歡迎光臨高雄市新聞局

Dadong Arts Center
The curtain raises on "The Animation Show" Exhibition

◎English translation：Marie-claude Pelchat　
◎Photos Courtesy of Pao Chung-hui, Do Huei-jyun, Bureau of Culture Affairs, Kaohsiung City Government

     "Watch Me Move - The Animation Show" is the first exhibition to be held at Dadong Arts Center since its grand opening on May 23. Organized in collaboration with the Barbican Center in London and running until September 23, this exhibition brings together 95 of the best works of animation from all over the world; a few of them are almost 150 years old. In recent years, Kaohsiung has been committed to developing its digital creative industry and film-and-television industry. To cultivate talents in those fields, many colleges and universities in the south of Taiwan have set up relevant departments. This exhibition will not only enhance art appreciation in the city, but also expand the perspective of local students, in turn reinforcing Kaohsiung's capacity for cultural creativity.

     Visitors can follow the exhibition's itinerary through six sections - titled "Apparitions," "Superhumans," "Characters," "Visions," "Fables & Fragments" and "Structures" - to explore the history and development of animation. Upon entering the exhibition area, visitors are surrounded by early black-and-white or silent animation works, from dancing skulls and silent movies made with shadows, to the 1911 film "Little Nemo," made by the father of American animation, Winsor McCay. Visitors are gradually led through a black-and-white maze on a trip back in time.

     Still images projected rapidly to create an animated film are the origin of animation. With the evolution of technology, industry and language, each animation has represented its era, and so has the character of its protagonists. The superheroes in the "Superhumans" section reflect the yearning for peace after World War II. When the spotlight shines on the names of Astro Boy, Sailor Moon or the Incredible Hulk, we know that the time has come to fight villains. In the "Characters" section, precious hand-painted images of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Betty Boop and other familiar faces seem to smile and wave at visitors.

     With its lively form, animation is a storytelling tool. The "Fables & Fragments" section brings together representative works from various periods to let visitors appreciate their meaning. It is easy to discover the respective points of view of directors in animations such as the Czech film "The Hand," which alludes to totalitarian oppressive rule, or "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" by Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki, which aims to transmit environmental awareness. The "Visions" section showcases advances in animation techniques and technology, which are now widely used in cinema, television and online games to visually challenge the line between reality and illusion. The "Structures" section plays in an innovative way with animation by using grids, repetition and other editing tricks to rearrange films.

     Unlike other static exhibitions, this one has few written explanations, and instead uses a vast number of sound and lights effects, as well as projections, to create independent spaces similar to small theaters. This allows visitors to comfortably watch classic works that span a century, and thus appreciate the subtleties of the world of animation. If almost a hundred classic animations cannot satisfy you, 4,000 books on film and animation await you in the arts library next door.

大東文化藝術中心
百年動畫展繽紛開演

◎文／林旻伶　
◎照片提供／鮑忠暉、杜蕙君、高雄市政府文化局

      大東文化藝術中心展覽館5月23日啟用後的第一場展覽「Watch Me Move百年動畫展」，與英國倫敦巴比肯藝術中心合作，集結世界各國95部經典作品，橫跨150年的動畫精髓，即日起至9月23日完整呈現。近年來，高雄致力於文創數位、影視產業發展及人才培育，南部亦有多所大專院校設立相關系所，透過展覽一來提升城市藝文涵養，二則開拓年輕學子視野，進而厚實高雄的文創能量。

      展場分為幻影區、英雄區、人物區、視覺區、寓言短片區及結構區等六大主題區，只要依循各展區的動線設計，便能一探近代動畫發展史。一踏入展區，兩旁懸掛著黑白或無聲的早期動畫作品 ，從跳著舞步的骷髏、以影子呈現的默片，到1911年美國動畫之父溫瑟‧麥凱的《小尼莫》，逐步引領民眾穿梭如黑白迷宮般的時光隧道。

      動畫發展之初，是將靜態圖像快速播放，成為動態影片，隨著科技、產業、語言不斷進化，動畫也被賦予其時代背景意義，主角性格亦隨之鮮明。英雄區的超級英雄人物，反映著戰後期望世界和平的心願，當聚光燈輪番映照在原子小金剛、美少女戰士、綠巨人浩克等字樣時，便是上場打擊壞人的時刻；而眾人耳熟能詳的米老鼠、唐老鴨、Betty Boop、湯姆貓與傑利鼠，以及珍貴的人物手繪稿則在一旁的人物區微笑招手。

      動畫活潑的呈現形式，可說是新型態的說故事工具，寓言短片區中即網羅各時期的代表作品，細細品味其背後意涵 ，不難發現導演個人敘事觀點，或是捷克作品《魔手》影射的極權高壓統治，或是日本國寶級動畫大師宮崎駿《風之谷》傳遞的環保意識，都有待參觀者用心體會；視覺區陳列著動畫技術與科技進步，並廣泛運用在電影、電視及電腦遊戲的成果，展現真實虛幻一線間的視覺衝擊；結構區的作品則是透過定格、重複區段等剪輯技巧，將影片既有結構重新排列組合，把動畫「玩」得很有創意。

      有別於一般靜態展覽，這場展覽的說明文字極少，反而運用大量的聲光效果與投影，營造宛如小型劇場般的獨立空間，讓參觀者能夠舒適地觀賞定格超過一世紀的經典之作，從中領略動畫世界的奧妙。倘若近百部經典動畫仍不能滿足您求知慾望，一旁的藝術圖書館中還有近4千冊動漫、影視相關書籍，等待您去挖掘。