數位檔案
一份 PDF 文件，內含以白色 ASCII* 呈現的約翰湯姆生立體照片《木柵，福爾摩沙》（1871），換言之，其不可見，除非在數位檔中複製並更改文字顏色。如此所示 (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
一份 PDF 文件，內含以白色 ASCII* 呈現的約翰湯姆生立體照片《木柵，福爾摩沙》（1871），換言之，其不可見，除非在數位檔中複製並更改文字顏色。如此所示 (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
19 世紀英國人湯姆森帶著當時先進的攝影技術前來，為台灣留下最初的影像，該紀錄至今仍為我們想像彼時的根據。《木柵，福爾摩沙》是一張原住民婦女照片，常見於台灣歷史課本「『無歷史之人』的歷史」章節。
作品關注可見性對歷史建構的參與，和可見性生產／傳播對技術的仰賴。透過材料（立體照片，一種在影像中創造幻覺的技術）和形式（ASCII，一種在電腦具圖形能力前呈現影像的技術）選擇，強調影像固有的視差和簡化特徵。「不可見」回收影像並避免再製視覺等級制度，同時重申數位藝術的「數位性」：其資訊能在數位環境移動、複製、傳輸中保存，卻必然於實體化時消失。
*美國標準資訊交換碼
／
Digital file
A PDF file containing ASCII*-representation of John Thomson’s stereoscopic photo Baksa, Formosa (1871) in white, which means the work is invisible unless someone copies and changes the text color digitally. As shown here ;-)
In 19th century, the British John Thomson shot the first photos of Taiwan with then advanced technology; these pictures form our imagination of that time. Baksa, Formosa is a photo of indigenous woman, commonly shown in the “The history of ‘people without history’” chapter of Taiwan history textbook.
The work focuses on the participation of visibility in historical construction, and how the production/dissemination of visibility relies on technology. Through material (stereoscopic photo, a technique for creating the illusion in an image) and form (ASCII, a technique for presenting image before computer has graphics ability) choice, it emphasizes the parallax and simplified features inherent in image. The invisibility serves as a way to regain our image without reproducing visual hierarchy while reaffirming the “digitality” of digital art: its information can be preserved during movement, copying, and transmission in the digital environment, but it will inevitably disappear when materialized.
*American Standard Code for Information Interchange