創作自述 邵婷如

生為宇宙自然的一員，自年少起我便不停的思考：「我為什而生？」「我於此人間的意義？」年長後，行走於國際間創作展覽時，深刻感受到台灣在國際上的敏感地位，我不禁的想著：「為什麼我生為台灣人？」。

由於自己對人類的有種強烈原發的興趣與關切，所以在22年的陶藝生涯中，除初始幾年藉由陶版成形摸索外，而後直接藉由人的形體訴諸表達意念。由最初單一形體的記錄，不斷探索人類身心囚居的受苦、不自由或是有關心靈釋放清明的渴望與尋求。而後又經由群體泥人之組合，呈現人之立於社會、團體彼此互動時的緊張對立或扶持依賴；又涉指人類與自然之間的合諧或破壞、與空間的疏離或互敬。其間，我又試著將人類四肢局部放大，那是對自身與生存空間的「停格」記錄，對所立足的、所觸及的、所凝望，煞間心靈証悟之間的延續記載。其中，對於身體只是靈魂的暫居容器，與及對於靈魂之所往與歸依充滿好奇探索的渴望。

根據聖經，上帝用塵土創造人類的形象，故此每一個體都是彌足珍貴。因此在我所有的陶作中，每一個人形乃至於百隻小鳥或其它，都是一一用手捏塑，即使它們看來異中有同、同中有異。

近幾年深深感受人類貪婪取用地球的資源，對生態的任意破壞，世界各地天災連續不斷，那或是大地之母以反撲行動以示對人類的警告，故此於2002年在日本京都發表的空間裝置個展即是呈述人類與自然的進一步關係，以鳥作為自然的替代符號，對比一隻放大為近一百公分的大鳥與被縮小為十公分的小人塑，提醒過客人間的我們，自然與人類之間在地的主客關係，或以77隻表情溫柔安詳的鳥群以圓型環繞的姿態層層包圍中間的小人塑，此一作品的題目為「七十七次溫柔的警告」，其七十七的數字乃是取自聖經中耶穌對門徒彼得的開示「要原諒七十個七次」，也就是無止盡的寬容，這件作品記錄著自古以來宇宙自然蘊育世世代代人類的承傳並且對人類無數次的原諒與包容，77隻鳥包圍著宇宙過客的渺小人類，乃大地之母對人類「溫柔的警告」的提醒。在「遇見宇宙美麗的綠光」一作，一件高為68公分的人塑，專注凝望手掌中的白色小天使，彼此心靈交會。當人類能夠觸探內在最深處的靈光，也就是透過神的國度或人心的凈化所得到生命意義的救贖，也唯有這霎間吉光片羽的悟得，人類才會懂得如何謙卑的與宇宙自然共生。

2004年於台北縣鶯歌陶瓷博物館的展出，以「出自同一模具的翻模人塑」代表當今世界資本主義的龐大主流勢力，心盲奔逐物慾權勢的社會型態，如同一具具由模具翻製的假人，與宇宙自然全然失聯，喪失心靈自覺能力。

「What’s wrong?」 一作中10 具翻模的白色人塑群體「檢視」隊伍中最後那位自由自在仰望天際「與眾不同」的紅色人塑。「翻模的白色人塑」象徵當今世界強權的龐大勢力，不斷壓擠少數族群與所有獨立自主的生命體系，企圖以政治、經濟與流行文化強勢引導或「同化」所有的「異種」．當今世界強勢的價值，卻是向宇宙自然的掠奪，與心靈世界的失聯，對生之價值的失覺。十具翻模的白色人塑與唯一的紅色人塑，這中間多數與少數的量比中，暗喻哪邊才是被「集體模化」的「物體」，哪邊才是擁有心靈自由的人類。

「人類陛下，你要往那裡去？」圓型鐵架上排滿著低著頭，同一表情，同一動作，一個接一個不斷往前走的「翻自同一個模子」的白色人塑。當人類與宇宙自然失聯，棄離對心靈世界的「對內」探索，匆匆忙忙追逐「對外」「物質權勢」的主流價值，這群「集體模化」的白人塑， 失去心靈自覺的能力，在這個圓圈內不斷的重覆全然不知的集體制約，如同永無止盡的輪迴。

「那達達的馬蹄聲匆促響起，誰才是宇宙的過客呢？」在翹翹板的兩端各自放著一隻放大的安詳白鳥，與一群驚慌失錯從翹翹板滑落的人類，意喻著地球演化的46億年的悠久歷史中，人類的文明史不過只有2000年，身為地球新生兒的人類，雖以萬物之靈自居，卻在這個地球掠奪殺戮，為所欲為。在這天災不斷的年代，如同是大地之母向人類提出警訊:「誰才是這個地球的真正主人？」。

1996年發表「關於人類共築的夢、在墜落前，合力挽起，共舞在下一個世紀」以12位站在梯子上的人塑，全力網住網中的陶心。過去八年來天災人禍加劇，深感這個浩大的未知宇宙，人類是何其渺小，「在時間河域的寬容與承受，誰在臨界點？」一作以「關於人類共築的夢……..」相同手法，卻以12隻白鳥合力銜在網內墜落的人類，地球供養水、空氣，自然資源滋養人類的生存，而人類卻任意掠奪破壞，如今溫室效應、水資源缺乏，土石流，自然反撲等危機一一浮現，人類在物質世界的掠取奢侈濫用下，心靈卻越趨荒蕪虛空，如同面臨著生之臨界點。

2006年於日本發表的“21世紀所有的頭銜都可炒作販售，唯有自由的心靈無價“，則是以石膏模具翻製出ㄧ定數量的相同白色陶偶，這些白色陶偶頭戴金色皇冠，胸口正前方標示著商業銷售條碼，頭朝前方集體舉步往前邁步，這群白色人偶的最前方則站立著ㄧ個仰望天空的手捏赭色人偶，此人偶的肩上停留著ㄧ隻小鳥。筆者以模具量化的概念， 象徵工廠生產線上製造的規格化與統一性， 代表著失去獨特特性與思考性的族群。當今以商業掛帥與銷售指數為指標的年代，如同各行各業冠上銷售之神即可無往不利，直到此人或此物的消費價值全然殆盡進而嫌棄，當消費者瘋狂的陷入商業炒作的佈局而大量銷費購買商品，順應社會流行的同時，是不是同樣失去辯識思考的能力？ 資本主義炒作的全球泛現象似已成主流 。當商業利益為“大眾價值“的社會核心標竿時，如何能保有初衷之心，具備獨特的思考選擇自身的價值，成為少數族群V.S大眾強勢勢力的對比，故此以手捏塑出的赭色人偶象徵其獨特性與珍貴性，肩上的小鳥更代表著擁有真正自我價值的人群是不會因其利益背離大自然。

二十二年來陶塑的泥人幾乎都是小小的頭，胖胖的身體，光著腳趾頭，乃是思考現代人在功利物質社會型態的污染誘惑下，失去最原本的赤子清純，其聰明才智誤用在投機取巧、心機處處。故此特意將泥人的頭部縮小，返歸一個「心寬體胖」的身軀，而且露出腳趾，意喻返樸歸真，無所掩飾的真我重現。

而陶土與其它媒材的組合正是有形物質與無形時空的對比處理，正如誕生在這地球的生物具有存在性但同時有其時效性，這些血肉之軀的物質最後都將消失腐敗，一如燒成後的陶人與陶鳥都是可被打破的物質，但是相對於隱喻性觸摸不到的情境背景或是時光隧道，以鐵架或木材等異質材料來替代永恆不朽的時空長景；羽毛的使用也具有同樣暗喻象徵，不論是天使背上的羽翼，或是腳踝上的小翅膀，這些非物質構成的信念如信心、希望與期盼，無可觸摸也無法用物質存在證明，可是卻是人類真善美尋求的永續力量，也是與宇宙自然平等共生的向光源頭。

其間作品中也不斷的出現“平衡”的處理，如何在人類與自然、心靈世界與物化主流、小眾的堅持與多眾的強勢等議題，呈現作品在墜落損毀與平衡瞬間緊張關係的處理，正如我們所身處的世代現況。

而作品的詩意題目是另一個不可割捨的元素，那正如同是一首首的敘事詩，透露著作品的內在意涵。

Artist’s Statement Ting-Ju Shao

Being a participant in this universe, I have been asking the following

questions ever since my younger days: "Why was I born?" and "Why am I here?"

And due to the difficult situation Taiwan faces in the international arena,

I often start to think: "Why was I born a Taiwanese?" For the very reason

that I am so strongly interested in our species, my work in ceramics has

always used the sculpting of human figures to reflect the artist's concepts.

I recorded a single shape to explore the suffering and imprisonment of souls and bodies, as well as the desire to free the minds. Using different combinations of clay figures, I demonstrate the tension, hostility and dependence of people with their society, as with the harmonious or destructive relationship between man and nature. Enlarging the limbs of the human figures is to project a “freeze frame” record of the environment and myself. It is a continuous recording of my realization of my position in this universe, what I touched and what I saw. Recently, I became very interested in the destination of souls and have tried to explore this.

According to the bible, God created the image of man from earth. Every individual is thus unique and precious. My ceramic works are all handmade, whether they be an individual figure, or hundreds of birds, or indeed anything else. Each piece retains its own uniqueness while they may share an overall similarity. I have chosen wood fired kilns whenever possible whereever I travel. During firing, my work was placed in the Noborigama or Anagram at random, with some pleasant surprises in the result. This reflects the fact that we cannot choose our sex, race or nationality in advance when we are born. Each element is unique, this constitutes the universe and the nature of our existence.

In recent years, people have abused the resources in this world. A lot of damages have been done to nature, and that resulted in a lot of disasters of magnitude. This is a warning signaled by Mother Nature to us. For this very reason, the exhibition in Kyoto, Japan, 2002, was meant to be a reflection of the respective relationship between nature and us, with birds representing Mother Nature. For a bird that is manifested to 100 centimeters, and a human figure shrink to 10 centimeters, their relative ratio is a reminder for us who are the guests passing this world. The work was titled “The Seventy-Seven Gentle Warnings”, and its theme was represented by seventy-seven birds positioned in a circle around the small human figure in the middle. The number seventy-seven is taken from the bible, in which Jesus once told Peter “to forgive seventy-seven” times. Effectively, it is telling us to be generous in our forgiveness, which is what Mother Nature has been to us as well.

“Meeting the beautiful green light of the universe” is another work, represented by a human figure of 68 centimeters. He was looking at the small Angel positioned in the middle of his palm with a mutual understanding. Only when people can understand this intricacy of wonders created by God, and through his own humbling, then we can achieve a balance in the geo-cycle with Mother Cycle.

For the past 18 years, the clay figures always took on a small head with a fat body. The toes protruding from underneath. This is a reflection of the greed in this polluted world, people have lost their innocence, and all the efforts were used to think of obtaining small advantages. The size of the head became relatively small in this disproportion of energy. Yet, the toes are a remainder of the true nature of ourselves, one that cannot be hidden and should be drawn back into focus.

The use of multimedia is also a reflection of the contrast between material substance and the concept of time, just as the physical existence and the time of existence of all life on earth. The final disappearance of the physical body mirrors the fact that one day, the ceramic bird or figure can also be broken. The use of iron and wooden frame denotes the eternity of time. The use of feathers, which could represent the feather on the back of the angels, or the little wings on the angles; in turn draws on the symbolic representation of our faith in trust, hope and aspiration. While there are something in this universe which does not take on a physical form, our faith will remain the striving force that seek to maintain a balance with the universe.

The title of the work also constitutes an important poetic element; it is in itself like a narrative poem, revealing the in-depth meaning of the ceramic art.