神的演化

Abstract

《Gods Evolve/神的演化》為一系列以數位拼貼為基礎的動畫作品，旨在以社會學角度探討宗教、神學以及人類的精神生活。作品參考源自早期基督教的三聯畫形式，以三幅共同表達完整意涵，亦可各自獨立的畫面構成。三組畫面各自以帶有奇幻與科幻風格的「人物」為主角，代表人類歷史的大略時代分段，與該時代中主要的信仰類型：(1)「遠古時代」為世界各文明的傳統與多神信仰；(2)「中古至近現代」主角為主宰西方與中東等地區，亞伯拉罕諸教（猶太教、基督教、伊斯蘭教）的一神信仰；以及(3)「當代與未來時代」探討科學與科技發達的現今，人類對世界與精神性的重新檢視。創作手法方面，本作品採拼貼方式，擷取大量綜合圖像素材，重新排列組合，構成迥異於原先形象的圖案；加入動畫元素，賦予畫面有機、生命感，呼應人類「活」的歷史。 《Gods Evolve/神的演化》對作者的意義，為至創作完成為止，其世界觀、宗教觀與美感偏好的展現。本文為創作自述，除了作品本身之介紹，亦簡述作者對宗教的看法，和選擇此主題之原因；數位拼貼作為創作形式的緣由與經過、使用的圖像符號意涵；以及自發想開始，作品樣貌的轉變。

A series of animated digital collage artwork, "Gods Evolve" is an examination of religion, theology and human spirituality from a sociological perspective. Taking the triptych format which arises from early Christian art, The artwork is divided into three sections that can be seen as either independent pieces, or together as a single piece that conveys a collective message. Each section, or panels, consists of a "character" with fantasy and science fiction aesthetics, representing a rough period of human history and the form of religious belief that pertains mainly to that time period. They are: (1) “The Ancient Time” – traditional and polytheistic beliefs of various civilizations; (2) “Early Middle Ages to Modern Era” – monotheism of Abrahamic religions that rules over the Western and Middle Eastern worlds, among other regions; and (3) “The Modern Era and Future” – the time in which humans reexamine the world and spirituality through the eyes of science and technology. Collage is the main from of the artwork. A large number of images have been used, achieving a completely new imagery through rearrangement and manipulation. Animation is also used in order to create a more lively and organic atmosphere, echoing the “liveliness” of history. "Gods Evolve" represents up until its completion the author’s world view, opinions on religion, as well as aesthetic preferences. The thesis, in addition to being an examination of the work, explains the author’s view on religion and the reasons behind choosing religion as the artwork’s theme. Also included are looks into the conception and process of art making with collage, the images and symbolisms used, how the work had changed from inception to completion.