直立優勢性 Straight Dominance
烏心石樹苗、支架系統、燈、現場行為
2023
《直立優勢性〉是一件結合現地製作與行為介入的創作計畫。作品名稱引自林業領域選擇育苖的母樹時，會依據造林目標選取特定外型與性狀的樹木採收種子的行為。這些條件包含樹高、胸徑、樹皮厚度、樹冠幅、抗風性、抗病蟲害能力等，而「直立優勢性」則指涉有明顯獨立主幹、分支較少的性狀。藝術家在作品中嘗試將取得的一批常用來作為園藝造景與木材利用的臺灣原生種植物烏心石的樹苗進行外型篩選，並參考人工林栽植的株距原則，將苗木盆依照樹幹通直程度，依序排列在展場空間，引導觀眾感受同一群個體間微妙的集體與差異性；並在展期過程中透過定期調度與工作坊介入的形式，持續改變苗木的擺放邏輯。
透過仿效最適合造林優良母樹的人為篩選機制，蓺術家希望透過直立的「直(Straightness）」連結主流性別文化中某種直作為「正常」、「優秀」的隱喻，凸顯人類與物種選汰之間的依存關係，並邀請觀者思考所謂 「優秀性狀」的概念在人類文化中的影響，以及人類與植物作為物種，在個體差異與集體形似間擺盪的狀態。
▸Straight Dominance is an art project that brings together site-specific installation and behavioral intervention. The title is inspired by a practice in forestry: when selecting maternal trees to grow seedlings, seeds are harvested based on criteria of specific appearances and properties determined by the objectives of afforestation. These criteria include tree height, diameter at breast height, bark thickness, crown diameter, wind resistance, pest and disease resistance, etc.
In this case, "straight dominance" refers to the property of a tree when it has a discernibly independent trunk and fewer branches. The artist attempts an appearance selection on a batch of Formosan michelia seedlings, an endemic species in Taiwan often utilized in landscaping and wood processing. He then follows the principle of row spacing to line up the potted seedlings in the exhibition space based on the straightness of their stems, which prompts the audience to perceive the nuanced collectiveness and differences of individual seedlings in the same group.
Throughout the exhibition, the artist will continue to alter the logic underlying the arrangement of the seedlings through regular adjustment and workshops.
By emulating the artificial mechanism of selecting the most suitable maternal trees for afforesta-tion, the artist aims to associate physical "straightness" with the mainstream gender culture, in which straightness symbolizes "normalcy" and "excellence." While highlighting the mutual dependence between humanity and the selection of species, the artist also engages the audience to consider how these so-called "excellent properties" influence human culture, as well as how human beings and plants, both as species, have oscillated between individual difference and collective similarities.
2023
《直立優勢性〉是一件結合現地製作與行為介入的創作計畫。作品名稱引自林業領域選擇育苖的母樹時，會依據造林目標選取特定外型與性狀的樹木採收種子的行為。這些條件包含樹高、胸徑、樹皮厚度、樹冠幅、抗風性、抗病蟲害能力等，而「直立優勢性」則指涉有明顯獨立主幹、分支較少的性狀。藝術家在作品中嘗試將取得的一批常用來作為園藝造景與木材利用的臺灣原生種植物烏心石的樹苗進行外型篩選，並參考人工林栽植的株距原則，將苗木盆依照樹幹通直程度，依序排列在展場空間，引導觀眾感受同一群個體間微妙的集體與差異性；並在展期過程中透過定期調度與工作坊介入的形式，持續改變苗木的擺放邏輯。
透過仿效最適合造林優良母樹的人為篩選機制，蓺術家希望透過直立的「直(Straightness）」連結主流性別文化中某種直作為「正常」、「優秀」的隱喻，凸顯人類與物種選汰之間的依存關係，並邀請觀者思考所謂 「優秀性狀」的概念在人類文化中的影響，以及人類與植物作為物種，在個體差異與集體形似間擺盪的狀態。
▸Straight Dominance is an art project that brings together site-specific installation and behavioral intervention. The title is inspired by a practice in forestry: when selecting maternal trees to grow seedlings, seeds are harvested based on criteria of specific appearances and properties determined by the objectives of afforestation. These criteria include tree height, diameter at breast height, bark thickness, crown diameter, wind resistance, pest and disease resistance, etc.
In this case, "straight dominance" refers to the property of a tree when it has a discernibly independent trunk and fewer branches. The artist attempts an appearance selection on a batch of Formosan michelia seedlings, an endemic species in Taiwan often utilized in landscaping and wood processing. He then follows the principle of row spacing to line up the potted seedlings in the exhibition space based on the straightness of their stems, which prompts the audience to perceive the nuanced collectiveness and differences of individual seedlings in the same group.
Throughout the exhibition, the artist will continue to alter the logic underlying the arrangement of the seedlings through regular adjustment and workshops.
By emulating the artificial mechanism of selecting the most suitable maternal trees for afforesta-tion, the artist aims to associate physical "straightness" with the mainstream gender culture, in which straightness symbolizes "normalcy" and "excellence." While highlighting the mutual dependence between humanity and the selection of species, the artist also engages the audience to consider how these so-called "excellent properties" influence human culture, as well as how human beings and plants, both as species, have oscillated between individual difference and collective similarities.
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烏心石
植物界/木蘭科/含笑屬
烏心石是一種四季常綠、具明顯主幹的木本植物，廣泛分布於臺灣的低海拔闊葉林中。由於這種植物的中央部分顏色較深並且質地堅硬，因此被人命名為「烏心石」，在分類學上歸類於含笑屬，因此也被稱為「臺灣含笑」。對人類而言，烏心石耐陰抗病害的能力佳，適合作為景觀庭、行道樹以及造林使用的樹種；同時，烏心石也是綠斑鳳蝶幼蟲的主要食物來源。
作品中的烏心石來自林務局管理的孝義苗圃：從烏來老街附近進入桶后林道，沿著山路即可抵達。苗國中的烏心石選自優良母樹的種子，從樹苗開始集中照顧並自動澆水，其中外型通直、分岔少的植栽，會在長到適當高度之後，出栽至臺灣各地供各式用途使用。
Michelia compressa
Plantae / Magnoliaceae / Michelia
Michelia compressa is an evergreen woody plant with a distinct main trunk, widely distributed in low-altitude broad-leaved forests in Taiwan. Due to the dark color and hard texture of its central part, this plant is named "Michelia compressa." It belongs to the genus Michelia in taxonomy. For humans, Michelia compressa has excellent shade tolerance and disease resistance, making it suitable for landscaping, roadside trees, and afforestation. Additionally, Michelia compressa is a primary food source for the caterpillars of the Green-banded Swallowtail butterfly.
The Michelia compressa in the artwork is sourced from the Xiaoyi Nursery managed by the Forestry Bureau: Enter the Barrel Post Forest Road near Wulai Old Street, and you can reach it along the mountain road. The Michelia compressa in the nursery are selected from the seeds of excellent mother trees, and they are cared for and automatically watered from the seedling stage. Plants with straight and few forks will be transplanted to various locations in Taiwan for various purposes after reaching the appropriate height.
文：策展人 林承緯（大緯）
攝影：黃暐程
植物界/木蘭科/含笑屬
烏心石是一種四季常綠、具明顯主幹的木本植物，廣泛分布於臺灣的低海拔闊葉林中。由於這種植物的中央部分顏色較深並且質地堅硬，因此被人命名為「烏心石」，在分類學上歸類於含笑屬，因此也被稱為「臺灣含笑」。對人類而言，烏心石耐陰抗病害的能力佳，適合作為景觀庭、行道樹以及造林使用的樹種；同時，烏心石也是綠斑鳳蝶幼蟲的主要食物來源。
作品中的烏心石來自林務局管理的孝義苗圃：從烏來老街附近進入桶后林道，沿著山路即可抵達。苗國中的烏心石選自優良母樹的種子，從樹苗開始集中照顧並自動澆水，其中外型通直、分岔少的植栽，會在長到適當高度之後，出栽至臺灣各地供各式用途使用。
Michelia compressa
Plantae / Magnoliaceae / Michelia
Michelia compressa is an evergreen woody plant with a distinct main trunk, widely distributed in low-altitude broad-leaved forests in Taiwan. Due to the dark color and hard texture of its central part, this plant is named "Michelia compressa." It belongs to the genus Michelia in taxonomy. For humans, Michelia compressa has excellent shade tolerance and disease resistance, making it suitable for landscaping, roadside trees, and afforestation. Additionally, Michelia compressa is a primary food source for the caterpillars of the Green-banded Swallowtail butterfly.
The Michelia compressa in the artwork is sourced from the Xiaoyi Nursery managed by the Forestry Bureau: Enter the Barrel Post Forest Road near Wulai Old Street, and you can reach it along the mountain road. The Michelia compressa in the nursery are selected from the seeds of excellent mother trees, and they are cared for and automatically watered from the seedling stage. Plants with straight and few forks will be transplanted to various locations in Taiwan for various purposes after reaching the appropriate height.
文：策展人 林承緯（大緯）
攝影：黃暐程
