執筆之時，我給藝術家劉慧德在威尼斯雙年展策劃的展覽「現形記」正好開幕一個月，朋友們總是問，這次策展最大的收穫是甚麼，我有時候不知從何說起，我最享受也最重視的，也許不過是在一個展覽生長的過程中，遇見了一些人，經歷過一些事。
任迷
《客途秋恨》從展覽構思開始就是我最期待的作品之一，慧德想在以澳門盧九花園為靈感的展室中，展示一件與海外粵曲愛好者合作的聲音裝置。採用《客途秋恨》這首曲，除了因為它那段人人朗朗上口的歌詞 「涼風有信，秋月無邊」，還因為它特別能傳達我們的鄉愁。我們找到一位居住在費城，但常常回紐約唐人街練曲的前輩儀姐合作，她是研習任劍輝唱腔的，所以一開始並不同意唱《客途秋恨》，覺得那是新馬師曾的代表作。但我們就是要提出一種異議，為甚麼《客途秋恨》不能由女性來唱？梅艷芳在電影《胭脂扣》也唱了這首。儀姐最後隨了我們的願，但她另外也唱了一曲任姐的《胭脂巷口故人來》，的確更有韻味。我們都慶幸能與她合作，我們還找來她個人的Facebook，她那些粤劇造型照既年輕又帥氣，誰能想到她早已過花甲之年，是五個孩子的祖母？
五金店老闆
這次展覽中有一件製作難度比較大的作品，名為《原始鑄工》，是一座與花園池塘融合的陶瓷噴水池。按理說，紐約有許多專業的製作公司可以處理其中的技術環節，許多藝術家都依賴這些製作公司完成規模龐大和複雜的藝術項目，有時候，藝術家的創作和作品的製作甚至是分離的。但我們的製作資金有限，就只能DIY了。我又馬上想到了唐人街，去找五金店的師傅求救。五金店老闆一開始聽着我各種奇怪的要求很不理解，我說這是個藝術作品，我們想實驗一下，老闆居然很雀躍，說他年輕時也很愛這種折騰，於是在他熱心的幫忙下，我們總算解決了製作上的困難。威尼斯佈展工作完成、噴水池運作成功那刻，我格外地滿足，我高興的是在這個愈來愈以專業為界，以資金為限的行業裡，我們還可以不服輸地做些嘗試；我也感恩為此認識了一位如此仗義又愛折騰的五金店老闆。
佈展大師
《唔該借歪》是這次展覽中唯一一件沒有陶瓷的作品，卻非常能代表慧德的創作。「唔該借歪」是「麻煩讓一讓」的意思，慧德在洗手間用燈光和聲音裝置，重現了她從外袓母那裡聽來的迷信習俗—去公共洗手間前與藏身其中的鬼打聲招呼。澳門的佈置團隊中有一位佈展人員，一開始對這作品很不以為然：「所以這個作品就是用來嚇人的？」他覺得外國人根本不能理解。但難道不能讓外國觀眾來學一句廣東話，也學習背後的地方習俗和民間智慧嗎？我焦急地想跟他解釋，卻說不上話來，這一直讓我格外地在意。沒想到的是，相處工作了一兩天後，我們和佈展團隊熟絡了許多，這位前輩也明白了作品的意圖，還專門為我們調整了燈光和佈置來達到最好的效果，讓我無比地感動。
預展那天，整個團隊在展區裡忙前忙後，我和另一個工作人員在洗手間門口狹窄的走廊簇擁而過，她頗有弦外之音地說了幾聲「唔該借歪」，我馬上又被感動到了。而這一次的感動，是因為我終於能確信，作品傳遞了一些能夠打動本地人的東西；而我們也一直相信，儘管展覽是在威尼斯進行，我們真正想對話的，是影響我們最深的澳門。
原載於 C2文創誌 第三十四期
When I was writing this article, it has already been one month since the grand opening of Apparition, an exhibition I curated for Heidi Lau for the La Biennale di Venezia Collateral Event. My friends would always ask me what was the biggest return I got from planning the exhibition. The truth is that sometimes I don’t even know which part of the curation I should start talking about. I enjoyed the most when I was meeting people and having new experiences when doing the exhibition.
A fan of Yam Kim-Fai
Song of the Exile was the most exciting work for me when I was brainstorming about the exhibition. Heidi wanted to showcase a sound installation work that was co-produced by a Cantonese opera fan living overseas. The work was inspired by the Lou Lim Ioc Garden in the Macao Peninsula. Heidi picked Song of the Exile not only because of the catchy lyrics “the wind brings the message and the round moon in the autumn blends into the night sky”, but also for its strength in showing nostalgia. We got into contact with a Cantonese opera lover and performer Yi who comes to the Chinatown in New York very often. Yi learns from famous Cantonese opera actress Yam Kim-Fai. She didn’t agree to perform Song of the Exile in the very beginning as she believed it is the representative work sung by Sun Ma Sze Tsang. We voiced our disagreement. We don’t think Song of the Exile can only be sung by men. Legendary Hong Kong actress and singer Anita Mui had also performed this song in her movie Rogue. Yi eventually agreed to perform the song for our project. But she also sang Reunion at Rouge Alley originally performed by Yam Kim-Fai for us. The performance was graceful. We were lucky to have Yi to work with. We even found her personal Facebook page. Her looks in Cantonese opera performances look young and dashing. Very few would think that she is already in her sixties and has five grandchildren.
A hardware store owner
There is a very complicated work named The Primordial Molder at the exhibition. The artwork is a ceramic fountain that combines a garden and a pound. Theoretically speaking, there should be quite a number of professional companies that are able to handle the technical details of this artwork. The truth is many artists would rely on these companies to complete their complex art projects. Sometimes artists’ creation process is separate from the production process. But we had a limited budget, and therefore we had to do it ourselves. Then I instantly thought about the hardware stores in the Chinatown. The owner of the hardware store didn’t really understand our requests in the beginning. But he nonetheless offered to help us after we explained to him that we were trying to make an art project work. He mentioned that he also liked to experiment on different components and hardware when he was young. With his help, we were able to overcome the difficulties in solving the technical details. I felt extremely fulfilled after we finished preparing the exhibition and tested the water fountain. I was glad that we could still make bold attempts in an increasingly professional industry where budgets are getting smaller. I was also grateful for having the change to meet a helpful and interesting owner of a hardware store.
A master curator
Don’t Look Back or You Will Be Sorry is the only exhibiting work that does not have any ceramic element. But it somehow showcases Heidi’s creativity perfectly. Heidi uses lighting and sound installations in a bathroom setting to tell a superstitious story she heard from her grandmother. According to tradition, you will have to say “excuse me” to the ghosts in the bathroom before you enter and use it. There was a member of the curating team that didn’t really understand the exhibit. “So this is supposed to scare people?” he asked. From his perspective, foreigners will not understand this. But isn’t it great to give foreign visitors an opportunity to learn a Cantonese phrase and get some ideas about the local traditions and folk tales? I was eager to explain the concept to him, but I couldn’t come up with much to say. This bugged me. But I didn’t expect that he would later come to understand the message the exhibit tries to convey after only a couple of days. He even adjusted the lighting and layout to bring out better effects. I was touched then.
At the preview, the whole curating team was super busy. I was walking through a narrow hallway facing the bathroom with my colleague. Interestingly, she called out “excuse me.” I was really moved by this because that was the moment I felt that this work also brings elements which can reach the local residents. We always believed that even though the exhibition is being held in Venice, it still speaks to Macao, a city that has left such an impact on us.
Source: C2 Issue 34