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The Passager 擺渡客 創作計畫
弱冠藝所的主理人艾摩爾 是個台灣巴基斯坦混血兒 他的母親Betty是台灣人 父親Afzal是巴基斯坦人
Betty與Afzal兩人年輕時都是劇場演員 他們在一場巡迴亞洲的演出上認識後 很快得就墜入了愛河（不過這又是另一個故事了 下次再說） 兩人婚後 艾氏舉家於1997年搬遷到了香港 作為異鄉人的Betty在香港無親無故 唯有在當地穆斯林社群的傳統慶典上才有機會認識同樣作為新移民的中東太太們 漸漸的與她們一起在廚房裡做菜 幫忙準備慶典 變成了Betty的一種精神寄託 而學會「巴基斯坦咖哩」的料理方式則成了融入中東太太們的一個機會
在後來的日子裡 這道「巴基斯坦咖哩」不再只是Betty當年為融入中東社群而接受過的一場文化洗禮 它更成為了Betty生命的一部分 是即使在搬回了台灣之後也會為孩子們準備 時常端上餐桌的一道佳餚
2019年 我以艾摩爾未婚夫的身份走進了他們的生活 而Betty也將這道「巴基斯坦咖哩」最傳統道地的作法傳授給了我 以此作為 我從一個「外人」被接納進他們家庭的一場儀式
「儀式」一詞係指「從一個狀態轉換到另一個狀態的過程」
我的未婚夫艾摩爾 曾在他2017年的【告黑·創作個展】上提出了“無界藝術計畫”的概念 他認為所有現存的藝術門類與流派 都有一個共同的起源 而那起源就是「儀式」 因為「儀式」是人類文明中最早出現 也最具純粹動機的 創作方式 同時「儀式」還是最包容的藝術形式 它內含了視覺、音樂、表演、文學、建築等多種藝術形式 甚至是運用了「味覺」與「觸覺」這些我們平常較少用來賞析藝術的感官
至此 我決定開啟並用未來兩年的時間去執行一場名為【 擺 渡 客 】的創作計畫 計畫期間我會用最傳統的方式 以多達12種辛香料原粒與5種食材 製作五千份「巴基斯坦咖哩」 開放給貴賓們來享用（每日限量 歡迎預約體驗）我希望透過分享這場屬於我的儀式 把我人生成長的喜悅 以及這種「從狀態轉換到狀態」的儀式感也一同分享給享用的貴賓 每一位貴賓在體驗完這件作品之後 都將收到一份正式的作品證明書 證明書中包含：藝術家落款、作品版數 以及一張貴賓與作品的拍立得合照
The foreman of BHLEG the ART RENDEZVOUS, Ai is biracial; his mother, Betty is Taiwanese, his father, Afzal is Pakistani.
Betty and Afzal were both theatre actors when they were young. After a brief encounter at an Asian performance tour, their romance bloomed and quickly fell in love (but that’s another long story for next time…) After their marriage, Ai’s Family moved to Hong Kong in 1997. Being a foreigner in Hong Kong, Betty had no friends or family. It is only during the local Muslim events she got to meet with the other Middle-Eastern housewives, who were also immigrants. Gradually, helping them cook in the kitchen and preparing for the ceremony became Betty’s emotional sustenance. And learning to cook the “karahi chicken” dish made her way into being part of the middle-eastern housewives’ community.
After those days, the “karahi chicken” was no longer just a cultural immersion that Betty received to be part of the middle-eastern community, it also grew to become part of Betty’s life, a family cuisine that she would often prepare for her kids even after she had moved back to Taiwan.
In 2019, I came into Ai’s life as his fiancé, and Betty taught me to cook the “karahi chicken” in the most traditional way, so it would be a ritual for me as an “outsider” to be accepted into their family.
The word “ritual” means “the progress of transition from one state into another.”
In【0% CONFESSION • Ai SOLO EXHIBITION】2017, my fiancé, Ai had started【The 「Limit of Boundary」 Trial】, proposing a theory, He believes that all categories and factions of art nowadays have the same root of origin, and that origin is “ritual”, because “ritual” began earliest in human civilization and is the creative approach that possesses the most pure motivation; Meanwhile, “ritual” is also the most tolerant art form, it consists of visual, music, performance, literature, architecture, and many other art forms, even applied with “taste” and “touch”, the senses we less often used to appreciate art.
Here, I am determined to start up and devote my future two years to carry out a project,【The Passager】. During the process, I will use the most traditional way, consists of 12 spices and five ingredients to make five thousand “kahari chicken” for the guests to enjoy. (Limited daily, open for experience reservations.) I hope to share my joy of growth, a rite of passage through my personal ritual, along with the sense of “progress of transition from one state into another” for our guests to enjoy.
After experiencing the artwork, each of our guests will receive a formal art certificate of authenticity, which will include: artist’s signature, print number, and a Polaroid photo of the guests with their received artwork.