紐約的時代廣場沒有黑夜。
只待夜幕降臨，時代廣場上五花八門的廣告幕牆便紛紛展現出爭妍鬥麗的姿態，在這個世界的十字路口上，每一片以分秒計費的廣告屏幕，連同廣場上每一個奇裝異服的街頭藝人，都極盡所能地賣弄着聲色。廣告娛樂、文化藝術，一時間變得難分難解。
正是在這樣一個早已擁擠不已的廣場上，夏日裡不知哪天開始，忽又平添了一座巨型的木製裝置，長得既像是海洋生物的骨骼，又像是深海沉船的殘骸。一根根安靜地朝着天空生長的木枝架，以及裝置前方若有所思的女身雕像，與周遭的斑爛和喧鬧形成強烈的對比，路經的途人都不其然為之仰視。
藝術家把這個裝置稱作「甦醒」（Wake）。船首的女身是一座真實雕塑的複製品，原版的雕塑用於裝飾一艘19世紀的美國船艦，名為「夜鶯號」（USS Nightingale）。這「夜鶯」指的是19世紀美國一位紅極一時的歌劇明星詹妮．林德 ( Jenny Lind )，由於擁有動人的聲線，來自瑞典的她被人們稱作「瑞典夜鶯」（Swedish Nightingale）。
19世紀的美國，航海貿易帶動了紐約經濟的迅速發展，飛剪式帆船（clipper ship）的啟航成為經濟和技術發展的指標。也在其時，文化娛樂的需求遞增，詹妮．林德成為了美國大眾爭相追捧的名人。於是，1851年，當一艘新型飛剪式帆船被投入使用，美國人便給她賦予了「夜鶯號」的名字。令人意想不到的是，「夜鶯號」的故事並沒有就此終止，這艘船艦後來被用作運載黑奴，諷刺地成為美國黑暗發展史的一部分；她又在美國南北戰爭中被使用，戰後被用作北極勘探和商業貿易，直到1893年沉沒——「夜鶯號」和她所書寫的時代，一同被北大西洋的海水所淹沒。
藝術家想通過他的藝術裝置，召喚一個被淹沒的時代。但他的野心還不止於此，「甦醒」不過是他作品的一半，在另一半的作品中，他設想着讓沉沒的「夜鶯號」再次「啟航」（Unmoored）。藝術家和科技巨頭合作，開發了一款手機應用程式。程式啟動後，通過手機對準「夜鶯號」的殘骸，會突然發現船艦被一點點修復還原。當鳴笛響起，「夜鶯號」便再次啟航，航行在時代廣場的上空，並和從四面八方而來的船艦交匯——這次，被淹沒的，是一整個時代廣場。
如果說「甦醒」是在呼喚紐約城市歷史中的榮與辱，那麼手機混合現實的虛擬世界裡所暗喻的，卻是全球暖化影響下，這座城市的未來……委約藝術作品的機構僱來了導賞員，和佇足的途人談起了這些藝術創作的源委。有人在聽到那些歷史的解說後不禁百感交集，有人則純粹對虛擬影像嘖嘖稱奇；有些對全球暖化的問題憂心忡忡，也有人聯想到議題背後的政治角力而揮袖而去；有人想在裝置前方自拍留念，也有奔走了一整天的遊人，只想在基座上稍作休息。導賞員已經學會了，甚麼時候上前解說，甚麼時候只需要熱心地給途人按上攝影機的快門。
有一次，導賞員跟一個途人說完那一堆官方解說，那途人卻和她說，你知道嗎？藝術最好的地方在於，你不用給出任何的解說，它本身就已說明了一切。導賞員愈來愈能認同那人所說的話。到後來，當人們指着那裝置問她那是甚麼？導賞員會反問：「你覺得呢？」
原載於 C2文創誌 第二十九期
There is no night in New York’s Times Square.
As night falls, the multifarious, saccharine billboards in Times Square strive to stand out from the crowd. At this crossroads of the world, from the costly billboards which charge by the minutes and seconds to the street artists in outlandish outfits, they all try their best to shine. Somehow, it is rather difficult to distinguish advertisements and entertainment from culture and arts.
It was right at this already─cramped square that a large wooden installation was suddenly introduced on a random summer’s day. Not only did it look like the skeleton of a marine mammal, but it also resembled the remains of a shipwreck. The installation formed a stark contrast to the surrounding buzz, with its wooden ribs stretching skywards and its contemplative female sculpture leading the armature. It was impossible for passers-by to miss.
The artist entitled the installation “Wake”. The female figurehead at the front of the ship is a replica of a sculpture which was used to decorate an American ship called “USS Nightingale” of the 19th century. The name “Nightingale” refers to Jenny Lind, a very popular opera star of the 19th century in the United States. She was also known as the “Swedish Nightingale” because of her origin and beautiful voice.
Maritime trade brought rapid development to New York’s economy in the 19th century, therefore the mooring of the clipper ship became an indicator of the development of economy and technology. At the same time, it had seen an increasing demand for culture and entertainment, and Jenny Lind turned out to be a vaunted celebrity. Subsequently, when a new clipper ship was put into service in 1851, Americans named it “Nightingale”. Unexpectedly, the “Nightingale” story did not end there: the ship was later used to transport African slaves, becoming part of black history in America. What’s more, it was employed again during the American Civil War, after which it served in Arctic expeditions and merchant trading until its foundering in 1893. The story ended when the “Nightingale” and its times had been sunken and swept away by the North Atlantic Ocean.
With the art installation, the artist wished to call forth a sunken era. Yet, his ambition goes beyond it, for “Wake” is only half of his entire installation. In the other half, he planned to make the submerged “Nightingale” once again “unmoored”. The artist then cooperated with a tech giant in developing a mobile application. Upon activation of the application, aim at the remains of the “Nightingale” with your mobile, and you will realise that the ship is gradually returning to its original state. When the whistle is blown, the “Nightingale” will set off again, sailing above Times Square and meeting various ships coming from different directions. What is sunken and flooded now, nevertheless, is the entire Times Square.
If “Wake” is summoning both the honour and disgrace in the history of New York City, then what has been indicated by the mobile-cum-reality virtual world is, sadly, the future of the city as a result of global warming… Guides were employed by the commissioned institution of the artwork to share the rationale of the installation with the passers-by. Some had mixed feelings after knowing the history behind it, while others simply marvelled at the virtual technology; some showed their concerns about global warming, while others did not wish to dive too deep with the political tussle behind such issues; some wanted to take a selfie in front of the installation while others, after walking for the whole day, only wished to take a rest on its base. The guides quickly learned when to explain and when to just simply click the shutter for the passers-by.
An interesting anecdote came when a guide finished giving the official explanation to a passer-by, and the latter said to her, quite unexpectedly, that the best thing about art is that it does not require any explanation, because it itself explains it all. The guide found the passer-by’s words more and more agreeable, and later when she was confronted with the question of what the installation is, she simply replied, “What do you think?”
Source: C2 Issue 29