秋日的週末，紐約曼哈頓下城文化協會在總督島（Governors Island）的藝術中心剛剛落成，協會舉辦了一個藝術工作坊，主持人是藝術家Tattfoo Tan，他的創作與環境及社區議題密切相關，我很久前就想深入了解。
工作坊在一個明淨的小房間裡進行，名為「治癒人以治癒土地」（Heal Humankind in order to Heal the Land），我們參與的第一個練習是製作藍果麗（Rangoli）。這是一種源自印度的民間藝術，通常由白色或彩色的麵粉製成。Tattfoo說，在南印度，人們每天清晨會在家門前的地上繪製這種地畫，白天任由飛過的小鳥、路過的小狗把麵粉吃掉……隔天人們又在地上繪上新的藍果麗。印度人相信，藍果麗是獻給神明和自然的禮物，人們也借藍果麗的易逝體會世間一切事物的無常。
為了方便我們學習藍果麗的製作，Tattfoo在地上擺放了小石頭的矩陣，提供參考定位，他又準備了一個曼陀羅形狀的圖案，把原來複雜的結構拆解成幾個簡單的步驟，讓我們跟着描繪。材料方面，他找來了一些從古代便開始種植的谷物種子以代替粉末，他說這種材料本身就提醒着我們與土地之間由來已久的關係。我忍不住嗅了一下這些種子，自然的氣息撲鼻而來，夾雜着我們對人文與歷史的想象。
當參加者一同完成了藍果麗的繪製，Tattfoo便讓大家一同圍坐在作品的周圍，開展更多的活動，比如呼吸與靜坐，想象身體變成樹木；又比如運用每個人不同的聲音，朗讀關於季節輪換、萬物生長與死亡的詩篇。我忽然察覺到，這些活動充滿了儀式感和原始色彩，藝術家就像是古代的巫師，我們變成原始部落的族人，藍果麗成為了我們的圖騰。讓我挺驚訝的是，原來一些非常簡單的物件、聲音與行為，就能塑造人們的想象與靈感，讓我們感受平常忽視的人與人之間，人與自然之間親密無間的關係。
Tattfoo便是透過這樣的練習，試圖在人們的思想中播下種子，讓人們體驗自己與宇宙萬物間的關係，對所謂的外物產生感應與同理心。他認為人們只有意識到這一點時，才能找到治癒環境的可能，這便點出了工作坊主題─「治癒人以治癒土地」。事實上，Tattfoo研習了世界各地許多不同的傳統文化習俗，將類似的練習繪製、編寫成一百頁的活動教材，名為《新版地球修復教案》，他希望通過這本教材，讓更多的人參與這個人心與地球的修復計劃。
Tattfoo的藝術實踐讓我們看到了當代藝術的另一種可能，它重新思考藝術與生活、社會之間的關係，藝術創作不再是為了成就美術館與畫廊裡擺放的藝術品，它可以是教育，也可以是社會倡儀。他的實踐也同時激活了那些傳承已久的古代習俗、自然觀與生命觀，他持之以恆地在社區開展的每一個藝術工作坊，都像是在繪製一幅稍縱即逝的藍果麗，每日為之，供予天地，卻不留痕跡。
參考資料：Tattfoo Tan的網站：www.tattfoo.com
In autumn, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council opened up a new art centre on Governors Island and invited famous artist Tattfoo Tan to hold an art workshop on a weekend. I have long awaited the opportunity to know Tan better as his works are closely related to the environment and community agenda.
The workshop themed on “Heal Humankind in order to Heal the Land” was held in a small but tidy room. The first session that we participated was about making Rangoli. Rangoli is a traditional folk art from India, usually made of white or colourful flour. According to Tan, people in Southern India make Rangoli in front of their house every morning. The birds and stray dogs will then eat the flour if they pass by the Rangoli and then they would make a new one on the next day. Indians believe that Rangolis are gifts from God and nature. They also believe that Rangolis reflect the working of nature as they fade just like any other thing in nature.
To help us learn how to make Rangolis, Tan set up a pattern on the ground using small stones that guide us how to form a Rangoli shape. He also prepared a picture of mandala pattern, which shows steps of Rangoli making by deconstructing the pattern into several simple steps. This allowed us to learn to draw up the pattern. In terms of materials, he brought along some grain seeds that have been planted by people since ancient time to replace the flour. I couldn’t help but smell the seeds. I smelled nature, coupled with our imagination of civilisation and history.
After we finished making the Rangoli, Tan asked us to sit around it and engaged in activities such as meditation. While we were meditating, we imagined ourselves as trees. We also read poems on change of season, nature and death. I realised that these activities were like ancient rituals. The artist acted like a sorcerer and we were like members of an ancient tribe. The Rangoli was our totem. What really surprised me was the fact that ordinary items, voices and actions could all inspire our imagination and creativity. The experience allowed us to immerse ourselves in the relationship among people and humans’ close connection towards nature.
Tan tries to create an opportunity for people to experience the connection between men and the universe through such practices. He was trying to help us build a connection to our environment and boost our empathy. He believes that only when people become aware of their connection to nature will they be able to find the cure for fixing the damaged environment. This matches the workshop’s theme: heal humankind in order to heal the land. In fact, Tan had studied many different cultural traditions around the world and wrote about similar practices and edited them into a book titled New Earth Resiliency Training Module. He wishes to get more people involved in repairing mankind and Earth through the book.
Tan’s art practices helped us get a glimpse of another possibility for modern art that reconsiders the relation between art and life, as well as social relations. Art creation no longer only produces art pieces to be displayed in museums and galleries. It can also be education and societal promotion. Tan’s practices activate ancient rituals and values on nature and life from the past. He consistently holds workshops in communities as if he is making a Rangoli. Tan dedicates his efforts to this course just like Rangolis contributing to nature.
Reference: Tattfoo Tan's website: www.tattfoo.com
Source: C2 Issue 36