。不同于人们常见的那些严肃的喇嘛形象，画中的喇嘛有着夸张的五官，露出尴尬、滑稽的表情。这幅不敬的喇嘛肖像四周是一些胡乱涂画的图腾，充斥着画面的前景，以至于喇嘛画像看上去显得毫不突兀。这些作品将严肃神圣的元素与随意的涂鸦艺术相结合，似乎在提醒人们，像他这样的游客，正用自己带来的城市消费主义文化，玷污西藏这片圣地。

Elsewhere in the exhibition, a low display table hosts a row of 3D-printed figurines. Video-game protagonists of the future merged with mythical creatures of unknown origin. There is a cyberpunk aesthetic that somehow blends seamlessly into designs that draw from Japanese anime, Chinese folklores, and Hindu myths. With influences culled from such a wide range of sources, it’s difficult to pinpoint precise origins.

One figurine is shown with his tongue stuck out, a characteristic that could be either attributed to Kali, the goddess of death and time in Hinduism, or the spirit escort to the underworld from Chinese grandmas’ tales. He wields a sword engraved with serpent dragons while thrashing tentacles resembling reptilian tails emerge from beneath his robe. Another figurine with long hair and Caucasian features brandishes a  thorned quarterstaff. His combative stance is a striking contrast with the vines and flowers winding up his legs, elements that typically symbolize evoke gentleness, innocence, or purity.

在展览另一端，摆放着一个展示台，里面是一排 3D 打印的雕像。未来的电子游戏主角与神秘的神话生物糅合在一起，将网络朋克美学无缝融入日本动漫、中国民间传说和印度神话的图案符号。如此宽泛的取材，令人难以精确定义作品的灵感来源。

其中一个雕像伸出舌头，其灵感可能是印度教的死亡和时间女神迦梨（Kali），也可能是中国民间传说中护送亡灵的使者。这个雕像挥舞着一把刻有蛇龙的剑， 同时长袍下面扭动着像动物尾巴一样的触角。另一个雕像有着一头长发和白种人的五官，挥舞着布满棘刺的长棍，双腿缠绕着藤蔓和鲜花，这些元素通常象征着温柔、纯真或纯洁，这与他准备作战的姿态形成了鲜明对比。

The closer one examines these 3D models, the more visual references come to mind: Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the West from The Journey to The West, an elf from the fantastical world of J. R. R.  Tolkien, a samurai of ancient Nara, and more Even established religions, folk customs, and shamanism appear in various forms. Chen’s mix-and-match method of combining these disparate symbols and icons is his way of repackaging beliefs to fit snugly with today’s cosmopolitan taste.

仔细端详这些 3D 雕像，你会联想到更多不同到角色：《西游记》中的海龙王敖广、托尔金笔下魔幻世界里的精灵、古代日本奈良的武士，以及各种宗教、民俗和萨满教的元素。陈天灼将这些截然不同的符号和元素混搭在一起，以现代视角重新包装各种宗教信仰。

Such an approach is especially evident in his lightbox portraits. One lightbox depicts a man with three faces,  another one with upper rows of replicated teeth, conjuring imagery of multi-faced, multi-limbed wrathful gods, such as Vajrabhairava in Tantric Buddhism. All of these deities are heavily bejeweled with allegorical motifs from Chinese folk traditions, such as dragons, auspicious double-knots, peonies, and more. And yet, despite the time-honored symbols decorating the figures, they are void of the awe-inspiring qualities of the celestial beings. The palette of red, magenta, neon green, and hot pink is borderline gaudy, exacerbated by the tattoos on their foreheads and torsos  With large swathes of riotous colors and intricate patterns dominating the frame, not an inch of negative space is left.

这种创作理念在他的灯箱肖像画中尤为明显。在一幅灯箱画中，他描绘了一个有三张脸的男人，另一幅灯箱画上长着一排复制的牙齿，令人想起那些有着多张面孔、肢体繁多、神情凶狠的神灵，譬如密宗佛教中的金刚大威德。这些神像糅合丰富的中国民间传统图案，如龙、象征吉祥的如意结、牡丹等。然而，虽然布满历史悠久的符号，但这些画像却不像传统神灵那种令人敬畏。画面中充满各种大红、洋红、荧光绿和亮粉色，加上人物前额和身体上的纹身，令画面显得近乎花里胡哨；狂乱色彩与复杂的图案主宰着整个画面，不留下一寸空白。

It is hard to say if Chen is looking to create a simulacrum of the urban reality for us, or if he’s aiming to renovate our conventions of faith into consumables. The near-sacrilegious representation of sacred themes is part of his ongoing search into the notion of perception, an exploration of how people understand originality, universality, and more importantly, traditions.

As author James Baldwin once observed,  “it is absolutely inevitable that when a tradition has been evolved, whatever the tradition is, that the people, in general will suppose it to have existed from before the beginning of time and will be most unwilling and indeed unable to conceive any changes in it. They do not know how they will live  without those traditions which have given them their identity.” The origin of most traditions is centuries behind us, and with the onset of technology, we are moving further away from them. In the modern day, what are we holding onto that can still be considered original and ancestral? Chen’s works perhaps lend a glimpse to the possibilities of an answer.

很难定义陈天灼的作品是为我们创造了城市现实的模拟幻影，还是将人们的信仰演绎成现代的消耗品。他以近乎亵渎式的方式来诠释神圣主题，这也是他对认知理念的不断探索之一，以此来探讨人们如何理解独创性、普遍性以及传统。

正如美国作家詹姆斯·鲍德温（James Baldwin）所说： “当一种传统演化而成后，无论这种传统是什么，大众总会认为这种传统起源于人类存在之前，并且不愿意也无法想象对这种传统作出任何变化。人们无法想象失去这些传统后的生活，因为正是这些传统赋予了他们身份。”大多数传统的起源于多个世纪之前，随着科技的发展，我们离传统已经越来越远。在今天，还有什么是真正原创的、千古流传下来的东西呢？陈天灼的作品或许能让我们一窥可能的答案。

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Contributor: Ashley Shen
Chinese Translation: Olivia Li

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Website: www.tianzhuochen.com
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供稿人: Ashley Shen
英译中: Olivia Li

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A Woman’s World 女性的美，不是为了诱惑

December 4, 2020 2020年12月4日
Caribbean Sunset (1981) 46.8 x 61 cm / Acrylic on board 《Caribbean Sunset》(1981) 46.8 × 61 厘米 / 板上丙烯颜料

The 1970s in Japan started with a women’s liberation movement that aimed to overturn the repressed role females had in society. Before then, a male perspective had long defined femininity and how women should dress, act, and think. At the forefront of the transformative wave were the Harumi Gals, who bore new ideas that opposed how women were expected to behave in a man-dominated society.

These girls, however, are not of flesh and blood. They’re airbrush paintings by Harumi Yamaguchi, originally conceived as part of an ad campaign for PARCO, an iconic Japanese department store, of which she led alongside a small group of other women. The retail chain was the epitome of fashion and youth culture during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s in Japan.

20 世纪 70 年代，日本女性解放运动兴起，旨在推翻女性在社会中长期受压抑的地位。一直以来，人们从男性视角来定义女性气质，以此约束女性的着装、举止和思想。而 Harumi Gals 正是站在这次变革浪潮最前沿的先驱，她们带来全新的思想，反对以男性主导的社会对女性的约束。

但这些女孩却非血肉之躯，而是由山口晴美（Harumi Yamaguchi）创作的一系列喷枪画。这些角色最初是她和其他女性艺术家一起为日本著名百货公司 PARCO 创作的广告。在 20 世纪 70、80 和 90 年代，PARCO 百货是日本时尚和青年文化的象征。

Red Blouson (1985) 51.5 x 42 cm / Acrylic on board《Red Blouson》(1985) 51.5 x 42 厘米 / 板上丙烯颜料
Soft Heart (1979) 60.5 x 51.5 cm / Acrylic on board《Soft Heart》(1979) 60.5 x 51.5 厘米 / 板上丙烯颜料

Yamaguchi’s work contributed to turning PARCO into a social phenomenon. With smooth and curvy bodies, expressive eyes, and fleshy lips, her girls convey a bold sensuality, not aiming to seduce, but one that comes from within, born from the pure joy of being a woman. They also appear alone or among other women—not a man in sight. They live in a woman’s world.

“What Parco looked for in clients was an ‘independent woman.’ Someone who’s not just following a fad, but a person with their own opinions. I was always aware of this whenever I was painting a woman,” Yamaguchi says.

山口晴美的作品让 PARCO 百货掀起了一场社会运动。她所创造的女性形象身材曼妙、眼神生动、双唇丰满，散发着大胆的性感魅力；但这种性感并不是为了诱惑，而是来自她们内心作为女性那种纯粹的骄傲和喜悦。这些女性形象要么单独出现，要么和其他女性一起，总之不会出现男性的身影，仿佛她们生活在一个只有女性的世界里。

“PARCO 百货的目标客户是独立的女性，有主见、绝不随波逐流的女性。我在画每一个女性形象的时候，总是会特别注意这一点。”山口晴美

说道。

Poolside (1978) Acrylic on board《Poolside》(1978) 板上丙烯颜料
Peeking Lady (1980) 50 x 70 cm / Acrylic on board《Peeking Lady》(1985) 50 x 70 厘米 / 板上丙烯颜料
Dryer (1977) 46.3 x 65 cm / Acrylic on board《Dryer》(1977) 46.3 x 65 厘米 / 板上丙烯颜料

The garments her women wore represent the trends in 1970s and 1980s Japan. The style was often outdoorsy and sporty, with garments made of new synthetic fabrics and in bold colors, mirroring the style of icons like Jennifer Beals, in the classic Flashdance, or Jane Fonda in her workout VHS series. Short bikinis and lingerie are common recurrences. These women have a healthy and playful relationship with their bodies, not shy in baring skin. On their faces, intense blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, and contrasting lipstick work in tandem to emphasize their fierce expressions.

They don’t pretend that they’re not symbols of female consumerism; the commercial side of the works is evident. Still, instead of products, it’s a lifestyle they’re selling. “I produced advertisements from the perspective of inviting a wide range of new women to live as ‘healthy and independent women,” Yamaguchi says.

她笔下的女性打扮时髦，演绎着 20 世纪 70、80 年代的日本时尚趋势。她们的造型大多数为户外运动风：创新的化纤面料、大胆的色彩，颇似电影《闪舞》（Flashdance）里的詹妮弗·比尔斯（Jennifer Beals），或是简·方达（Jane Fonda）在运动课程 VHS 录影带中的造型，短款比基尼和贴身内衣也是常见的造型。这些女性自信地展现自己的身体，丝毫不会感到羞涩。她们抹上浓浓的腮红、眼影，画上眼线、睫毛膏，涂上鲜艳夺目的口红，彰显自己无所畏惧的个性态度。

但同时，她们从不掩饰自己作为女性消费的符号；这些作品的商业意图总是显而易见。尽管如此，这些广告推销的不只是产品，更是一种生活方式。“创作这些广告时，我的想法是号召更多女性成为更健康和更独立的女性。”山口晴美说道。

Coca Cola (1981) 47.3 x 64.6 cm / Acrylic on board 《Coca Cola》(1981) 47.3 x 64.6 厘米 / 板上丙烯颜料
Rouge (1981) Acrylic on board《Dryer》(1981) 板上丙烯颜料
Megaphone (1975) 45 x 61.7 cm / Acrylic on board《Megaphone》(1975) 45 x 61.7 厘米 / 板上丙烯颜料

An unmistakable feature of her girls, even though created in Japan, is that they look nothing like Japanese women. Yamaguchi reveals that she always strived for universality. “I paint figures of unknown nationality because I think people around the world will receive it with more universality than if I painted specifically Japanese faces,” she says.

They might not have a defined nationality, but most of them are Western-looking. Perhaps it’s an attempt to liberate them from the expected qualities of a Japanese woman: modesty, politeness, and compliancy. Likely, It was also to distinguish from Kawaii, or the ‘cute’ culture, that also gained popularity in Japan in the 1970s.

虽然她笔下的女性形象是面向日本消费者而创作的，但五官看起来却不像日本女性。山口解释这是因为她一直努力让作品拥有更广泛的普遍性。“我创作时不会给人物角色设定特定的国籍，因为我觉得比起画充满日本特色的面孔，这样模糊国籍的形象更易获得世界各地观众的共鸣。”她解释道。

虽然没有明确的国籍，但这些女性形象大多都是西方面孔。这或许是为了鼓励日本女性挣脱社会对她们的预期：谦虚、礼貌、守规矩；也可能是为了摆脱日本在 20 世纪 70 年代盛行的“卡哇伊”文化。

Lying on Ice (1979) 51.5 x 59.8 cm / Acrylic on board《Lying on Ice》(1979) 51.5 x 59.8 厘米 / 板上丙烯颜料
Plastic Hose (1976) 61.2 x 64 cm / Acrylic on board《Plastic Hose》(1976) 61.2 x 64 厘米 / 板上丙烯颜料
PARCO Grand Bazaar (1979) Acrylic on board《PARCO Grand Bazaar》(1979) 板上丙烯颜料

Born in the Shimane Prefecture in 1941, Yamaguchi grew up in post-war Japan, witnessing a moment of political and economic reconstruction. “After the war, the adults changed the educational system enormously. Freedom became the most precious substance in the postwar educational reform. My behavior was born naturally. I was free to create,” she says.

Graduating from the Tokyo University of the Arts, Yamaguchi was a pioneer in using airbrush painting in Japan, making it popular through her posters and adverts. It’s a technique based on air pressure, in which the painter sprays liquid paint into a surface, leaving no visible streaks or strokes. It allows outstanding shades and smooth transitions of colors and a realistic result. To delineate the shapes, the artist uses stencils and applies the last details and touches freehand.

山口晴美出生于 1941 年的岛根县，经历过战后的日本，目睹了政治和经济的重建过程。“战争结束后，人们对教育体系进行改革。追求自由成为战后教育改革中最重要的事情。我的创作理念也是自然形成的，我可以自由地创作。”她说道。

从东京艺术大学毕业后，山口成为日本最早一批使用喷枪创作的人，并通过她的海报和广告作品，使喷枪画流行开来。使用喷枪画创作时，需要利用空气压力，将颜料喷射到画布上，这种媒介在作画时不会留下一笔一划的痕迹，可以更好地呈现不同色调，实现色彩的平滑过渡，形成写实的绘画风格。艺术家在描绘轮廓时，需要使用模版，再徒手补充最后的细节。

Look & See (1976) 35.5 x 40 cm / Acrylic on board《Look & See》(1976) 35.5 x 40 厘米 / 板上丙烯颜料

In the advertising world, it is not uncommon to see pictures of well-kept and beautiful women. Still, they’re often represented as loving family members, cleaning and preparing for the household or are sexualized to attract the male gaze. The Harumi Gals are unique. Their eye contact and expression seem standoffish towards this male gaze as if stating that, with them, women are the ones observing, and not the other way around.

在广告世界里，身材姣好的美女很常见。然而，大多数时候，这些女性要么以顾家的形象出现，在清洁和做家务；要么一身性感打分，以此来吸引男性。但 Harumi Gals 却不一样。她们目光冷淡，似乎对男性的凝视毫不在意，令人感觉像是她们在凝视男性，而不是男性在凝视她们。

Tropical Fish (1976) 72.3 x 51.6 cm / Acrylic on board《Tropical Fish》(1981) 72.3 x 51.6 厘米 / 板上丙烯颜料
Formula Car (1976) 48.3 x 34 cm / Acrylic on board《Tropical Fish》(1981) 48.3 x 34 厘米 / 板上丙烯颜料

Advertisements have a strong capacity to change individual perspectives and affect society. Images can stir up emotions and change the status quo, consciously or unconsciously. The Harumi Gals contributed to changes in the Japanese mindset in the late 20th century, empowering women to aspire for liberation. Still today, they’re relevant. Not just Japan, but the entire world still needs their confidence and fierceness. “Even though we think we reached equality, there are countless situations where women are not in the same ballpark as men. We should continue to aim for true gender equality,” Yamaguchi says.

广告能改变人们的观点，影响整个社会；而图像能在自觉或不自觉间，激发人们的情绪，改变社会现状。Harumi Gals 的出现，影响了 20 世纪后期日本人们的想法，鼓励更多女性解放自我。直到今天，她们仍然在发挥着影响。不只是日本，整个世界都依然需要她们的自信与无畏。“虽然有人认为我们已经实现两性平等，但在很多时候，女性与男性的地位仍然是不平等的。我们应该继续争取真正的性别平等。”山口晴美说道。

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Instagram: @harumigals

 

Contributors: Tomas Pinheiro, Lucas Tinoco
Chinese Translation: Olivia Li
Images Courtesy of NANZUKA

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供稿人: Tomas Pinheiro, Lucas Tinoco
英译中: Olivia Li
图片由 NANZUKA 提供

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Flashes of Inspiration 街头怪谈

December 2, 2020 2020年12月2日

Sometimes you need to leave home in order to rediscover it. Thai photographer Kanrapee Chokpaiboon, having done just that, now has an easily identifiable style, one that makes use of a harsh, on-camera flash, a cast of curious characters, and a healthy dose of humor. His body of work, filled with images of his hometown and locales across the globe, is captured with a unique brand of intimate spontaneity.

有时候，或许当人们离开故土，才能重新发掘家乡的更多意义。对于泰国摄影师 Kanrapee Chokpaiboon 来说正是如此，在周游世界之后，他个人的拍摄风格逐渐清晰了起来：强曝光的相机内置闪光灯，记录下引人入胜的人物角色，外加一些幽默。镜头下的泰国以及其他国家，充满着一种独特的亲密与即兴感。

Chokpaiboon has kept a camera close by since high school, shooting his friends out skating and performing reckless stunts. He then went on to start a successful production company in college, but he never felt content with his work. There was always something missing. Once he moved to New York, however, a new world of possibilities opened up for him.

Kanrapee 从高中起就一直随身携带相机，捕捉滑板朋友们大胆的特技动作。后来在大学里，他又成立了一家制作公司，虽然很成功，但这份工作未能让他获得满足感，总觉得缺少了什么。直到搬到纽约生活，一个全新的世界仿佛在他面前打开。

The three years he spent in New York were completely dedicated to taking photos. “I shot every day, but it started to get repetitive for me,” Chokpaiboon recalls. “I had the skill, but I couldn’t find my ‘voice.’”

Conversing with other photographers in the city helped steer him in the right direction. He discovered artistic merit in the flash, learned how to craft a cohesive visual narrative, and found inspiration in fashion editorials. “New York is where every artist wants to be at least once in their lives,” he says. “It spurs innovation. People just don’t care so you can do or be whatever you want.”

三年的纽约生活，他全身心地投入到摄影领域。Kanrapee 回忆道：“我每天都会按按快门，但慢慢我开始感觉有些循规蹈矩。虽然掌握了一些不错的摄影技巧，但我始终无法找到自己的特色。”

在与纽约的其他摄影师交流过后，他慢慢找对了方向。他发现了闪光灯的艺术魅力，学会了如何用视觉打造连贯的叙事方式，并尝试从时尚摄影中获取灵感。他说：“每一个艺术家一生中至少要来纽约生活一次。这是一座激发创新的城市。没有人对你评头论脚，所以你可以做任何想做的事情，成为自己想要成为的人。”

In New York, Chokpaiboon focused on street photography. Under his shutter, everyday scenes were infused with a surreal aura; kids playing in a fire hydrant with the water backlit by the sunset; a group of firefighters swallowed by darkness, lit only by their reflective gear despite the daylight above; seagulls and falling snow glowing in the darkness of a deserted Coney Island beach. He captured the wide breadth of what New York has to offer with a carnival-like glee.

随后，Kanrapee 开始在纽约专注于街头摄影。在他的照片中，日常场景多了一层超现实的光环：迎着夕阳的逆光，孩子们在消防栓附近嬉闹；日光下，一群被黑暗吞没的消防员，在反光的外套下他们的轮廓若隐若现；在黑暗荒凉的科尼岛海滩中，海鸥和落雪熠熠夺目。他的照片带着嘉年华式的欢乐气氛，也展现了纽约生活的方方面面。

His travels later took him to Varanasi, India, one of the most important cities of Hinduism, where worshippers believe they can find salvation by dying and being cremated there. In his series The Good Place, Chokpaiboon captures the city and its people with his typical off-the-cuff approach and brilliant colors. Despite the cultural significance of the city, he presents it with a lighthearted humor. There’s an upside-down cardboard cutout being carried along the Ganges, a man dressed in all purple seemingly walking on water, and a hedgehog being held by an ash-covered man with a diabolic smile. “Varanasi is one of those places where old traditions are well preserved,” he says. “Their beliefs and faiths are strongly present and incorporated into their daily lives. I wanted to tell my own version of what I’ve seen there.”

后来，他旅行到印度瓦拉纳西，那里是最重要的印度教城市之一，当地教徒们相信人死后在这里火化就能获得救赎。在系列作品《The Good Place》中，Kanrapee 以他一贯的即兴抓拍风格和通亮的色彩，记录下在这座城市生活的人们。虽说这是一座具有重要宗教意义的城市，他依然选择诙谐幽默的方式来呈现：倒置的纸板模型沿着恒河漂流；穿着紫色衣服的男人仿佛行走在水面上；涂满石灰的男人手拿一只刺猬，面上露出邪恶的笑容。他说：“瓦拉纳西是一个将古老传统保存完好的地方。人们的信念和信仰深深融入到他们的日常生活中。我想用自己的方式，讲述我在那里的所见所闻。”

During his time overseas, street photography started to pick up steam back home in Thailand as well. Although it wasn’t well recognized when he left, it’s now quite popular, as evidenced by photographers like Tavepong Pratoomwong and groups like Street Photo Thailand, which he’s a proud member of. “It’s so easy to take photos now and street photography is something that newcomers can explore right away, so there are many emerging new styles,” Chokpaiboon says. But it also helps that his homeland is so charismatic.

出国旅行期间，街头摄影的接受度在泰国也越来越高。而在他当初离开的时候，街头摄影还没有像现在这般盛行。现在，泰国涌现了一批像 Tavepong Pratoomwong 等摄影师和 Street Photo Thailand 之类的摄影团体。“现在摄影相对于过去方便多了，几乎所有人都能在街头按几下快门，同时也出现了很多新的摄影风格。”Kanrapee 说道。但街头摄影还有一个吸引人们的原因，那就是泰国街头的无穷魅力。

“When I returned home, it was like I came back with a new set of eyes, and I started seeing and appreciating scenes that once I thought of as really mundane and ordinary,” Chokpaiboon says. “I started finding the mismatching contrasts between people, places, things, and actions, capturing them as I saw them.” He’s been compiling these shots in his Raw Thai series, which mostly consists of charming but unconventional portraits that mostly avoids showing a subject’s face in its entirety. There’s an aunty with a purple beehive hairdo, two mysterious human figures in the street covered entirely by ocher-yellow fabric, and a gap-toothed man with a wide grin, the off-white color of teeth seemingly matching his yellow tuxedo. Then there’s a dog with purple fur, a fake palm tree desecrated by dog pee, and a hand with two thumbs.

Kanrapee 说：“回国后，我的双眼像焕然一新，开始学会发现和欣赏那些以前我觉得平凡无奇的生活场景。我开始留意那些突兀又抢眼的人物、环境、事物和行为，在发现的一瞬间用镜头捕捉下来。”他最近一直在创作《Raw Thai》系列，其中大部分是有趣的人物肖像，不落俗套的风格，其中大多数的照片所呈现的都是不完整的人物面部：一个顶着紫色蜂窝头发型的阿姨；街上两个披着黄赭色布料的神秘人；露出大大笑容的男人，稀疏的白色牙齿与黄色的燕尾服相得益彰；还有紫色毛的小狗、布满狗尿痕迹的人造棕榈树，以及长了两根大拇指的手掌。

One of the great things about street photography is its randomness. Even with skills and patience, a photographer still needs a healthy bit of luck. Chokpaiboon says he’s learned to roll with the unpredictability of the genre: “I used to pressure myself to go out to shoot and get a good photo every day. But now I only go out when I feel like it and it’s ok if I don’t get anything. It inspires me to go out and enjoy that time. It turns out that I found better scenes and subjects this way.”

街头摄影的魅力之一在于其随机性。即使有再多的技巧和耐心，要拍摄一张好的照片，摄影师仍然需要一点运气。Kanrapee 说自己学会了接受街头摄影的不可预测性：“我以前经常强迫自己每天出去拍一张好照片。但现在一切随缘，即使没有拍到一张好照片，我也觉得无所谓。摄影激励我多出去走走，好好享受那段时间。我发现这样反而更容易捕捉到有趣的场景和拍摄对象。”

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Website: www.kanrapee.com
Instagram: @kanrapee.chok

 

Contributor: Mike Steyels
Chinese Translation: Olivia Li

喜欢我们的故事？欢迎关注我们 Neocha 的微博与微信。

 

网站: www.kanrapee.com
Instagram: @kanrapee.chok

 

供稿人: Mike Steyels
英译中: Olivia Li

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Creatures of Avarice “裹上糖衣的苦药更易下咽”

November 27, 2020 2020年11月27日

A bitter pill can be more easily swallowed when it‘s coated with candy; it’s a philosophy that Shafiq Nordin is well aware of. The Malaysian artist broaches difficult topics with colorful paintings featuring comical, albeit unsightly, monsters portrayed with exposed muscle tissue, visible intestines, and bulging eyes. These creatures—coupled with fast-food references and nods to contemporary fashion—have become a way for him to talk about issues that range from quarantine to the commodification of art.

裹上糖衣的苦药更易下咽。马来西亚艺术家 Shafiq Nordin 很清楚这个道理，因为他尤其擅长用鲜艳的色彩和滑稽的角色来探讨复杂的话题。他的绘画作品充满了各种奇特的怪物，这些怪物坦露着肌肉组织和内脏，长着凸出的眼珠，中间还糅合了各种快餐文化和现代时尚元素。Shafiq 借助这些元素，在作品中探讨着各种各样的话题，包括疫情下人们隔离的生活以及艺术商业化问题等等。

In one painting, Godzilla tramples around with a neck ruffle and a pair of Nike sneakers on wooden legs. Elsewhere on its body, similar wooden limbs protrude every which way. One appendage—seemingly growing out of his intestines—holds up a sign that reads, “It’s not art until it’s red dot.” The red-dot sticker, which signifies a sold piece of art, displays the artist’s worries about art’s commercialization. It’s a constant concern across his art. “It’s like you enter this system where artists are expected to just go with the flow,” Nordin says. “We’re simply fulfilling orders from certain groups of people. It makes me feel used.”

在其中一幅作品中，一只哥斯拉脖子上戴着百褶领，木脚上踩着一双耐克运动鞋，正四处游走。木制四肢从它身体其他部位伸出来，其中一只像是从内脏长出来一样，举着一个牌子，上面写着：“贴上‘已售’红点，才称得上是艺术。”（It’s not art until it’s red dot.）红点贴纸是指已售出的艺术品，以此暗含他对艺术商业化问题的担忧。这种担忧贯穿了他的所有艺术作品。Shafiq 说：“整个社会像是在要求艺术家们随波逐流。我们仿佛只是在执行别人下达的命令。这让我感觉自己就像是一个工具人一样。”

Nordin regularly touches on the need to stay afloat in the art world. In many paintings, his characters stand in boxes of water, which he says represent fragility. “It’s a soft reminder that we don’t always stay on top,” he says. “We can drown at any time if we get too comfortable.” Less subtle symbols, such as dollar signs, are also frequently plastered throughout his work.

Shafiq 经常探讨在行业生存的问题。在他的许多作品中，他笔下的角色站在水箱上，以此象征脆弱。他指出：“这其实是在提醒人们，我们不可能永远保持领先地位。如果太得意忘形，也可能随时被淹死。”此外，他的作品中还会用到其他更明显的象征元素，譬如美元的货币符号。

Despite his unease with the business of art, Nordin is also realistic about navigating the industry. “In order to make my dreams come true, I’ll endure it all and maintain a consistent quality in my work.” Often he leverages pop and street culture as a way of making art that resonates with a broader audience. “Brand collaborations between artists and the fashion world open up entirely new venues, and I’m fully embracing that strategy,” he says. “Art enthusiasts can enjoy a piece of artwork outside of the gallery and people who can’t afford an expensive piece of art can buy merch at an affordable price.” Apparel like Vans and Louis Vuitton patterns can often be found scattered throughout his monster portraits.

尽管艺术商业化令他感到不安，但 Shafiq 对于世界的看法很现实。“要实现我的梦想，我愿意忍受这一切，并努力保持作品质量。”他喜欢用流行文化和街头文化元素来创作，吸引更广泛的观众。他说：“艺术家与时装品牌之间的合作开辟了新的可能，我非常赞同这种合作。艺术爱好者可以在画廊之外欣赏艺术品，买不起昂贵艺术品的人们也可以选择价格更实惠的商品。”在他充满怪物的画作中也经常能看到 Vans 和 LV 这类时尚品牌的标志元素。

As Nordin has gained more notoriety he’s also started more explicitly making statement pieces. “I was a bit too cautious when I was still considered a ‘freshie,’ but my recent works have been more open about sharing a message.” In one of these newer paintings, he tackles the topic of misinformation, expressing frustration with the media and stay-at-home orders during the pandemic. A genie floating on a cloud of toxic smoke has a head that’s partially an outdated camera and newspapers protrude from its belly with a headline that reads, “FAKE NEWS.” Intestines featuring the word “PANIC” are wrapped sound the fumes while a gas mask is hung nearby and a bottle of hand sanitizer leaks in its hand. It’s unclear who’s at fault here, but things have clearly gone awry. 

随着自己的知名度越来越高，Shafiq 开始更大胆地在作品中表达自己的态度。“当我还只是一个‘新人’时，我画画时会比较谨慎；但我最近会更敢于表达自己的理念。”在近期一幅作品中，他探讨了关于假新闻的问题，表达了他在疫情期间对媒体的失望，以及居家隔离这种措施带来的沮丧感。在这幅画中，一只怪物漂浮在一团毒烟上，它的头部由一部旧式相机组成，报纸从它的肚子里伸出来，上面赫然写着“FAKE NEWS”（假新闻）几个字。它的肠子缠绕着烟雾，并组成了“PANIC”（恐慌）的字样，而旁边则挂着一个防毒面具，手中还拿着一瓶洗手液。虽然这幅画没有说明过错在哪一方，但毋庸置疑，人们正面临困境。

Nordin still refuses to take himself too seriously. In fact, he thinks no artist should. “What’s symbolic to an artist might only have an effect on their art scene,” he says. “We call this jaguh kampung, someone who feels they’re a hero but in reality, it’s only true on their home turf.” 

Regardless of whether a viewer agrees or can relate with the deeper meanings behind Nordin’s work, they can still appreciate it on a surface level. It’s vibrant and eye-catching, allowing audiences to get lost in the detailed layers. “Sure, there’s heavy content, but the first thing you notice is the eye candy!” he grins. “Even if you do follow my narrative, it’s still pretty sarcastic.”

Shafiq 并不觉得自己有多了不起，事实上，他认为所有艺术家都不应该这样想。他说：“对一个艺术家来说，那些充满象征意义的符号或许只在艺术圈子里有意义。这就是我们所说的’jaguh kampung’，指的是一些自诩了不起的人，但他们其实不过是在自己的专业领域做得还行而已。

无论观众是否认同 Shafiq 作品背后的深层含义，仍然可以欣赏他的画作。充满活力的色彩，令人眼前一亮，同时也不失幽默；丰富复杂的细节引人入胜。“虽然这些画讨论的是一些沉重的话题，但观众首先注意到的是有趣的视觉画面。”他狡黠一笑，“即使你跟上了我的叙事风格，那依然相当讽刺。”

Like our stories? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

 

Instagram: @shafiq.nordin

 

Contributor: Mike Steyels
Chinese Translation: Olivia Li

喜欢我们的故事？欢迎关注我们 Neocha 的微博与微信。

 

Instagram: @shafiq.nordin

 

供稿人: Mike Steyels
英译中: Olivia Li

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⚠️ Typhoon Vamco ⚠️ 强台风来袭！

November 24, 2020 2020年11月24日
Photographer Jilson Tiu is selling prints on Alternative Help, which sells art prints with all benefits going towards local relief operations. 摄影师: Jilson Tiu

After being slammed by a major storm the week before the last, the Philippines is still reeling from the aftermath. Typhoon Vamco (called Ulysses in the Philippines) left over 70 people dead and forced 300,000 people to evacuate. The health department is on alert for a post-typhoon outbreak of diseases. The spread of COVID-19 is also a major concern. There’s additionally been about $210 million in infrastructure and agriculture damage.

The storm made direct landfall over Metro Manila, wreaking heavy destruction in Marikina, a city on its east side. Helicopter footage showed an uninterrupted stretch of inundated homes across 90 seconds of flight. According to the mayor, 40,000 houses in the city had been submerged, and they’re still buried in knee-deep mud. Overall it cost Marikina around $620 million.

遭遇超强台风“环高”（Ulysses）的猛烈袭击后，菲律宾至今尚未恢复过来。这次台风过境，造成了当地 70 多人死亡，30 万人流离失所。当地卫生部门正警惕台风过后可能出现的疾病暴发，新冠病毒的传播也令人担忧。这次台风对当地基础设施和农业造成高达 2.1 亿美元的损失。

这场台风直接登陆马尼拉大都会，严重摧毁其东侧城市马里基纳。一段直升机录像显示，在长达 90 秒钟的飞行拍摄中，被淹没房屋连绵不断。当地市长称，该市有 40,000 间房屋被淹没，至今仍埋在膝盖深的泥土中。这场台风中，马里基纳的损失共计约 6.2 亿美元。

Photographer: Jilson Tiu 摄影师: Jilson Tiu
Photographer: Jilson Tiu 摄影师: Jilson Tiu

Marx Fidel drew a comic strip about the experience of being stranded on a roof surrounded by floodwaters in the dark of night. It ends on a dark note, with the final frame based on actual messages sent during the disaster that reads: “It’s already so dark in here. Our neighbors are gone, and I’ve seen floating bodies around. My battery is almost gone too. If this is my last message to you, please always be safe.”

Marx Fidel 画了一幅连环画，讲述在漆黑的夜晚，人们被困于屋顶上，四周被洪水包围的经历。连环画最后有一段文字，来自台风期间发送的一则真实短信，内容为：“四周黑暗一片。邻居都走光了，浮尸遍地。我的手机也快没电了。如果这条短信不幸成为你我最后的通讯，记得好好保重自己。”

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Neighboring provinces were also hit, especially in Rizal, just east of Marikina, where destruction was nearly just as bad. Cagayan Valley, a region at the northern peak of the country, was also hit especially hard after the local dam opened its spill gates at the height of the storm—despite early warnings—releasing a massive deluge of water into the area. More than 11,000 families were evacuated. The region is also one of the country’s main sources of rice.

Guri Guri, also known as baka, created the below illustrated action item list of how to help out. It’s mainly written in Tagalog but the artwork is universal. He designed it in cooperation with Kwago, a non-profit publishing house.

邻近的省份也深受打击，特别是在马里基纳以东的黎刹（Rizal），那里遭受的破坏同样严重。位于菲律宾北部的卡加延河谷（Cagayan Valley），尽管当地早有预警，但由于大坝在台风最猛烈的时候打开了泄洪闸门，输入大量洪水，对当地造成严重打击，超过 11,000 个家庭被疏散。而当地还是菲律宾主要的大米生产地之一。

Guri Guri（又名 baka）创作了系列插画，列出人们可以向外求援的方式。这是他与非营利性出版社 Kwago 合作设计的。虽然清单是用他加禄语写，但艺术无分国界。

Because of the climate crisis, typhoons are stronger and more frequent now. Although the Philippines has one of the world’s lowest rates of carbon emissions per capita, it’s been hit by the three worst storms in Earth’s recorded history.

This was the fourth storm of the month in The Philippines, and just a week earlier, the capital city was narrowly missed by Typhoon Rolly (locally known as Goni), which was regarded as the most powerful storm of 2020. Although Metro Manila was relatively unscathed by Rolly, other parts of the country were still recovering when Vamco hit, and the soil was still saturated so it couldn’t absorb rainwater. Global heating is undeniable, but issues like waste clogged rivers, mining, and deforestation have further exacerbated the flooding.

由于气候危机，现在的台风变得越来越强烈，也越来越频繁。虽然菲律宾的人均碳排放量是世界上最低的国家之一，但却遭受了地球上有记录以来的三场最严重风暴的袭击。

这已经是菲律宾本月遭受的第四次台风，就在一周前，首都马尼拉才避过了超强台风天鹅（Goni）的袭击。这场台风是 2020 年全球最强烈的台风。尽管马尼拉大都会区逃过一劫，但当台风“环高”袭击时，其他地区仍在恢复中，当地土壤仍处于饱和状态，已经无法吸收更多的雨水。除了全球变暖，被垃圾堵塞的河流、采矿和森林砍伐等问题也进一步加剧了洪水泛滥。

Mikaella Joaquin created this Resiliency / Accountability graphic design to discuss the common complaint that Filipinos are often lauded as resilient people but that their leaders are too infrequently held accountable. Mikaella Joaquin 创作了这幅《韧性/责任感》作品，旨在探讨一个由来已久的问题：即人们常称赞菲律宾人富有韧性，却很少追究当地政府领导人的责任。
Novice Magazine is selling a number of artworks, including this one by Tin Javier. Novice Magazine正在出售多幅艺术作品，包括 Tin Javier的这幅作品。

Before Vamco was even over, local creatives sprung into action. The Filipino artist community, particularly the illustration and design communities, mobilize quickly around causes, using their popularity and skills to help out, and this time it was no different. They used their social media to share disaster hotlines, listing places to send donations, and spreading word of people in need of rescue (who were sometimes stranded on their roofs for 13 hours). To raise funds for victims, a number of artists have been selling paintings and prints, or offering commissions in exchange for donations. Others have been creating work that deals directly with the issues at hand as a means of sparking discussion around government response. This article collects some of our favorites. Please consider purchasing from one of these creatives, or even donating to a cause directly!

台风“环高”尚未结束时，当地创意人士就已经行动起来，利用他们的社交媒体影响力，分享灾难求助热线和捐赠地点，传播需要救援的人们的消息，这些人有的已经被困在屋顶上长达 13 个小时。一直以来，艺术家社区，尤其是插图和设计社区，总是运用他们的影响力和才能来支持各种运动，这次也同样如此。为了给受害者筹集资金，众多艺术家纷纷出售自己的绘画作品，或者提供慈善绘画活动，以换取捐款。还有的艺术家通过自己的创作，讲述当下的社会问题，引发人们的关注和讨论。我们收集了其中一些优秀的作品，欢迎大家踊跃购买，或直接提供捐赠！

Artifact Studios is selling risograph-printed postcards designed by Liam Andrew Cura to support Bad Student, a local risograph studio that was flooded in the storm. Artifact Studios 正在 出售 由 Liam Andrew Cura 设计的 Risograph（孔版印刷）明信片，以支持当地在台风中被洪水淹没的孔版印刷工作室 Bad Student
Bastinoud is accepting commissions in exchange for donations. You can get an illustrated version of yourself, pet, or family member. Bastinoud 提供慈善绘画，以换取捐款。你可以选择画自己、宠物或家人的肖像画。
Abby Banugon is selling her abstract painting Daloy, which she says is an interpretation of the storm itself. Abby Banugon 出售的是她的一幅抽象绘画《Daloy》，画中描画了这场超强台风。
Jo Malinis is selling a font with a design that’s based around the idea of a life vest. Jo Malinis在出售的是他以救生衣为灵感设计的字体。
Kurt Lucas, better known as Kurboi, is selling a coloring book. This illustration isn't in it, but we dig it. Kurt Lucas（又名 Kurboi）正在出售一本涂色书。以上是一张他的出色插图作品，但未收录在这本涂色书中。

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Contributor: Mike Steyels
Chinese Translation: Olivia Li

喜欢我们的故事？欢迎关注我们 Neocha 的微博与微信。

 

供稿人: Mike Steyels
英译中: Olivia Li

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Sounds of the Y2K 高嘉丰谁人？

November 23, 2020 2020年11月23日

​​Tucked away under a noisy overpass in Shanghai is Yuyintang, one of the city’s best-known livehouses, and it’s where we met up with musician Gao Jiafeng on his latest tour. His live shows are unlike other musical acts, with parts of his performance dedicated to stand-up comedy and reciting poems. Instead of a VJ, he uses a Keynote presentation as stage visuals. At one point in the show, he even receives a mini bouquet of vegetables onstage as a gift from his fans. There’s an effortless playfulness to both his music and live performances that feels immensely refreshing. 

隐藏在上海嘈杂立交桥下的小角落下的“育音堂”，是这座城市最著名的 livehouse 之一，而我们也在这里见到了音乐人高嘉丰的最新巡演。他的现场演出与其他音乐人不同，一部分表演专门用于脱口秀和朗诵诗词。他没有用 VJ，而是用 Keynote 演示作为舞台视觉效果。在演出中，他甚至有一次在舞台上收到了粉丝送的一束迷你蔬菜。他的音乐和现场表演都有一种毫不费力的俏皮感，让人感觉非常新鲜。

​​Throughout the years, Gao has experimented with a wide variety of genres: noise music, jazz, classical, hip-hop, not to mention pop and electronic music. The expansive range of influences and sounds makes his body of work particularly hard to define. “I don’t want to be tied down by the idea of genres,” he says. “I just want to make music and I feel that ‘genres’ are something that I can use and pull inspiration from. . . I’ve learned that it’s important to embrace things that are new and different and I’ve come to embrace all kinds of genres of music.”

 

Listen to selects track from the album Emotional Dance Music below:

多年来，高嘉丰尝试了多种类型的音乐：噪音、爵士、古典、嘻哈，流行音乐和电子音乐更是手到擒来。这些广泛的影响和声音使得他的作品体系特别难以定义。“我不想被流派的概念所束缚，”他说，“我只是想做音乐，我觉得‘流派’是我可以使用和汲取灵感的东西……我了解到，拥抱新兴内容和不同的东西是很重要的，我已经开始接纳各种类型的音乐。”

 

点击即可试听:

It’s a philosophy that Gao clearly demonstrates throughout Emotional Dance Music, an album that sees the talented artist tapping into disparate influences, with the most prominent being the early 2000’s electro & Japanese pop sounds, which are underlined by Eurobeat rhythms that harken back to the videogames of that era, such as Dance Dance Revolution. Not limited to only the sound design of the album, the video-game thematics also extends to the album art, lyrical content, and even a DDR-like dance game that can be purchased on his website. Together, the LP feels like the sonic equivalent of Wreck-It Ralph.

在《Emotional Dance》中，高嘉丰清晰地展现了不同流派的风格影响，最突出的是 2000 年早期的电音和日本流行音乐，而欧洲节拍（Eurobeat）的节奏则让人联想到那个时代的电子游戏，比如《劲舞革命》。不仅仅是专辑的声音设计，电子游戏的主题也延伸到专辑的艺术、歌词内容，甚至可以在他的网站上购买类似《劲舞革命》那样的舞蹈游戏。所以听这张 LP 的感觉，犹如步入《无敌破坏王》里的卡通世界一样。

The LP is Gao’s contemporary take on the sounds of the Y2K era, yet its jubilant and hurried melodies can be deceptive. As the album name suggests, Gao looks to convey different emotions with this project, with melancholy as one that sits at the forefront. “My past work was more flamboyant and gimmicky,” he notes. “But with my more recent work, I wanted to create music that was more personal, music that people could connect with.” He says he was inspired by music that uses “fake and cheesy pop sounds in an intentional way, like someone made it sounds like that on purpose for some reason… Stuff built of cliches… Beautiful, trashy cliches. Compared to [other artists], I tend to different grab cliches of a different time, like the 80s, 90s, 2000s and from a different context, to make a different end product.”

这张专辑是高嘉丰对千禧时代声音的当代演绎，那些欢快而匆忙的旋律，却显得极具欺骗性。正如专辑名字所暗示的那样，高嘉丰希望通过这个项目传达不同的情绪，而忧郁在其中位列前茅。“我以前的音乐比较张扬一点，比较有噱头一点， 然后近期的音乐会做一些比较内心的东西吧。”他说，他的灵感来自于那些“造假的、俗气的流行音效，就像有人出于某种原因故意让它听起来像那样……这些建立在‘陈腔滥调’上的东西，美丽、廉价而老套。与其他艺术家相比，我倾向于不同的抓取不同时代的老套内容，比如 80 年代、90 年代、00 年代都有，从不同的背景下，做出不同的最终产品。”

Throughout the album’s 10 tracks, Gao explores how technology has made our relationships surface level, contradictory, and ultimately complicated. The album takes the listener on a journey through Gao’s relationship with a romantic partner. It begins with elation, but as their relationship becomes more convoluted, the story takes a depressing turn. In “Everyday With You”, Gao proclaims that love is ultimately a game with no clear prize, a sad reality in today’s world. It’s a sharp contrast with “Facetime Love,” a song where their affection peaks before the eventual decline. As the LP progresses, Gao dives deeper into his meditations on heartbreak and inner conflict as well as the superficiality of love today.

在整张专辑的 10 首歌曲中，高嘉丰探讨了科技如何让我们的关系变得流于表面且矛盾重重，最终变得复杂不已。这张专辑带着听众踏上了高嘉丰与他伴侣的浪漫关系之旅。一开始是欣喜若狂，但随着他们的关系变得越来越复杂，故事的走向也越来越压抑。在《和你的每一天》中，高嘉丰宣称爱情终究是一场没有明确奖品的游戏，这是当今世界的悲哀。这与《Facetime Love》形成了鲜明的对比，在这首歌中，他们的感情先达到顶峰，再最终走向衰落。随着 LP 的进展，高嘉丰更深入地思考了心碎和内心的冲突，以及当今时代爱情的肤浅。

For Gao, it’s been a long journey to his debut album. Throughout his career, he’s experimented with music from every possible angle, from studying classical and modern composers to auditioning for the reality TV show The Rap of China. He’s also faced his share of controversy, whether it’s from Taiwanese pop star Yoga Lin performing one of his songs at a festival without Gao’s permission to criticism of Gao buying lyrics from Taobao.

对于高嘉丰来说，他的首张专辑诞生之途可谓漫漫。他在职业生涯中会从各种可能的角度尝试音乐，从学习古典和现代作曲，到参加真人秀节目《中国新说唱》的试音。他也面临着不少争议，比如台湾流行歌手林宥嘉未经允许在音乐节上演唱他的一首歌曲，以及不少人抨击他从淘宝购买歌词的行为。

Through it all, Gao has managed to carry himself with a carefree and fearless spirit, which perhaps is his greatest asset, one that’s allowed him to experiment at the intersection of so many genres and enabled him and his newest album to truly exist in a lane of his own.

一路走来，高嘉丰都是带着无忧无虑的精神去面对一切，这也许是他最大的财富，让他能够在众多风格的交叉点上进行尝试，且最终能够坚守在自己风格的道路上愈走愈远。

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Instagram: @jiafeng_oppical
Facebook: ~/jiafengofficial
Bandcamp: jiafeng.bandcamp.com

 

Contributor: Jesse Chow
Photographer: Mathieu Rabary
Chinese Translation: Olivia Li

喜欢我们的故事？欢迎关注我们 Neocha 的微博与微信。

 

Instagram: @jiafeng_oppical
Facebook: ~/jiafengofficial
Bandcamp: jiafeng.bandcamp.com

 

供稿人: Jesse Chow
摄影师: Mathieu Rabary
英译中: Olivia Li

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Orbs of Waste 球球了，别消费了

November 20, 2020 2020年11月20日

Behemothian orbs hovering above landfills are more than a recurrent sight in the works of Japanese artist Masakatsu Sashie; they’re the singular subject matter of his art. Since 1996, he has shown these mysterious spheres in countless paintings and sculptures. Its symbolism, however, remains the same, rooted in concepts of havoc and time. “The orbs represent humanity—they represent us,” he says.

悬浮于垃圾填埋场上空的巨型球体是日本艺术家 Masakatsu Sashie（指江昌克）作品中最常见的元素；更准确地说，这是他的艺术作品唯一的主题。从 1996 年以来，他在无数幅绘画和雕塑作品中展示了各式各样的神秘球体，其象征意义也始终如一，讲述地球浩劫与时间变迁的概念。“这些球体代表着人类——也就是我们自己。”他解释道。

The large three-dimensional globes dominate his paintings, an intrusive object that feels utterly out of place. They’re assemblages of man-made components, such as televisions, vending machines, and advertising signs, elements that appear old and unsightly, unwanted trash that belong in landfills absorbed by some sort of otherworldly energy to form the orb.

巨型的三维球体占据大部分的画面，像是贸然闯入的异次元物体，有种格格不入的感觉。这些球体由各种破旧的人造零部件组成，如电视机、自动售货机和广告招牌，仿佛是垃圾填埋场的废物被某种奇异的力量吸聚在一起，从而形成这个巨型的球体。

In the background, under polluted skies, a gloomy Tokyo skyline is often present, recognizable by iconic landmarks such as the Tokyo Tower and the Sky Tree. There’s a conspicuous absence of natural elements in his paintings. Not even Mount Fuji, commonly seen in depictions of Tokyo’s skyline, makes an appearance.

画面的背景通常是灰暗的天空与东京城市天际线，可以看到东京的地标建筑，如东京塔和天空树。在他的绘画中完全没有一点自然的元素，甚至也看不到东京标志性的富士山的踪影。

Only in rare instances are organic life forms shown in his works, such as a lone mouse gazing up at the ominous globe hovering overhead. Still, there’s a constant allusion to human existence just outside of the frame—the rubbish and debris of his work, seemingly a critique of modern consumption habits and wasteful practices.

只有在极少数情况下，才会在他的作品中看到生命体，譬如一只老鼠正在眺望悬浮球体。尽管如此，你仍能从他的画面中，看到对于人类的暗示——各种垃圾和废墟，似乎是在批判现代社会的消费习惯和铺张浪费。

The concept of time is another prevalent theme in Sashie’s art. “The landfills are full of man-made objects, representing the accumulation of time,” he says. The notion of time is also expressed by the juxtaposition between dated objects, alluding to the past and the city’s modern skyline, indicating the present, while the post-apocalyptic settings seem to be his prophecies of the future.

时间概念是 Masakatsu 作品的另一个常见主题。“垃圾填埋场里充斥着各种人造物品，寓意着时间的累积。”他说道。此外，过时的物体与现代化的城市天际线并列在一起，暗指过去与现在，而世界末日般的环境仿佛是他对于人类未来的预言。

Sashie often includes logos of Japanese and American corporations in his paintings. Notably, in one of his few pictures without an orb, Sashie depicts a fleet of warships that—similar to his planet-like orbs—mash together familiar signs and structures, but instead of trash, American fast-food chains, such as McDonald’s and Starbucks, have been melded together. The fleet maneuvers through a sea of waste, flying the flag of global consumerism, as if on its way to conquer other lands.

Masakatsu 经常在画中描绘一些日本和美国企业的标志。值得注意的是，在他为数不多没有球体的作品中，Masakatsu 描绘了一支战舰队伍，将各种人们熟悉的品牌标志和招牌糅合在一起，包括美国快餐连锁品牌，如麦当劳和星巴克。这支舰队带着全球消费主义的旗帜，飞过一片垃圾的海洋，仿佛正要前往征服其他地域。

His musings on humanity and time started in his hometown, Kanazawa. “Kanazawa is like a miniature garden, where the obsolete and the modern coexist,” he says. “Because of its distance from other urban centers, there’s a sense of isolation that allowed me to consider the tide of times.” Sashie was also drawn to the art of bonsai and dioramas from a young age and, today, his art appears as his own miniature world of sorts. “I start my creations by making a story; it’s like creating a world.”

Sashie asserts that his works are impartial, in that they’re neither negative nor positive outlooks. But the paintings speak for themselves, and like crystal balls, his orbs give a glimpse of a possible future, however frightening it may be, warning us of the risks of rampant consumerism and neglectful waste. “I’m glad if my works serve as a clue for the viewer to start thinking about how they see the future,” he says.

他对人性和时间的思考源于他的家乡金泽（Kanazawa）。他说：“金泽就像一个微型花园，一个过去和现代共存的地方。因为远离城市，这种隔离感让我能够好好思考时代的变迁。”此外，Masakatsu 从小就对艺术盆景和立体模型很感兴趣，他的艺术作品仿佛是他自己打造的一个微型世界。“我在创作前会先想好一个故事，就像是在创造一个世界。”

Masakatsu 坚称自己的作品代表中性的立场，对未来的展望既非悲观也不是乐观。但是这些画作的意思不言而喻，就像魔法水晶球一样，他的球体让观众瞥见了一个可怕的未来，警告着人们肆无忌惮的消费主义和铺张浪费所带来的危险。“如果我的作品能让观众开始思考未来，我也挺高兴的。”他说道。

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Website: www.sal-s.com
Instagram: @masakatsusashie
Facebook: ~/SashieMasakatsu

 

Contributors: Tomas Pinheiro, Lucas Tinoco
Chinese Translation: Olivia Li

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网站: www.sal-s.com
Instagram: @masakatsusashie
Facebook: ~/SashieMasakatsu

 

供稿人: Tomas Pinheiro, Lucas Tinoco
英译中: Olivia Li

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The Winds of Change 从天而降的垃圾！

November 16, 2020 2020年11月16日

It was raining trash! It fell in slow-mo, adding to the growing heap on the ground. With the stage lighting, it looked almost pretty. This is Synesthesia—a theatrical indictment about a not-so-pretty subject: trash, trash, trash, and how humans and corporations can be so callous and careless about something they started. In a 15- minute-long performance that premiered at Gerak Angin, Malaysia’s first virtual performing-arts festival, which took place from September 16th to October 2nd, viewers were presented with a powerful enactment of a battle between Mother Earth, humans, and corporations.

天降垃圾了！掉落的垃圾就像慢动作一般，渐渐在地上堆积；因为有了舞台灯光的映衬，这个场景竟然还带着一丝美感……这是《Synesthesia》，一个以“垃圾”为主题的戏剧表演，以此控诉人类和一些企业对自己造成的环境问题的漠不关心。这场长达 15 分钟的表演在 9 月 16 日至 10 月 2 日举办的马来西亚首个虚拟表演艺术节 Gerak Angin 上首演，通过震撼人心的表演，向观众展示了地球母亲、人类与企业之间的战斗。

 

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From a broader perspective, what Gerak Angin offered was a look at the ethnic soul of Malaysia from an arts-centric point of view. The Malay phrase gerak angin, literally translates as “move wind.” It originated from the Malaysian state of Kelantan and was aligned with the healing rituals and opening ceremonies of traditional performances like Mak Yong and Main Puteri. It was the term used to describe a musical overture intended to evoke spiritual energy among the musicians, dancers, the space, and the audience.

从更宏大的角度来看，Gerak Angin 通过其艺术表演，向观众演绎了马来西亚的民族灵魂。在马来语中，“gerak angin”意为“移动风”，起源于马来西亚吉兰丹州，指的是一些治疗仪式和玛蓉舞（Mak Yong）、Main Puteri 等传统表演中的音乐序曲，据称这种音乐可以唤醒音乐家、舞者、空间和听众的精神能量。

Things happened very fast for Sabera Shaik of Masakini Theatre Company and Vivek Menon of Surprise Ventures when they came up with the idea of a virtual arts festival. The two got together with Ramli Ibrahim of the Sutra Foundation to present a proposal to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (MOTAC), which secured the funding they needed for performers and videographers. By August 2020, production began with the challenging deadline of an online premiere on Malaysia Day, September 16.

来自 Masakini Theatre 剧院公司的 Sabera Shaik，和 Surprise Ventures 的 Vivek Menon 从一开始有了举办虚拟艺术节的想法后，很快就将其付诸行动。他们找来 Sutra 基金会的 Ramli Ibrahim，一起向旅游、艺术和文化部(MOTAC)提出了这个想法，最终获得了邀请表演者和摄像师所需的资金。从 2020 年 8 月起开始制作，他们迎来的首个挑战就是要在马来西亚日（9 月 16 日）前完成，并于线上首映。

Viewers from Malaysia and around the world caught a diverse range of performances, including Chinese (Chinese Dance Odyssey) and Indian dance (Sangraha – A Tapestry of Bharatanatyam) steeped in the traditions of the respective country but given their own unique Malaysian flourishes; a music and dance performance by Sape musician Alena Murang and the Mupun Tauh Dance Troupe took viewers to the Kelabit highlands where Sabah and Sarawak are located, and where more than 50 different ethnic groups originate from.

这个艺术节为马来西亚和世界各地的观众呈献了丰富多样的表演，包括中国舞(《Chinese Dance Odyssey》）和印度舞（《Sangraha – A Tapestry of Bharatanatyam》），这些表演既别具各国的传统特色，又融入了独特的马来西亚元素；沙贝琴音乐家 Alena Murang 和 Mupun Tauh 舞蹈团的音乐和舞蹈表演带领观众领略了加拉毕高地风情，这里是沙巴州和砂拉越州所在地，生活着 50 多个不同的民族。

There was a reimagining of the children’s story Sang Kancil (How Beruang Lost his Tail). In another performance, giant drums and drummers with practiced choreography (Ju4Ji2) provided a stunning visual treat. And a powerful and poignant Malay drama (Sugeh) was cleverly accompanied by live music. The performers were mainly seasoned professionals from Kuala Lumpur. The performing space was their world, but now there was much to learn, with this move from offline to online

另外还有对童话故事《Sang Kancil：How Beruang Lost His Tail》的改编演绎。在另一场演出中，鼓手带着巨型的鼓和精彩编舞（《Ju4Ji2》），为观众带来一场视觉盛宴。另外还有生动有趣的马来语剧本（《Sugeh》）表演和现场音乐。表演者大多数是来自吉隆坡的资深艺术专业人士，对他们而言，舞台是他们熟悉的世界，但如今从线下走到线上，他们还有很多东西要学习。

Neil Nilson Felix, video director of the theatre segment, says, “What video offers is going where no member of an audience can go, with the accepted premise that the performance is still a “staged” performance. Synesthesia was a case in point when we got the camera point-of-view of trash falling from the top.” 

戏剧部视频总监 Neil Nilson Felix 说：“视频录像的优势在于能够为观众提供一个他们无法企及的角度，前提是表演仍然是‘舞台上的演出’。《Synesthesia》就是很好的例子，观众可以从摄像机的角度，看到从天而降的垃圾。”

It took a pandemic with its lockdowns and mandatory regulations to impel the Malaysian government to back a performing arts festival that would not only assist the Malaysian art scene but also establish a platform that would be authentically and organically Malaysian. The fact that two of the organizers were prolific theatre practitioners added to the festival’s credibility. With this precedence, the hope for financial assistance from the private corporations as well may not be that far out of reach.

疫情的爆发和各种随之而来的封锁措施，促使马来西亚政府支持这样的表演艺术节，这不仅能推动马来西亚艺术界的发展，同时还能打造一个展现马来西亚特色的艺术平台。这次艺术节的两名主办者均为经验丰富的戏剧从业者，这无疑令艺术节更令人期待，这也证明了艺术活动要获得私营企业的资助也并非遥不可及的事情。

 

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For Shaik, the artistic director for the theatre segment of the festival, it was a learning experience in many ways. “While working in this cauldron of mixed genre and untested professionals, many stage performers still struggle to translate their works into the blinking red-light of a recording camera,” she notes. “It is important to walk them through what is required because the camera is so unforgiving. This festival, I believe, can help develop a fully fledged arts festival that can give all Malaysian performers their time on the world stage through the eyes of a camera, and in this way, show the world what Malaysia and Malaysians are all about.”

负责戏剧部分的艺术总监 Sabera Shaik 认为，从很多方面来说，这都是一次获益匪浅的经历。她说：“和来自不同领域的人员一起合作时，许多舞台表演者仍在努力学习如何在镜头前呈现自己的作品。在镜头前表演会有更多挑战性，所以重要的是让他们充分了解所有要求。我相信这次的活动可以发展成为一个成熟的艺术节，通过镜头，让所有马来西亚表演者获得一个世界性的舞台，并通过这种方式，向世界展示马来文化和马来人的一切。”

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Website: www.gerakangin.com
Instagram: @gerakangin.my
Facebook: ~/gerakangin.my
YouTube: ~/gerakangin

 

Contributor: Jennifer Rodrigo
Chinese Translation: Olivia Li
Images Courtesy of S. Magendran

喜欢我们的故事？欢迎关注我们 Neocha 的微博与微信。

 

网站: www.gerakangin.com
Instagram: @gerakangin.my
Facebook: ~/gerakangin.my
YouTube: ~/gerakangin

 

供稿人: Jennifer Rodrigo
英译中: Olivia Li
图片由 S. Magendran 提供

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Good Vibrations 雷鬼树下的繁茂声场

November 13, 2020 2020年11月13日

The history of sound system reggae in the Philippines is closely tied to Red-I, a Marikina-raised DJ and producer promoting the Jamaican vibrations as a mission. He may not have brought the culture to the island nation, but he’s certainly been involved with its growth at nearly every step of the way. And with the release of Word Sound Power In Dub, he’s produced the country’s first dub reggae LP pressed to vinyl.

 

Listen to select tracks below:

行走在菲律宾雷鬼音乐的声场中，Red-I 是一个你绝对绕不开的名字。他是菲律宾马里基纳土生土长的唱片骑师（DJ）和制作人，并一直致力于推广当地的牙买加音乐文化。虽然他并不是菲律宾牙买加音乐第一人，但他的足迹遍布当地雷鬼乐发展的每一个烙印上。他最新发行的专辑《Word Sound Power In Dub》，则被认为是菲律宾第一张回响雷鬼（dub reggae）唱片。

注：雷鬼乐（Reggae），是西印度群岛的一种舞曲，被认为是牙买加的多种舞曲的总称。

点击即可试听:

Reggae has been present in the Philippines since the 70s, when the culture first began making its way around the world from Jamaica, but it’s always been a live-band affair in the Southeast Asian island country. The concept of a DJ playing reggae music over a sound system or artists producing it in the studio has remained stubbornly foreign. It took a while for Red-I, whose given name is Red Lintag, to circle around to it as well. He got his musical start in the late 90s in a rock-rap band. But once he discovered raves, his idea of what music could be changed forever. “There were some great warehouse parties back then, it was pretty wicked,” he recalls. “We’d go to a party and collect flyers on the floor to find the next party and follow the map to get there.”

雷鬼音乐从上世纪七十年代起开始从牙买加传播至世界各地，其中便包括菲律宾。地处东南亚岛国，雷鬼音乐在菲律宾仅作为一种现场的表演形式公示于众。人们似乎难以料想以 DJ、音响系统、电脑制作等形式表演的雷鬼乐是怎样一番景象。对于 Red-I（原名 Red Lintag）来说，他也摸索了相当长一段时间才有了这种想法。Red-I 在 90 年代末曾是一名摇滚乐手，直到接触了锐舞（Rave）音乐，他对音乐的想法彻底发生了转变。他回忆道：“当时有一些很棒的地下仓库派对，非常有意思。去参加派对的人会收集散落在地板上的活动传单，看看下一次派对在哪里，然后跟着地图找到下一场目的地。”

注：锐舞，又称锐舞派对和狂野派对，是八十年代末在美国和欧洲由 Acid House 舞曲兴起的一种派对形式，早期通常在地下俱乐部、废弃仓库和荒郊野外举办。

Raves had a moment in Manila from the mid- to late-90s, with The Consortium parties in particular, which brought famous house and techno DJs from the West, such as Derrick May and Richie Hawtin. But sometimes promoters also booked jungle artists, a style of music started largely by the children of Caribbean immigrants in the U.K., blending chopped-up percussion breaks and electronic sounds with reggae samples and basslines. “I would just stand beside the subwoofer, that’s when I first felt a real sound system,” Red says. “I remember being at a Goldie event and being blown away by the power of the bass. People were going crazy because they didn’t know what to do, how to act.”

九十年代中期到后期，锐舞派对在马尼拉盛行一时，其中 The Consortium 曾是最著名的派对活动，他们经常会邀请来自欧美著名的 House 和 Techno 音乐人，譬如 Derrick May 和 Richie Hawtin。有时主办方也会拉来 Jungle 舞曲艺人（Jungle 起源于英国加勒比移民后代，将切分、零散的打击乐与电音，与雷鬼样本和贝斯相混合）。Red 说：“我站在低音喇叭旁边，那是我第一次亲身见识到真正的声响系统。我记得在英国电子音乐人 Goldie 的演出上，现场低音的声场深深地震撼了我。所有人都疯狂地手舞足蹈起来，甚至不知道该以怎样的舞步来应对这种音乐。”

In the early 2000s, when Red was about 20 years old, he started to make beats with his Playstation, using MTV Music Generator. “It was just for fun but it’s how I first learned to put music together,” he laughs. Despite that early exploration of music production, it was live DJing that provided the biggest lessons for him. “At the time, second-hand vinyl was really cheap because people were just throwing them out. CDs were still new here.” As his interest in music grew, he began practicing turntablism, scratching and juggling records, while also exploring other genres. He also began collecting used music magazines like Urb and Wire at steep discounts by visiting local book fairs. “I became really eclectic, that was my style,” he says. “I loved hip hop, U.K. stuff like dubstep and grime. Filipino disco and funk. I’d play it all. It wasn’t until I got older when I pieced together that a lot of this had roots in reggae.”

千禧年初，二十岁的 Red 开始用 PlayStation 和 MTV Music Generator 上的音乐制作软件进行创作。“一开始只是为了好玩，但那其实是我第一次学习制作音乐。”他笑着说道。尽管很早便开始摸索音乐制作，但现场 DJ 却对他启发最大。“那时候，二手黑胶唱片真的很便宜，因为当时 CD 突然出现，黑胶唱片开始逐渐没落。”随着对音乐的兴趣越来越大，他开始钻研 Scratch、Juggle 等唱盘主义艺术 (Turntablism)，并尝试接触更多音乐流派。另外，他还会去当地的书展，低价收集《Urb》、《Wire》等二手音乐类杂志。他说：“我喜欢将不同音乐风格揉捻在一起，不拘一格是我的风格。从 Hip-Hop、Dubstep （回响贝斯）和 Grime（英国车库饶舌），到菲律宾迪斯科和 Funk (放克音乐)，我全都喜欢。直到后来，我才发现，这里面很多音乐都源于雷鬼。”

By the mid-2000s, Red was DJing at bars around Manila, playing a range of styles but none of his own music besides the occasional remix or edit. “They were great nights out but it became a problem when I tried to play the heavier stuff,” he says, referring to more aggressive styles with bigger bass. “We could play it once in a while but the manager would always pop up and ask us to play something else.” In order to spin more bass-heavy music, he started the Dubplate parties alongside PJ Martinez, featuring reggae, dubstep, stuff from the L.A. beat scene, and more. “Then one night we got lost while driving the wrong way down a one-way street and passed this truck for sale,” he recalls. “We had extra cash from playing a corporate gig so we bought it and turned it into the Red-I Mobile Sound System.” They began throwing parties, DJing out of the back of the truck and setting up speakers beside it. The bass was so loud once that the vibrations once broke plates inside a nearby restaurant. But there was a lot more space in Manila at the time, so they could just set up in a random parking lot and play (after asking permission, of course).

2005 年左右，Red 在一些马尼拉酒吧里担任 DJ，播放各式各样的音乐。他很少播放自己的音乐，通常是对别人的音乐进行混音或再编辑。他说：“当时氛围是不错的，但当我尝试播放一些低音较快较重的音乐时，反响好像不是特别好。”他接着说道：“偶尔也会试着放一下，但酒吧经理会马上出现，要求我们换成别的音乐。”为了播放这些有着浓重的贝斯节拍的音乐， 他开始和 PJ Martinez 合作举办一场名为 Dubplate 的派对, 专门播放雷鬼、Dubstep 和其他洛杉矶 Beats 场景音乐等。他回忆道：“某天晚上，我们开车走错到一条单行道，偶遇到有辆卡车在出售。我们那时候刚参加完一场公司演出，有一些现金，于是当机立断买下了那辆卡车，打算将把它改造成一台移动声音系统。” 卡车后车厢成了他们的派对场地，摆放着音箱和设备。强烈的贝斯甚至将附近餐厅里的盘子震碎过。当时马尼拉有很多地方，所以他们可以随机找一个停车场进行派对（当然，事先会取得许可）。

“It was hard work; I was DJing seven days a week,” Red says. But it paid off. For the one-year anniversary of Dubplate, they flew Gaslamp Killer out from Los Angeles and rented a warehouse. “It was so mad, I knew it was the next big thing.” It caught the eye of Eric Ong, who had a history of running clubs and used to DJ with Red. “After a few months, he came to us with this raw warehouse space. They regularly started booking big acts from L.A. and the U.K. like Samiam, Kode 9, and Addison Groove. The space would eventually become B-Side, home to a revolving cast of events and central to the music scene in Manila before its closing in 2018 due to gentrification.

Red 说：“那时候其实挺累的，因为我每周七天都在 DJ。”但这是值得的，Dubplate 活动一周年的时候，他们邀请了洛杉矶大名鼎鼎的 Beats Maker ——  Gaslamp Killer，并为此租下一座仓库。“当时现场太疯了，引起了不小的轰动。”这次活动引起了 Eric Ong 的注意，他曾也营过俱乐部，经常和 Red 一起 DJ 过。“几个月后，他带我们找到了这个原始的仓库。”他们开始定期邀请洛杉矶和英国的著名音乐人，如 Samiam、Kode 9 和 Addison Groove。这个空间取名为 B-Side，后来成为一个举办各种活动的场地，是马尼拉地下音乐的聚集地，直到 2018 年因为旧城区的城市化改造而关闭。

B-Side became the beginning of a mini-empire. They launched several clubs and bars, featuring some of the most progressive bookings in the capital. “B-Side became a live music space, it was just fitting for the open floor plan. It was good for the scene so we kept supporting it, but we wanted something else.” Eventually, the Dubplate parties became more and more electronic focused, so they pulled back and tried to recreate the earlier, more laid-back vibes by launching the Irie Sunday parties, which focused specifically on reggae. Later, at another one of their venues called Black Market, they hosted Dancehall Manila, creating space for yet another reggae subgenre.  

Throughout all this, Red never stopped producing his own music. He was dropping hour-long beat tapes, instrumental hip-hop projects released on labels like Shanghai’s Svbkvlt and Australia’s Dub Temple. Each tape was built around specific sonic themes, such as Vietnamese or ethnic Filipino samples.

B-Side 标志着一个迷你音乐帝国的开始，其相继推出多家俱乐部，向当地发射最为前卫的音乐现场。“B-Side 后来成为一个做 Live 的开放式空间。利于当地音乐场景的发展，所以我们会继续做下去，但同时我们又想要一些不同的东西。”后来，Dubplate 派对越来越专注于电子音乐，但他们又试图倒退回去，创办了专注于雷鬼音乐的 Irie Sunday 派对，希望能重现雷鬼文化早期那种悠哉的状态。后来，他们在另一个场所 Black Market 举办了 Dancehall Manila，专注于 Reggeaton 和 Dancehall 舞曲（两者同样是由雷鬼衍生的音乐形式）。

自始至终，Red 从未停止制作自己的音乐。他分别在上海先锋电子音乐厂牌 SVBKVLT 和澳大利亚舞曲厂牌 Dub Temple 上发行了长达一小时的音乐磁带和器乐嘻哈音乐项目。每张作品都围绕特定的音乐主题，如越南或菲律宾特色音乐的采样。

With this year’s Word Sound Power In Dub, Red is focusing purely on dub; taking his reggae production and injecting it with even deeper bass, cutting out much of the vocal tracks, and replacing it with healthy helpings of reverb and delay. There’s also a roots version—the original, classic style of reggae—with a collection of vocalists from Jamaica to Cebu, many of whom he met through bookings at B-Side. “Reggae is about truth and life, consciousness,” he says. “I want to focus on more of these positive vibrations. I guess I’m getting old, but it makes sense to me.”

Since quarantine, Red hasn’t been doing much beyond making music and building his first DIY sound system, which holds 10 cabinets, including four subwoofers. He’s building the wooden casing by hand, and sourcing all the speakers and electronics himself, which he then tunes to his preference, specifically geared towards the frequencies of reggae. “It’s always been a goal of mine, so now I’m doing it,” he grins. I’m excited to introduce that. You can tell people about a sound system but you really need to hear it.”

Red 在今年发布的《Word Sound Power In Dub》是一张纯粹的 Dub 风格专辑。整张专辑在雷鬼音乐中加入更为深厚的贝斯，去掉大部分人声，反而将注意力放在混响（reverb）和延迟（delay）上。同时还融入了根源雷鬼(Roots Reggae，经典的雷鬼风格) ，囊括了一众来自牙买加和菲律宾宿务岛的歌手，其中许多人都是他在 B-Side 演出活动上认识的。他说：“雷鬼在于真理、生命和意识。我想专注于更多积极的音乐。可能因为年纪大了吧，但我觉得这样的音乐才是有意义的。”

今年疫情爆发以来，Red 大多时间都在创作音乐和搭建他的第一个 DIY 声音系统，这个声音系统由10 个音箱组成，包括 4 个低音喇叭。他还在手工建造一个木制外壳，亲自采购所有的音箱和电子设备，然后根据自己的喜好和雷鬼音乐的中、高、低频进行调整。他笑着说：“这是我一直想做的事情，现在终于实现了。我很期待将它公诸于世。但关于声音系统，说再多也没用，要现场听了才知道。”

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Bandcamp: red-i.bandcamp.com
Soundcloud: ~/red-i

 

Contributor: Mike Steyels
Photographer: Jilson Tiu
Chinese Translation: Olivia Li

喜欢我们的故事？欢迎关注我们 Neocha 的微博与微信。

 

Bandcamp: red-i.bandcamp.com
Soundcloud: ~/red-i

 

供稿人: Mike Steyels
摄影师: Jilson Tiu
英译中: Olivia Li

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