Black Bird, Frost Flower and Pink Falling Stars

Curatorial Statement

In Norse mythology, perching on the one-eye Odin’s shoulders is a pair of ravens. Named “Hugin” and “Munin” (Old Norse: “Hugr”-“Thought”, “Munr”-“Memory”), the ravens fly across the earth each morning to bring words. Perhaps regardless of which wanderland we are to arrive, “thought” and “memory” will still linger, resonating with the black birds gliding in the sky.

Black Bird, Frost Flower and Pink Falling Stars denotes three situations: the continuous reinspections in final partings (ritual), the needle-like crystals (form) extruded from plants in frigid climate, and the trajectories of fleeting (phenomenon). Positioning herself in between these three anchors, artist YAN Wai Yin ceaselessly dissembles, evaluates and reshapes the experience of some unpredictable passings from the perspective as the “person involved”. Through gazing, or through creating a certain distance in between herself and the subject matter, Yan briefly holds another view, as a bystander, ambling in this seemingly unavoidable grief, and gradually responds one step after another, at her own steady pace.

Yan’s works of video and images are often interwoven with the juxtaposition of various literary texts, found materials and her diaristic records. Rather than speculating about these various backgrounds and subtexts, it is crucial to note that such an approach from Yan solely focuses on recounting some interim distractions throughout her production process. By hovering at the cracks of different time-spaces, Yan assembles, overlays, and repositions scattering fragments into a discourse, connecting the distanced stars into an intimate audio-visual whisper.

Although Localized Blindness might resemble an eye test at first glance, underlying rounds of the direct yes-no questions gradually reveals a kind of in-depth observation and self-healing process. Images of the sky, birds, and landscapes are often repeated and weaved into the work. In certain moments, some footages are so uniformly enlarged and distorted as if they are some attempts to conceal the ambiguous, and the almost too subtle and unreachable thought paths from the artist.

Falling, a photographic series echoing with the video, comprises five sets of still image collages looking at the different facets of falling. Does falling always mean tumbling, losing grip from height, or somewhat just another metaphor for another state of loss?

Things overlooked are oft easily forgotten once vanished. Yan improvises, amidst her personal experience and sensitivity, a variety of dreamy landscapes from piecing together the often unnoticed quotidian fragments. Presenting as the “first person” throughout the narrative, she faithfully retraces the memories, or as she described, to head towards an imaginary exit.

This is a place where a courageous one sends a last goodbye, albeit the seemingly gloomy and downcast undertone that triggers the making of these two pieces. Regardless of whether one decides to take a pause, or to delve into rounds of questioning, imaging, and rethinking the numerous interpretations of loss by means of intense art-making in order to sort out all struggles and speechlessness, these two approaches both reflect, all in all, an attempt to be unconstrained.

Perhaps RNH Space could be seen as a tiny yet intimate time-space capsule in this exhibition. Here, viewers could take a closer look at the multiple layers of condensation constructed by Yan before stepping back on the corridor once again. Even if the memories of these imaginary might fade and stay as a sheer layer of mist or vanish into thin air, the exhibition Black Bird, Frost Flower and Pink Falling Stars still wishes to unfold an alternative observation on a passing journey, or to solely offer a quiet companionship on the pretext of art.

傳說北歐神話中，獨眼的奧丁有兩隻烏鴉，各自站立在他的左右肩膊上，每天清晨飛往人間為他帶來消息，一只叫福金(Hugin)，另一只叫霧尼(Munin)，名字蘊藏「思想」(Hugr - Thought)與「記憶」(Munr - Memory)之意。似乎無論跨到哪個異處地境，思想與記憶定然猶如黑鳥般左右旋繞於晝夜天際。

「黑鳥、霜花與粉紅流星」分別指向三個情境：面對離別的一再審視(儀式)，嚴寒下的針狀結晶(形態)，以及稍縱即逝的軌跡(現象)。藝術家忻慧妍以三者作為引旨不斷拆開、剖析並重塑不可預知的幾段失去，以「當事人」身份回溯那無法逃離的狀態，透過凝視延遲，或自我抽離改變與主體的距離，試圖暫以旁觀一角來回踱步，逐漸按着自身節奏緩緩反應。

忻慧妍的影像創作往往在個人日記式的記錄之間穿插著各種拾得資料與文學作品。與其猜想各種背景脈絡，她更著眼的不過是標記上創作過程中那些讓人抽離現實的瞬間。透過閱讀不同時空的間隙與差異理解貫中的連繫，她以拼砌、重疊、調整等手法把看似繁星般的碎片繫成絮語，一再配置並試圖理解各者與記憶的關連，於細密建構的視聽感知中喃喃自語。

錄像作品《局部失明》驟眼看似進行一回視覺鑑定實驗，模擬診斷對答過程的絕對「是」與「否」剖析深層的觀察與自我療癒。天空、鳥、山景等意象重複交錯，這些近乎一致地放大扭曲的影像，仿佛不過是為了隱藏著迂迴並難以緊捉的重要思索。

伴隨而來的《墜落》是一組攝影作品，忻慧妍以五組靜態的照片拼貼注視墜落的景象。墜落是否往往等同跌倒、從高處落下、失卻，或者僅僅只是隱喻另一種失去的狀態。

事物每每越是顯而易見，印象亦越輕易於消失的刹那同時被遺忘。忻慧妍藉著組織每段不起眼的日常構成各種隨性的虛幻風景，以「第一人稱」的自身經歷及觸覺如實複述每道記憶痕跡，又或如她所說的，向著一個不實際存在的出口前進。

儘管兩件作品的緣起偏向灰暗低沉，但若一個人有勇氣為傷痛舉行道別儀式，那怕單單藉由恆常的停頓開始，或正如忻慧妍深入逐步以創作梳理各種困擾及無言以對，反覆提問並想像對於詮釋失去的思考，兩者亦反映一種想不再困於原地的嘗試。

或許RNH Space的位置恰巧營造出一個時空洞的格式，鑽進狹小的空間細看忻慧妍於兩件作品中的沉澱，離開之際再次步上長廊。即使每層影像的回憶只餘下一層單薄的霧氣附隨，展覽「黑鳥，霜花與粉紅流星」寄望能為觀者呈現離別的另一種旅程，或僅以創作制造一個靜謐陪伴的借口。


About YAN Wai Yin 忻慧妍

YAN Wai Yin (b.1994) works and lives in Hong Kong. She has been a member of Floating Projects Collective since 2015. Yan excels at the juxtaposition and insertion of literary texts in narratives. Through shifting personal observations and the temporal, emotional distance in different texts, Yan inscribes quotidian fragments of memories lingering in space and objects. Her film “Localized Blindness” was awarded the Best Experimental Award in the 20th South Taiwan Film Festival. Recent exhibitions and screenings include: European Media Art Festival (DE), Timestamped: Selected Films from Yan Wai Yin, de Art Center, Beijing (CN), no-body’s room - The Room Projects (FR) & LUX London (UK) and ANIMA - the 7th Taiwan International Video Art Exhibition in 2020 (TW).

忻慧妍 (生於1994年) 生活及工作於香港。自2015年來為據點。句點成員。忻氏擅於選用文學中的語句並置穿插於敘述過程中，透過轉移個人觀察與不同文本的時空情感距離，刻劃殘留於空間物件中的日常瑣碎記憶。作品《局部失明》 獲第二十屆南方影展最佳實驗片。近期展覽及放映包括：歐洲媒體藝術節(德國)，戳時間：忻慧妍作品選(的藝術中心，北京)，no-body’s room - The Room Projects(法國)和LUX London(倫敦)及阿尼瑪ANIMA- 2020年第七屆台灣國際錄像藝術展(台灣)。