obey father before marriage
obey son after husband’s decease
9/16/2007
Desire, Politics, and Feminist Photography by Li-Hsin Kuo
There appeared briefly around mid 1900 within the photographic circle in Taiwan a group of female photographers whose topics touched upon the issues concerning the awareness of feminism and genders. This group, as a whole or as individual members, created some marginal works, which did not cause significant impacts at that time. Although these artists did not focus on feminist issues and their related political ideologies, their efforts and contributions were nevertheless worth noticing. The creative direction of this particular group, unfortunately, failed to continue. At that time, Lulu Shur-Tzy Hou was a main figure, who presented a clear voice and whose art works throughout the years continued to address gender related politics.
Ten years have passed since then. Although today’s female social status in Taiwan has improved, the overall progress is still far from what is anticipated. Yet, female photographers have stopped addressing this important issue, and photography is no longer a tool for documenting gender politics. This phenomenon is especially disappointing and perplexing. In this gap, the appearance of YiYi Wan’s feminist photography gives us a renewed encouragement.
YiYi adopted pin-hole camera as her creative tool. She used her own body as a model to express female desires and female status in current society. Her expression is clear and ambivalent at the same time. This ambivalence not only appeared in her esthetic manipulation of the images, but also reflected in her attitudes towards the issues of gender politics. As a result, the message appears particularly intriguing. If one follows her own description of her creative intention and many of the titles of her works, she seems to hold a very definite position regarding feminism. However, this message sometimes contradicts with her other images and titles. This phenomenon may coincide with the complexities intrinsic of female body and desire: identifying with certain correct position in gender politics does not necessarily prevent her from falling into traditional behavior pattern with her body and desire.
Most of YiYi’s works depict female’s status in a male dominated society. In the past, similar images concerning female desires and their social circumstances also existed. Her works basically restated the same message. Thus, the problem becomes: Why we need to repeat this message. Is it because the universal female status around the world still lacks improvement, or because these issues are still relevant in Taiwanese society today? Or, perhaps, as a female photographer, it is necessary for YiYi to apply a different artistic method to repeat the same message in order for her to achieve self liberation? Or, is there any other reason?
This issue regarding female status is a very general one. Its universality obviously might pose some potential problems of repetition for YiYi’s creative endeavors. This problem may, however, be resolved by her returning to her unique position in the society. Generally speaking, when one is addressing a universal topic, the political effectiveness is often compromised, primarily because the lack of specific context. In YiYi’s new works, which I am privileged to have the opportunity to preview, her connection to the society and her social dialogue become much more developed and articulated. I am therefore looking forward to her new group of works in feminist photography.
Ten years have passed since then. Although today’s female social status in Taiwan has improved, the overall progress is still far from what is anticipated. Yet, female photographers have stopped addressing this important issue, and photography is no longer a tool for documenting gender politics. This phenomenon is especially disappointing and perplexing. In this gap, the appearance of YiYi Wan’s feminist photography gives us a renewed encouragement.
YiYi adopted pin-hole camera as her creative tool. She used her own body as a model to express female desires and female status in current society. Her expression is clear and ambivalent at the same time. This ambivalence not only appeared in her esthetic manipulation of the images, but also reflected in her attitudes towards the issues of gender politics. As a result, the message appears particularly intriguing. If one follows her own description of her creative intention and many of the titles of her works, she seems to hold a very definite position regarding feminism. However, this message sometimes contradicts with her other images and titles. This phenomenon may coincide with the complexities intrinsic of female body and desire: identifying with certain correct position in gender politics does not necessarily prevent her from falling into traditional behavior pattern with her body and desire.
Most of YiYi’s works depict female’s status in a male dominated society. In the past, similar images concerning female desires and their social circumstances also existed. Her works basically restated the same message. Thus, the problem becomes: Why we need to repeat this message. Is it because the universal female status around the world still lacks improvement, or because these issues are still relevant in Taiwanese society today? Or, perhaps, as a female photographer, it is necessary for YiYi to apply a different artistic method to repeat the same message in order for her to achieve self liberation? Or, is there any other reason?
This issue regarding female status is a very general one. Its universality obviously might pose some potential problems of repetition for YiYi’s creative endeavors. This problem may, however, be resolved by her returning to her unique position in the society. Generally speaking, when one is addressing a universal topic, the political effectiveness is often compromised, primarily because the lack of specific context. In YiYi’s new works, which I am privileged to have the opportunity to preview, her connection to the society and her social dialogue become much more developed and articulated. I am therefore looking forward to her new group of works in feminist photography.
慾望、政治、與女性主義攝影 / 郭力昕
大約在1990年代中期，台灣的攝影界，曾短暫的出現了一群帶有女性意識或性別議題的女性攝影家，個別或集體的進行了質量不算特別豐富的影像創作。她們未必都有女性主義的問題意識或政治觀點，但當時的這些努力與成績，頗令人期待。可惜的是，以我有限的觀察，這個創作隊伍或路線，似乎未能集體地持續下去。當時在性別政治的議題上，比較持續提出創作、且觀點明確的，以侯淑姿為最主要的代表。
十多年過去了。台灣女性今日的社會位置或處境，雖有局部的提升或改善，但整體地看，仍欠缺應有的進步幅度。然而，我卻看不太到有足夠的女性影像創作者，對這個重要的議題，以靜態攝影發聲，進行性別政治的書寫。這是令人遺憾且不解的。於是，在這個匱乏的狀態下，看到萬一一女性主義觀點的攝影作品，讓人感到鼓舞。
萬一一利用針孔相機做為創作工具，將自己的身體、女性情慾、以及女性的社會處境，既清楚又曖昧地呈現出來；這種曖昧模糊，不僅顯現在她處理影像的手法與美學上，也再現了她對相關性別政治議題、似乎既清晰又模稜的態度。這是饒富趣味的。從她自述的創作理念、以及許多作品的標題來看，攝影家的女性主義政治立場十分明確；但從其他一些作品及其標題裡，似乎又並非如此。也許這恰好是身體與慾望的複雜本質：我們無法因為對性/別議題有了政治正確的思維，就能完全免於身體和慾望讓人無法規訓的另一些陷溺。
這些作品，大體上仍在敘述女性於男性霸權文化裡的狀態。許多影像傳遞的訊息，與女性的情慾、社會情境，都早已經存在；萬一一的作品，大約是在重複地論述已經出現過的相似的訊息。問題因此是：為何這些訊息需要重複訴說？是由於女性的所謂「普遍性」（universal）情境，至今沒有一點改變，還是這些問題於台灣社會依然嚴重？或者，做為一位女性攝影家，必需透過不同的藝術手法，重新訴說一次類似的話語，以做為自我救贖/解放壓抑的必要過程？或是其他原因？
那麼，在提出了具有普遍意義的女性共同處境後，由於「普遍性」而可能顯得籠統的話語，可以因為萬一一回到自己的特定社會展開新的創作，而解決了上述的問題。太過「普遍性」的主題，常可能會犧牲了特定政治意義的有效性，因為它缺乏話語的脈絡。萬一一正在進行中的新作，我有幸先閱讀了一些，而當中的社會脈絡就清楚很多。萬一一女性主義立場的攝影創作，也就格外值得期待。
十多年過去了。台灣女性今日的社會位置或處境，雖有局部的提升或改善，但整體地看，仍欠缺應有的進步幅度。然而，我卻看不太到有足夠的女性影像創作者，對這個重要的議題，以靜態攝影發聲，進行性別政治的書寫。這是令人遺憾且不解的。於是，在這個匱乏的狀態下，看到萬一一女性主義觀點的攝影作品，讓人感到鼓舞。
萬一一利用針孔相機做為創作工具，將自己的身體、女性情慾、以及女性的社會處境，既清楚又曖昧地呈現出來；這種曖昧模糊，不僅顯現在她處理影像的手法與美學上，也再現了她對相關性別政治議題、似乎既清晰又模稜的態度。這是饒富趣味的。從她自述的創作理念、以及許多作品的標題來看，攝影家的女性主義政治立場十分明確；但從其他一些作品及其標題裡，似乎又並非如此。也許這恰好是身體與慾望的複雜本質：我們無法因為對性/別議題有了政治正確的思維，就能完全免於身體和慾望讓人無法規訓的另一些陷溺。
這些作品，大體上仍在敘述女性於男性霸權文化裡的狀態。許多影像傳遞的訊息，與女性的情慾、社會情境，都早已經存在；萬一一的作品，大約是在重複地論述已經出現過的相似的訊息。問題因此是：為何這些訊息需要重複訴說？是由於女性的所謂「普遍性」（universal）情境，至今沒有一點改變，還是這些問題於台灣社會依然嚴重？或者，做為一位女性攝影家，必需透過不同的藝術手法，重新訴說一次類似的話語，以做為自我救贖/解放壓抑的必要過程？或是其他原因？
那麼，在提出了具有普遍意義的女性共同處境後，由於「普遍性」而可能顯得籠統的話語，可以因為萬一一回到自己的特定社會展開新的創作，而解決了上述的問題。太過「普遍性」的主題，常可能會犧牲了特定政治意義的有效性，因為它缺乏話語的脈絡。萬一一正在進行中的新作，我有幸先閱讀了一些，而當中的社會脈絡就清楚很多。萬一一女性主義立場的攝影創作，也就格外值得期待。
5/25/2007
4/11/2007
Oscillating between the Visible and the Invisible: the Mischievous Interplay of Sexuality in YiYi Wan’s Photography, 2003-2005 by Rei-Chi Liu
YiYi received her master degree in photography in 2004 from San Francisco’s Academy of Art University in the United States. She possesses a thorough understanding of the history of photography as well as the feminist theory, as is reflected in her photographic self-portraits, her choice of titles, styles, and contents, as well as her statement on art. These, taken together,
expressed a significant amount of critical and satirical sentiments that are associated with feminism.
In taking these self-portraits, YiYi applied the pinhole camera. This decision is bold and wise. Her use of the pinhole camera differs from that of the tradition, which has served as a tool of peeping. Here, the images of the female figures are rendered vague and blurry due to shortened exposure time. This created an effect of uncertainty. The blurry images of female bodies also prevent men from focusing his desires on usually well defined and clear images. This uncommon expression found in her self-portraits, where the photo images seem to oscillate between the visible and the invisible, poses, in some sense, a direct confrontation on male’s sexually charged gaze, which often peeks from behind the pinhole.
In YiYi’s work, we can notice an apparent connection to the European tradition of using costumed female in self-portraits. Particularly evident is the influence of Francesca Woodman (1958-1981). The resemblances can be seen in their choices of subject-matters, which normally include: obscured and unsettled expressions and bodily images, elegantly arranged feminine dresses and backgrounds, and the displays of objects that are filled with symbolic meanings, such as flowers and fruits, etc. One of YiYi’s works, entitled “Womanliness as a Masquerade?”, reminds us of the influential female psychoanalyst Joan Riviere’s writing in feminist theory, “Womanliness as a Masquerade” (1929). The most noticeable and exaggerated characteristic in YiYi’s work lies in her employment of Woodman-like subject-matter to create a theatrical stage, in which she used exaggerated and satirical costumes, backdrops, as well as various gestures through glances, bodily expressions and performances, to critique the male possessiveness over femininity. Taken together, her mocking of femininity, and her intentional usage of pin-hole camera with an embedded inversion of connotation, has successfully undermined the traditional idea that femininity is at the service of men.
In addition to critiquing on traditional male gaze of female body, YiYi’s work also discloses a way of thinking related to the concept of “Auto-Erotic” (see her exhibition title). In her written statement, YiYi stated that her work is implicitly an exploration on “how a woman in an oppressed society, facing the fears of public criticism, can achieve her own self-liberation.” The fact that she adopted Woodman-like subject-matters and used blurry female images and feminine costumes clearly implies the presence of a mask that stands for social oppression and public opinions. On the other hand, the backdrops objects used in her photos, such as cantaloupe and rose, reveal, without any doubt, the feminine sexual desires. Sustaining such tension between oppression and liberation, YiYi bypasses the male-gaze and associated social restrictions, and successfully opens a possibility for independent-minded women to fashion her own presence.
expressed a significant amount of critical and satirical sentiments that are associated with feminism.
In taking these self-portraits, YiYi applied the pinhole camera. This decision is bold and wise. Her use of the pinhole camera differs from that of the tradition, which has served as a tool of peeping. Here, the images of the female figures are rendered vague and blurry due to shortened exposure time. This created an effect of uncertainty. The blurry images of female bodies also prevent men from focusing his desires on usually well defined and clear images. This uncommon expression found in her self-portraits, where the photo images seem to oscillate between the visible and the invisible, poses, in some sense, a direct confrontation on male’s sexually charged gaze, which often peeks from behind the pinhole.
In YiYi’s work, we can notice an apparent connection to the European tradition of using costumed female in self-portraits. Particularly evident is the influence of Francesca Woodman (1958-1981). The resemblances can be seen in their choices of subject-matters, which normally include: obscured and unsettled expressions and bodily images, elegantly arranged feminine dresses and backgrounds, and the displays of objects that are filled with symbolic meanings, such as flowers and fruits, etc. One of YiYi’s works, entitled “Womanliness as a Masquerade?”, reminds us of the influential female psychoanalyst Joan Riviere’s writing in feminist theory, “Womanliness as a Masquerade” (1929). The most noticeable and exaggerated characteristic in YiYi’s work lies in her employment of Woodman-like subject-matter to create a theatrical stage, in which she used exaggerated and satirical costumes, backdrops, as well as various gestures through glances, bodily expressions and performances, to critique the male possessiveness over femininity. Taken together, her mocking of femininity, and her intentional usage of pin-hole camera with an embedded inversion of connotation, has successfully undermined the traditional idea that femininity is at the service of men.
In addition to critiquing on traditional male gaze of female body, YiYi’s work also discloses a way of thinking related to the concept of “Auto-Erotic” (see her exhibition title). In her written statement, YiYi stated that her work is implicitly an exploration on “how a woman in an oppressed society, facing the fears of public criticism, can achieve her own self-liberation.” The fact that she adopted Woodman-like subject-matters and used blurry female images and feminine costumes clearly implies the presence of a mask that stands for social oppression and public opinions. On the other hand, the backdrops objects used in her photos, such as cantaloupe and rose, reveal, without any doubt, the feminine sexual desires. Sustaining such tension between oppression and liberation, YiYi bypasses the male-gaze and associated social restrictions, and successfully opens a possibility for independent-minded women to fashion her own presence.
逃逸在可見與不可見之間：萬一一2003-05年攝影中的性別迷藏 / 劉瑞琪
2004 年畢業於美國舊金山藝術大學攝影研究所的萬一一，顯然對女性攝影史與女性主義理論知之甚詳，她的自拍像標題、風格與內容，以及她的創作自述，都展現了強烈的女性主義批判鋒芒與幽默。
萬一一使用針孔照相機自拍，這是相當大膽且機智的嘗試。在她的創作中，針孔照相機不再是媒體報導中慣見的偷窺工具，而是在曝光時間不夠的特意安排之下，成為顯影女性模糊不定的身體影像的媒材。萬一一以捉摸不定的身體顯像，藉揚棄清晰固定的身形，使男性凝視失去慾望可以具體投射的對象，以逃逸在可見與不可見之間的自我再現，反將了以針孔照相機窺淫的男性目光一軍。
萬一一顯然繼承了歐美女性扮裝自拍像的傳統，其中尤以美國攝影家法蘭雀斯卡．巫德曼（Francesca Woodman, 1958-1981）的影響特別突出。兩人作品中類似的母題包括：模糊晃蕩的面目與身形，優雅的女性化裙裝與布幕，充滿隱喻意味的花朵與水果等等。萬一一有一件作品叫做〈女性氣質好似扮裝的？〉，影射在女性主義理論中迴響甚深甚廣的文章：女性精神分析師瓊恩．瑞維爾（Joan Riviere）的〈女性化氣質作為扮裝〉（1929）。她的作品最鮮明的特徵，就是以前述與巫德曼作品類似的母題為主，展開劇場性的種種扮裝，並且以誇張化與滑稽化的裝扮、道具、眼神、姿態與表演，來嘲諷男性對女性化氣質的迷思。她對女性化氣質玩笑的操弄，配合對針孔照相機的逆轉性運用，成功地逾越傳統服務男性的女性化氣質。
除了顛覆男性凝視慾望化的女體之外，萬一一也展現了對女人「情慾自主」（她的作品標題）的思索。在萬一一的自述中談到，她的作品想探討：「在一個制約的社會體系下，女性畏懼公眾輿論，以及如何釋放自我的暗示與聯想。」前述與巫德曼作品類似的母題，如模糊晃蕩的身體顯影、女性化的扮裝等等，成為她遮蔽社會輿論壓抑的面具，而哈蜜瓜、玫瑰等道具，則轉化成彰顯女性情慾與暢爽的隱喻。在這層層壓抑與釋放的拉鋸之下，萬一一逾越了男性目光與社會的制約，開拓了自主性女性扮裝的可能性。
">連結
萬一一使用針孔照相機自拍，這是相當大膽且機智的嘗試。在她的創作中，針孔照相機不再是媒體報導中慣見的偷窺工具，而是在曝光時間不夠的特意安排之下，成為顯影女性模糊不定的身體影像的媒材。萬一一以捉摸不定的身體顯像，藉揚棄清晰固定的身形，使男性凝視失去慾望可以具體投射的對象，以逃逸在可見與不可見之間的自我再現，反將了以針孔照相機窺淫的男性目光一軍。
萬一一顯然繼承了歐美女性扮裝自拍像的傳統，其中尤以美國攝影家法蘭雀斯卡．巫德曼（Francesca Woodman, 1958-1981）的影響特別突出。兩人作品中類似的母題包括：模糊晃蕩的面目與身形，優雅的女性化裙裝與布幕，充滿隱喻意味的花朵與水果等等。萬一一有一件作品叫做〈女性氣質好似扮裝的？〉，影射在女性主義理論中迴響甚深甚廣的文章：女性精神分析師瓊恩．瑞維爾（Joan Riviere）的〈女性化氣質作為扮裝〉（1929）。她的作品最鮮明的特徵，就是以前述與巫德曼作品類似的母題為主，展開劇場性的種種扮裝，並且以誇張化與滑稽化的裝扮、道具、眼神、姿態與表演，來嘲諷男性對女性化氣質的迷思。她對女性化氣質玩笑的操弄，配合對針孔照相機的逆轉性運用，成功地逾越傳統服務男性的女性化氣質。
除了顛覆男性凝視慾望化的女體之外，萬一一也展現了對女人「情慾自主」（她的作品標題）的思索。在萬一一的自述中談到，她的作品想探討：「在一個制約的社會體系下，女性畏懼公眾輿論，以及如何釋放自我的暗示與聯想。」前述與巫德曼作品類似的母題，如模糊晃蕩的身體顯影、女性化的扮裝等等，成為她遮蔽社會輿論壓抑的面具，而哈蜜瓜、玫瑰等道具，則轉化成彰顯女性情慾與暢爽的隱喻。在這層層壓抑與釋放的拉鋸之下，萬一一逾越了男性目光與社會的制約，開拓了自主性女性扮裝的可能性。
">連結
3/25/2007
不受傳統思想束縛的針孔攝影 / 艾里森．貝雀兒
觀賞萬一一的「逾越…壓抑與釋放」系列，有兩件事最引人注目：(1)它採用針孔照相機，(2)許多照片是以她自己為主角。她的這些作品反映出她對當今世界在性別角色上的一些傳統看法所提出的挑戰。萬一一採用歷史性的攝影技巧來探討當代的議題，這使得過去和現在、夢幻和現實、以及私人性和宇宙性之間的界線，顯得額外模糊。
萬一一的攝影採用透視法和空間的運用（攝影機前的空間，和婦女在世上所佔據的空間），來探討社會中和鏡頭下所呈現的女性形象。針孔照相機從文藝復興時期便開始被人用來將三維空間的物體，投影到二維空間的平面上。這類的照相機被稱為「暗箱」(意思是黑暗的房間) 註1，大約在十九世紀中期便產生了第一張照片。
針孔照相機的使用程序非常具有直覺性. 它所產生的影像往往給人一種屬於個人並且直接的感受。光線由物體反射後，穿過針孔直接在底片上形成影像，不需經過鏡頭。正因為針孔照相機沒有觀景窗，攝影師無法事先框取主題，成像結果往往難以預料。
同時，針孔照像機因為沒有用鏡頭來聚焦或修正透視的效果，影像往往較為柔和，並且稍帶扭曲。常常給人一種超現實的夢幻感，使觀賞者產生一種時空恍惚的感覺。萬一一的照片中所呈現的特殊透視效果，也讓人聯想到針孔攝影機所拍攝到的影像。就好像我們偷看到了私人世界中的私密情景。
照相機向來都被當成是一種能將女性描繪成物品的工具，也從而鞏固了婦女在社會中所扮演的典型角色。在此，針孔照相機的運用使得攝影能由現代科技下的照相機所具有的物化功能中解放出來。從某種角度而言，萬一一所採用的這種傳統的攝影程序，為當代的性別角色議題，提供了一個新的辨識層面。
萬一一的影像中顯而易見的質感，讓人聯想到十九世紀廣受歡迎的柯羅定濕版(collodion wet plate negative)註2。這個早期的攝影程序是在玻璃版上覆蓋上一層感光的化學物。當它還潮濕的時候，就讓它在照相機中曝光。攝影師往往在塗抹感光乳劑時，不夠小心，使得最後的照片仍然保有玻璃版上感光乳劑的質地感。這個質地感會使得作品帶有藝術家現身處地的感覺。照片也因此而具有一種手製品的涵義，而不再只是機械的產物。萬一一的照片也呈現出類似的感受，因為她選擇讓顯影化學物品保留在拍立得負片上，進而使得照片的質感帶有一種掏心吐腹的真摯感。
對於在這當中有許多照片是以萬一一為主角的這個事實，我們也不能忽視。 萬一一在她想要探討的這個「社會如何看待婦女」的議題中是一個主動的參與者。 但這並不必然代表照片中所描述的就是她本人。身為一位藝術創作者，她所表現的是來自她的經驗和看法。但她所要傳遞的訊息卻帶有普遍性。至於她將自己納入照片中的這個決定，使得作品更具真實感。這些作品當中，有一部分涉及了事前的策劃，並包涵了某些象徵性的物品。另ㄧ部分則依賴姿態和肢體語言來傳達訊息，影像較為優美微妙。
萬一一的照片大半是在私人場合中拍攝的，譬如在住宅內或教堂中。它想要表達的是：婦女有佔據這些空間的權力。針孔照像機的使用，在此將主角和她所存在的空間之間的關係誇大了。在某些照片當中，主角似乎融入了環境，幾近消失。在另ㄧ些照片當中，主角則充滿了整個畫面，與觀賞者正目相對。
萬一一的攝影作品同時具備了美麗和幽默，生動和優雅的特色。她所探討的是具有普遍性的問題，而她的表現方式，則是透過一些非常屬於個人而且私密的影像。 換句話說，萬一一在此以她完美的視覺語言，探討了當今世界婦女的生活經驗。
註1 拉丁文Camera意思是房間；Obscura是黑暗的意思
註2. 即火棉膠版
作者 Alyson Belcher，美國籍攝影家，大學在加州柏克萊主修人類學，研究所在舊金山州立大學主修攝影，現任教於舊金山藝術大學攝影研究所
萬一一的攝影採用透視法和空間的運用（攝影機前的空間，和婦女在世上所佔據的空間），來探討社會中和鏡頭下所呈現的女性形象。針孔照相機從文藝復興時期便開始被人用來將三維空間的物體，投影到二維空間的平面上。這類的照相機被稱為「暗箱」(意思是黑暗的房間) 註1，大約在十九世紀中期便產生了第一張照片。
針孔照相機的使用程序非常具有直覺性. 它所產生的影像往往給人一種屬於個人並且直接的感受。光線由物體反射後，穿過針孔直接在底片上形成影像，不需經過鏡頭。正因為針孔照相機沒有觀景窗，攝影師無法事先框取主題，成像結果往往難以預料。
同時，針孔照像機因為沒有用鏡頭來聚焦或修正透視的效果，影像往往較為柔和，並且稍帶扭曲。常常給人一種超現實的夢幻感，使觀賞者產生一種時空恍惚的感覺。萬一一的照片中所呈現的特殊透視效果，也讓人聯想到針孔攝影機所拍攝到的影像。就好像我們偷看到了私人世界中的私密情景。
照相機向來都被當成是一種能將女性描繪成物品的工具，也從而鞏固了婦女在社會中所扮演的典型角色。在此，針孔照相機的運用使得攝影能由現代科技下的照相機所具有的物化功能中解放出來。從某種角度而言，萬一一所採用的這種傳統的攝影程序，為當代的性別角色議題，提供了一個新的辨識層面。
萬一一的影像中顯而易見的質感，讓人聯想到十九世紀廣受歡迎的柯羅定濕版(collodion wet plate negative)註2。這個早期的攝影程序是在玻璃版上覆蓋上一層感光的化學物。當它還潮濕的時候，就讓它在照相機中曝光。攝影師往往在塗抹感光乳劑時，不夠小心，使得最後的照片仍然保有玻璃版上感光乳劑的質地感。這個質地感會使得作品帶有藝術家現身處地的感覺。照片也因此而具有一種手製品的涵義，而不再只是機械的產物。萬一一的照片也呈現出類似的感受，因為她選擇讓顯影化學物品保留在拍立得負片上，進而使得照片的質感帶有一種掏心吐腹的真摯感。
對於在這當中有許多照片是以萬一一為主角的這個事實，我們也不能忽視。 萬一一在她想要探討的這個「社會如何看待婦女」的議題中是一個主動的參與者。 但這並不必然代表照片中所描述的就是她本人。身為一位藝術創作者，她所表現的是來自她的經驗和看法。但她所要傳遞的訊息卻帶有普遍性。至於她將自己納入照片中的這個決定，使得作品更具真實感。這些作品當中，有一部分涉及了事前的策劃，並包涵了某些象徵性的物品。另ㄧ部分則依賴姿態和肢體語言來傳達訊息，影像較為優美微妙。
萬一一的照片大半是在私人場合中拍攝的，譬如在住宅內或教堂中。它想要表達的是：婦女有佔據這些空間的權力。針孔照像機的使用，在此將主角和她所存在的空間之間的關係誇大了。在某些照片當中，主角似乎融入了環境，幾近消失。在另ㄧ些照片當中，主角則充滿了整個畫面，與觀賞者正目相對。
萬一一的攝影作品同時具備了美麗和幽默，生動和優雅的特色。她所探討的是具有普遍性的問題，而她的表現方式，則是透過一些非常屬於個人而且私密的影像。 換句話說，萬一一在此以她完美的視覺語言，探討了當今世界婦女的生活經驗。
註1 拉丁文Camera意思是房間；Obscura是黑暗的意思
註2. 即火棉膠版
作者 Alyson Belcher，美國籍攝影家，大學在加州柏克萊主修人類學，研究所在舊金山州立大學主修攝影，現任教於舊金山藝術大學攝影研究所
The Liberating Pinhole by Alyson Belcher
In viewing the photographs from YiYi Wan’s Repression, Release and Beyond series, two things stand out: the artist uses a pinhole camera and she is the subject in many of the photographs. This body of work reflects her desire to challenge the way we perceive gender roles in today’s world. Wan uses historic photographic techniques to address contemporary issues, thus blurring the boundaries between past and present, dream and reality, and the personal and the universal.
YiYi Wan’s photographs make use of perspective and space--the space in front of the camera, and the space women occupy in the world--to explore the way women are perceived both in society and through a camera. The pinhole camera is a device that has been used by artists since the Renaissance to render a three-dimensional subject on a two dimensional surface. Historically, this type of camera has been referred to as a camera obscura (meaning “dark room”) and was used to make the first photographs in the mid-19th century.
The process of creating images with a pinhole camera is very intuitive, and the resulting images are personal and direct. Light reflected from the subject travels through the pinhole and forms an image on the film without having to pass through a lens. Since a pinhole camera has no viewfinder, the photographer cannot frame the subject and the results are never predictable.
Because a pinhole camera has no lens to sharpen the focus or correct the perspective, the images are usually soft and somewhat distorted. The result is often surreal and dreamlike, displacing the viewer in time and space. In YiYi Wan’s photographs, the strange perspective often resembles the images taken by a surveillance camera. We feel as if we are secretly peering into a very private world.
The camera has long been used as a tool for portraying women as objects and reinforcing stereotypical roles for women in society. Using a pinhole camera is a way of liberating the photographic process from the objectifying gaze of a modern, technical camera. In this way, Wan is reviving an old process to provide a new way of looking at the contemporary issue of gender roles.
The texture visible in YiYi Wan’s images is reminiscent of prints made from collodion wet plate negatives, a process which was popular in the 19th century. This process involved making prints from glass plates that had been hand coated with light sensitive chemistry and exposed in a camera while still wet. Often, if the photographer did not apply the emulsion carefully, the prints revealed the texture of the emulsion on the glass plates. The effect of this texture is that the presence of the artist is more visible in the work. The photograph begins to resemble something that was made by hand rather than a mechanically produced object. Wan has retained a similar look in her photographs by allowing the developing chemistry to remain on her Polaroid negatives. This is a deliberate choice on her part, and the texture contributes to the visceral, raw quality of her images.
We can’t overlook the fact that YiYi Wan is the subject in many of these photographs. She is an active participant in the narratives she has created to explore and question the way women are seen. This does not necessarily mean that the photographs are specifically about her. Wan is the creator of work that is based upon her experience and perceptions, but her message is universal. The fact that she has chosen to be the subject of her own photographs lends the work an authenticity that would not exist otherwise. While some of these images are more staged and incorporate symbolic objects, other images are more subtle and elegant, relying on gesture and body language to convey their messages.
Wan’s photographs are made mostly in personal places, such as the interior of a home or church. The stories that she tells are suggesting that she, and all women, have the right to reclaim these spaces. The pinhole camera exaggerates the relationship between the subject and the space she inhabits. In some photographs, the subject seems to blend into the environment, becoming almost invisible. In other photographs, the subject fills the frame and confronts the viewer with a direct gaze.
YiYi Wan’s photographs are at once beautiful, humorous, raw and elegant. She is addressing a universal issue, but she is doing it through imagery that feels very personal and intimate. The success of this work lies in the relationship between the photographic process and the artist’s message. In other words, Wan has crafted the perfect visual language to explore the experience of being a woman in today’s world.
YiYi Wan’s photographs make use of perspective and space--the space in front of the camera, and the space women occupy in the world--to explore the way women are perceived both in society and through a camera. The pinhole camera is a device that has been used by artists since the Renaissance to render a three-dimensional subject on a two dimensional surface. Historically, this type of camera has been referred to as a camera obscura (meaning “dark room”) and was used to make the first photographs in the mid-19th century.
The process of creating images with a pinhole camera is very intuitive, and the resulting images are personal and direct. Light reflected from the subject travels through the pinhole and forms an image on the film without having to pass through a lens. Since a pinhole camera has no viewfinder, the photographer cannot frame the subject and the results are never predictable.
Because a pinhole camera has no lens to sharpen the focus or correct the perspective, the images are usually soft and somewhat distorted. The result is often surreal and dreamlike, displacing the viewer in time and space. In YiYi Wan’s photographs, the strange perspective often resembles the images taken by a surveillance camera. We feel as if we are secretly peering into a very private world.
The camera has long been used as a tool for portraying women as objects and reinforcing stereotypical roles for women in society. Using a pinhole camera is a way of liberating the photographic process from the objectifying gaze of a modern, technical camera. In this way, Wan is reviving an old process to provide a new way of looking at the contemporary issue of gender roles.
The texture visible in YiYi Wan’s images is reminiscent of prints made from collodion wet plate negatives, a process which was popular in the 19th century. This process involved making prints from glass plates that had been hand coated with light sensitive chemistry and exposed in a camera while still wet. Often, if the photographer did not apply the emulsion carefully, the prints revealed the texture of the emulsion on the glass plates. The effect of this texture is that the presence of the artist is more visible in the work. The photograph begins to resemble something that was made by hand rather than a mechanically produced object. Wan has retained a similar look in her photographs by allowing the developing chemistry to remain on her Polaroid negatives. This is a deliberate choice on her part, and the texture contributes to the visceral, raw quality of her images.
We can’t overlook the fact that YiYi Wan is the subject in many of these photographs. She is an active participant in the narratives she has created to explore and question the way women are seen. This does not necessarily mean that the photographs are specifically about her. Wan is the creator of work that is based upon her experience and perceptions, but her message is universal. The fact that she has chosen to be the subject of her own photographs lends the work an authenticity that would not exist otherwise. While some of these images are more staged and incorporate symbolic objects, other images are more subtle and elegant, relying on gesture and body language to convey their messages.
Wan’s photographs are made mostly in personal places, such as the interior of a home or church. The stories that she tells are suggesting that she, and all women, have the right to reclaim these spaces. The pinhole camera exaggerates the relationship between the subject and the space she inhabits. In some photographs, the subject seems to blend into the environment, becoming almost invisible. In other photographs, the subject fills the frame and confronts the viewer with a direct gaze.
YiYi Wan’s photographs are at once beautiful, humorous, raw and elegant. She is addressing a universal issue, but she is doing it through imagery that feels very personal and intimate. The success of this work lies in the relationship between the photographic process and the artist’s message. In other words, Wan has crafted the perfect visual language to explore the experience of being a woman in today’s world.
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