Thirty Balls of Yarn Took LSD And Went To The Zoo - An Interview with Hanna Epstein
採訪編輯 Editor｜Joanne Hsieh
翻譯 Translation｜Joanne Hsieh
圖 Image courtesy｜Hannah Epstein 提供
Ｑ：嗨，漢娜，可以和讀者自我介紹嗎？有什麼有趣的事物可以介紹給我們？
Hi Hannah! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Ａ：我是來自加拿大的藝術家，在蒙特婁、多倫多、紐約和新斯科特省（當地華人稱之諾省）之間來回，過著遊牧民族般的日子。我的主要工作室位於新斯科特省一個海邊小鎮-「馬宏灣」，它是由一間老教堂改建而成的，是我居住和工作的空間。這間1886年建造的教堂有很有特色，特別是高聳彎曲的天花板。我希望將來有機會能在這裡舉辦一些展覽，或是讓別的藝術家來駐村。
I am a Canadian artist living a nomadic life, often traveling between Montreal, Toronto, New York and Nova Scotia. My main studio is located in a small seaside community of Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, where I live and work in an old, converted church. It was built in 1886 and has a lot of character, especially a high, curved ceiling. I am hoping to eventually host a few shows there and maybe a residency as well.
Ａ：我小時候最喜歡的博物館，是一個位在新科斯特省的超小農場，地下室裡面有一隻雙頭牛的標本。
One of my favorite Nova Scotia museums when I was kid, was a tiny country barn that has a two-headed taxidermy cow in the basement.
我想讓位居被動、非玩家的角色被啟動成為英雄
Ｑ：你會如何向從未看過你創作的陌生人形容你的作品？
How would you describe your work to someone who’s never seen it before?
Ａ：像吃了迷幻藥的三十陀毛線一起去動物園玩耍、打電動，然後滑推特滑了十年。
Like thirty balls of yarn took LSD, went to the zoo, then played video games and scrolled twitter for the next ten years.
Ｑ：你創作多久了？
How long have you been making things? Ａ：2010年的時候我決定和當時的男友分手，搬到多倫多開始當一名藝術家，從那之後我就狂熱的投入創作。這是我求生存的方式。
In 2010 I decided to leave my boyfriend and move to Toronto to make things and be an artist, for real. I have been obsessively making ever since. It’s a means and a matter of survival.
Ｑ：你希望觀者在不瞭解你的創作理念的前提下，從中得到什麼？
What do you want the viewer to take away from your work without any prior understanding to your practice?
Ａ：我希望我的創作能激發觀者在生活各處中得到激盪的樂趣。讓他們能夠更大膽嘗試冒險，並且思考、察覺自己在什麼狀況下曾經屈從於社會的框架。我想讓位居被動、「非玩家的角色」被啟動成為英雄。
I want the people who see my work to feel inspired to be bombastic in their own life. To be daring and take risks and contemplate where and why they have been subservient to social norms. I want to convert passive, “non-player characters” into activated heroes.
Ｑ：你覺得何謂「現代民間藝術」？
What is your definition of contemporary folk art?
Ａ：所有從邊緣而來的作品都可稱為民間藝術。這包含了很多東西。事實上，在其還未被創作足夠多次而得以進入主流藝術市場的時候，都很難被稱之為“藝術”。而通常到那個程度的時候，這類作品便容易成為空有「民俗藝術」頭銜的創作了。真正的民間藝術是不斷在演變的，你必須仔細的觀察才能發現其中的模式。
Anything that comes from the fringes is contemporary folk art. That can really be anything, in fact, it’s almost impossible to identify it as “art” until its action has been repeated enough times and it makes its way into the center of the mainstream art world, where it becomes folk art in name only. The real thing is a constantly moving target. You have to pay very close attention to discover the patterns.
我想改變社會上對美麗先入為主的定義
Ｑ：延續上一個問題，你的創作美感來源為何？
To continue on the last question, what inspires your aesthetic choices?
Ａ：很長一段時間，我想讓醜陋的東西變得有吸引力。我想改變社會上一般先入為主對美麗的定義。這個過程很強烈，使用了很多鮮豔顏色和怵目驚心的圖像。但目前我似乎進入另一個階段，試著更深入瞭解屬於我個人的圖像語彙。
For a long time, I have wanted to make ugly things attractive. There is a desire to transform preconceived notions about what is beautiful. This has been a very aggressive process, using a lot of bright colors and shocking imagery. Now, I am starting to shift maybe. Trying to find depth and go deeper with my own iconography. Ｑ：是什麼機緣開始使用現在創作的媒材？
How have you arrived at the materials you choose to work with?
Ａ：我媽會做針織花紋設計。從小我就對她抽屜裡的各種毛線材料感到著迷，還會玩那些顏色和質料。自然而然我就將這些材料內化，拿來進行創作了。
My mother designs knitting patterns. When I was growing up I was obsessed with looking in the drawers where she kept her materials and playing with the colors and texture. It was a natural step to take hold of something that was so seductive for so long and try to make it my own.
Ｑ：你孩提時代最喜歡的活動是什麼？這和你現在的創作有任何關聯嗎？
What was your favorite activity as a child and is it relevant to your work as an artist today?
Ａ：扮家家酒。我用這個充滿想像裡的態度面對人生的每個層面，包含看待藝術創作以及各種生活瑣事都是遊戲的一部分。
Playing pretend. I take that imaginative approach to every aspect of my life and envision art and work and the mundane as all part of a game.
Ｑ：你最喜歡哪一位藝術家的創作系列？
What’s your favorite body of work created by another artist?
Ａ：我喜歡強尼．萊恩的漫畫。他不在意自己的創作會冒犯到誰，是一個超屌的藝術家。
I love the comics that Johnny Ryan does. He is a real bad boy and isn’t scared who his work offends. Ｑ：你最欣賞的藝術家、作家或音樂家是誰？Who are some of your favorite writers, artists or musicians?
Ａ：我是 Teaches of Peaches (加拿大電音撞擊樂歌手桃子 Peaches 的第二張專輯）的忠實學徒。他說-- “讓痛苦滾蛋” ，而我照做。
I am a student of the Teaches of Peaches. When she says “Fuck the pain away”, I do my best to follow suit.
Ｑ：你收集什麼物品嗎？
Do you collect anything?
Ａ：我收集在海邊散步時撿到的石頭、骨頭、或物品。
Beach rocks and strange bones or objects I find when walking next to the ocean.
Ｑ：你在工作室以外的活動或興趣是？
What do you do outside of the studio?
Ａ：Party！我最近認知到我就是一個派對女孩。
Party! I realized recently that I am best at being a party girl.
不要聽任何人的意見 - 這是我給自己的建議
Ｑ：可以推薦一個紀錄片或一本書給我們嗎？
Can you recommend us a documentary or a book(s)?
Ａ：W.R.:有機體的秘密（1974, 電影）-- 有關於父權法西斯政權之下的政治意圖如何操弄及剝削女性的性意識。
W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism (Film).
It’s about how female sexuality is exploited by male fascist political agendas.
（註：1974, 此片被認為是南斯拉夫「黑浪潮」先鋒馬卡維耶夫最出色的作品。）
Ｑ：你個人的短期或長期目標有哪些？
What are some short-term and long-term goals for you?
Ａ：如果我的遠景和美感能夠遍佈全世界我就死而無憾了。
To see my vision and aesthetic completely take over the world. Then, I will die happy. Ｑ：你得到過最好的建議是什麼？
What’s the best advice you have received?
Ａ：不要聽任何人的意見 - 這是我給自己的建議。
特別感謝漢娜．艾普斯汀。
Special Thanks to Hahhan Epstein.
看更多精彩藝術家專訪，訂閱Youtube 頻道：瞧瞧藝術 ChiaoxArt
追蹤更多輕鬆的藝術家資訊，追蹤 IG： @ChiaoxArt
看更多漢娜．艾普斯汀精彩創作，追蹤 IG：@gdgrlhanski
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