FAH-DAD Art and Academic Lecture Series No.16 : Drilling Holes in Chaos —The Artistic Practice of Shiro Matsui

人文學院藝術與設計系 : 藝術與學術系列講壇之十六: 渾沌鑿竅—松井紫朗的藝術活動

南海之帝為倏，北海之帝為忽，中央之帝為渾沌。倏與忽時相與遇於渾相之地，渾待之甚善。倏與忽謀報渾沌之德，曰：「人皆有七竅以視聽食息，此獨無有，嘗試鑿之。」日鑿一竅，七日而渾沌死。

中國古代有一個寓言故事，說的是三個皇帝:南海的倏、北海的忽和統治中央的渾沌。當倏和忽到訪渾沌時，他們受到了盛情款待。為了報答這份恩情，他們觀察到眾生都有七竅，可以看見、聽見、進食和呼吸，而渾沌卻沒有。他們決定每天鑿一個竅來幫助渾沌。這個寓言似乎與老子的「無為」和順應自然的哲學相衝突，但卻隱喻了過度的干預會如何破壞事物的本質。然而，身為藝術家，我有意識地参與這一悖論。我的作品，包括與JAXA(日本宇宙航空研究開發機構)合作，在太空中種植花園，以及在瓶子中捕捉真空的太空，反映了混沌與秩序、無形與有形之間持續不斷的對話，透過我在抽象概念上鑿的這些「竅」，我邀請觀眾探索在理解與保留事物本質之間的微妙平衡。

An ancient Chinese parable tells of three emperors: Xiu of the South Sea, Hu of the North Sea, and Chaos who ruled the Central Sea. When Xiu and Hu visited Chaos, they were received with great hospitality. Wanting to repay this kindness, they observed that while all beings had seven openings for seeing, hearing, eating, and breathing, Chaos had none. They decided to help by drilling these holes – one each day. On the seventh day, Chaos died.

This parable, which appears to conflict with Laozi’s philosophy of “wu-wei” (non-action) and following nature’s course, serves as a metaphor for how excessive intervention can destroy the essential nature of things. However, as an artist, I consciously engage with this paradox. My artistic practice deliberately creates openings and holes, not to destroy chaos, but to transform abstract concepts like time, space, and void into tangible forms that humans can perceive and experience.

My work, including collaborations with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) growing gardens in space and capturing the vacuum of space in bottles, reflects this ongoing dialogue between chaos and order, between the intangible and the tangible. Through these “holes” I drill into abstract concepts, I invite viewers to explore the delicate balance between understanding and preserving the essential nature of things.

日期Date: 6/3/2025 (THU)

時間Time: 18:30 – 20:30

地點Venue: 崇文樓 (E34) G011演講廳 / 線上Online 

講者Speaker: 松井紫朗教授 / Prof. Shiro Matsui

語言Language: 英文 / English

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