• 一· 博物百科：動物與科學探索
    1. Encyclopaedia, compendia and scientific inquiry

    展覽首部分包羅引人入勝的當今科學研究，以及古代中國博物學的非凡傑作，遠及明朝李時珍的草藥醫學巨著《本草綱目》。清代乾隆於四十六年（1782年）成書的《四庫全書》共八億字，一直為世上最龐大的百科全書，直至近年才被維基百科打破紀錄。這些科學藝術成就輝煌的傑作，與令人稱奇的動物仿製品並置，使觀眾可親身接觸動物，當中包括任人把玩的鯨魚骨頭，〈海錯奇珍〉的沈浸式互動劇場，活生生的馬蹄蟹和古代繪製的鱟，以及用電腦斷層掃描窺探寵物身體內部等等。

    The first section of the exhibition brings together compelling examples of contemporary scientific research with the extraordinary historical accomplishments of Chinese naturalists going back to the Compendium of Materia Medica, a Chinese herbology volume written by Li Shizhen during the Ming dynasty. The 1782 Complete Library in Four Sections (Siku Quanshu) commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor contained some 800 million Chinese characters, and remained the world’s largest encyclopedia, only recently surpassed by Wikipedia. The scientific and aesthetic achievements of these masterful works then leads to direct encounters with animals, including such fascinating artefacts as a playground of whale skeleton bones, an immersive interactive theater of sea marvels, living and historically depicted horseshoe crabs, and the hidden interior of domestic pets revealed by CT scan technology.

    二· 如意吉祥：動物的象徵寓意
    2. Auspicious symbols and homophonic puns

    動物的象徵含義，為中國文化的要素，又因中國語文的特質而豐富多彩。中文多字同音者眾，事物和寓意往往因發音相近而相連。例如，因「蝠」與「福」同音，故蝙蝠寓意「遍福」。除諧音外，動物的吉祥寓意或其他象徵，亦源自古代的神話信仰。直到今時今日，世上大多數文化，仍篤信動物的力量，深信牠們對人的影響。動物被賦予的寓意象徵，遠超自然本身。

    The symbolic meaning of animals forms an intrinsic part of Chinese culture, and the nature of its written and spoken language contributes to this rich vocabulary. The large numbers of homophones in the Chinese language means that words with different meanings become associated with each other due to a similarity of sound when spoken. For example, the bat is a symbol of happiness and joy because the Chinese word for bat (fuk1 蝠) sounds identical to the word for good fortune (fuk1 福). In addition to such linguistic associations, other symbolic and auspicious animals originate from ancient cosmological and mythical beliefs. A belief in animal power and in their influence over human life is deep-seated and shared by most cultures; to this day people give emblematic significance to the animal domain in a manner that extends far beyond the realm of nature.


    三· 傳說奇想：虛構和人工的動物
    3. Mythical creatures and bestiaries from fantasy to manufactury and the popular imaginary

    百獸形態變化千萬，使人幻想無窮。在古今動物寓言中，傳說異獸如龍、獨角獸和獅鷲，與現實中的動物並存。異獸又相傳有剛正之威，或除病之效，例如傳說中麒麟便可闢邪。博物學家記錄傳播時的失誤，又產生奇形怪狀的動物，而且以訛傳訛，相傳多代。但最重要的是，動物世界是故事靈感之源，提供引人入勝的角色。動物形象被借用，塑造成文學巨著諸如《西遊記》和《動物農莊》，童話故事諸如《愛麗絲夢遊仙境》和《魔法靈貓》，以及中土世界的故事和〈人猿星球〉的奇想。而我們正在邁向的科技新世界，則有奇異的機械生物、令人惶惑的基因改造動物，以及藝術無盡的數碼狂想。

    The astonishing proliferation of forms and modes of being in nature excite the human imagination. In the bestiaries of old and new, fantastical creatures such as dragon, unicorn and griffin thrive side by side with the real animals we encounter. These creatures are further empowered by a belief in moral or pharmacological properties, like the Chinese unicorn Qilin that can supposedly ward off evil. Bizarre creations also come into existence from translation and transcription errors of naturalists that are repeated and embellished from one generation to the next. But most of all the animal world offers a treasury of compelling narrative protagonists that we adopt and then adapt into literary sagas such as Journey to the West and Animal Farm, into the children’s imaginary of Alice in Wonderland and the Cat in the Hat, and into the fantasies of Middle Earth and Planet of the Apes. This brings us to the threshold of future emerging worlds with weird and wonderful robotic creatures, the perplexing prospect of genetically manipulated animals, and the wealth of art’s unfettered digital imaginings.

    四· 自然生態：動物與「天人合一」的違和
    4. The harmony and disharmonies of animal and nature

    傳統中國藝術善用比喻，以表達對自然規律的理解，而人該順應此規律。中國藝術不單求「形」，更是求「神」，表現天地萬物的「韻」。畫家的所有意象，均流露自然融和，以及道、釋二家闡述的「天人合一」思想。至於西方藝術，亦常推崇人和自然為一體，相互協調。可是，氣候變化、戰爭、污染、人口過剩和其他憂患，引發全球危機，令可貴的自然調和喪失，逼使人面對前所未見的惡果。鑑於這些憂患破壞環境，禍及世上萬物，動物研究和「健康一體化」（One Health）的科學概念獲善用，為理解大自然和動物界帶來嶄新觀點，以解決眼前危機。

    Steeped in the rhetoric of metaphor and allegory, traditional Chinese art sought to express an understanding of the pattern of nature that organizes human life. The purpose was not to reproduce mere appearances, but rather to grasp the essence that evoked the atmosphere of the landscape, its flora and fauna. Every iconographic element therefore reflects nature’s underlying coherence, as revealed by the artist, and expresses Taoist and Buddhist concepts of the inner harmony governing human beings’ relation to nature. Western art has also often celebrated holistic visions of humans and nature in harmonious relation; yet today the global crises brought about by climate change, war, pollution, population growth, etc, force one to confront new and terrible disturbances undermining this precious and essential equilibrium. Given these challenges that threaten the environment and the future of all living species, the study of animals and of “One Health” has become an essential scientific and conceptual tool to help resolve these crises through new understandings of nature and the animal domain.

    五· 當代藝術：動物的革新意象
    5. Revisioning animal identity in contemporary art

    此部分的當代藝術作品，製作技術籠括所有媒介。作品仍以動物為題，而每位藝術家各有真知灼見，引起觀眾好奇，激發全新想法。這些作品觸及展覽前四部分的主旨，但以當代藝術手法帶出，時而批判，時而諷刺，時而幽默，或兼而有之；作品不單視動物世界為奧妙，亦揭露其現今的困難處境。作品的概念強而有力，美學推陳出新，承襲中國藝術技巧別樹一格，形象傳神達意的傳統。這傳統的風範，可為現今往後的藝術家所矜式。

    The works of contemporary art in this section of the exhibition employ production techniques that encompass all types of media. While their subject matter remains the animal world, each artist has a unique vision and commentary that provokes a fresh state of curiosity and understanding in the viewer. These works touch upon all the themes from the previous exhibition sections, but frame them in a contemporary perspective that can be critical, ironic and/or humorous. Through them we see the animal world not only as a source of wonder but also as an environment facing new predicaments and challenges. Furthermore, these artworks are conceptually forceful and aesthetically innovative, drawing on ancient traditions of craftsmanship and iconographic eloquence in Chinese art that continue to provide an invaluable legacy to current and future generations of artists.

    展品介紹 ABOUT THE ARTWORKS

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