神話，是人類寄託善良、敬畏自然的原始故事。那些巨人、酒神、獨角獸，即使科技再進步，還是存在人類的心中。因為神話，我們相信自然中的力量、一些規則，平衡了內心一些憤怒，也為生活帶來希望。
空間，三峽古礦場，於1918年關西人范姜、羅騎、白馬開採湊合煤礦為三峽煤礦開採之先驅，1944年此空間成為海山二坑（即忠義煤礦前身），2000年台灣全面停止開礦，經歷了近百年礦業歷史，空間成了「無礦 Mine-less」， 此建築作品亦是2015年芬蘭當代藝術家古斯塔・薩克希亞洲首展【少少 醒 ╳ 少少 睡】展出地，是「少 少 siu siu – 原始感覺研究室」的建築師曾志偉作品。
以礦物、礦場連結神話，以香氣消融此空間百年來的勞苦、礦難，讓廢墟跟自然及文明重聚，以台灣肯園芳療品牌以ANIUS「神話」系列為主題，於品牌25周年再次邀請到古斯塔・薩克希展出12幅神話系列掛毯。
古斯塔・薩克希的作品主要材料是羊毛，它們柔軟又溫暖，而且有種朦朧的感覺，和夢境有點相似。他利用法國查卡提花織機技法，以人造絲、金屬線、羊駝毛、天然的安哥拉山羊毛等纖維，將平面插畫編織轉化成大型掛毯。
「記憶是流動的，光是回想，就會改變記憶敍事，顛撲不破的記憶並不存在，每次重訪回憶，記憶便不知不覺被竄改。我不知道是否有心智幻象，或更真實的事實。但我知道所謂的『編碼』存在，因為我親眼看過。」古斯塔・薩克希是眼型偏頭痛患者，發作時視野會被幾何圖形佔據，棋盤交錯、方方圓圓，重複圖像就像波斯地毯或彩繪玻璃。「在幾次發作後，我竟窺見了大腦的編碼，我學會跟偏頭痛這個惱人的朋友共存。」
「我開始沉醉於跨越虛實的視覺幻象，反覆出現的無盡碎形，讓我照見，大自然瞬間編寫心智的語言，絢麗反覆的圖樣，在諸多文化與日常裝飾中皆可見，而我覺得這很有趣，流傳千年的神話故事，會繼續被傳頌，從古希臘、非洲，到台灣原住民部落，我編織出不同質地與圖樣，來詮釋當地故事。」我們並不可能確認神話的真偽，但也沒有人會故意的挑釁，因為人們都知道神話是一代傳一代，甚至比文字更早存在，而且我們都喜歡故事，故事當中有很多隱喻，讓人們暫時可以捨棄所謂的「真實」。
古斯塔・薩克希這次創作的掛毯包括：《成年禮TOTEM》、《精衛 JIN WEI》、《獨角獸 UNICORN 》歐洲凱爾特、《編織 VEGA》、《極光傳說 AURORA》、《阿南西 ANANSI》、《巨人傳說 ALIGAIGAI》、《鹿女HIND》、《王者 GILGAMESH》、《酒神 DIONYSOS》、《辛巴達SINBAD》、《蘇摩 SOMA》，當中包含了歐洲、東方、北美洲，希臘、中東阿拉伯等地的神話。
「這次展出作品中，我將幾何碎形工藝與敘事相互對應。碎形是一種能重複自身形式的形狀，也是我最喜歡的部分之一。因為碎形作為一種強大的圖像，既能呈現宇宙廣大和微觀的尺度，同時也能無限延伸，並展示大自然極具創造力的結構。」我好奇幾何碎形是甚麼？碎形原來一直在我們身邊，諸如自然界隨處可見的雪花晶體、樹幹枝椏，它們的特徵都是結構上一層又一層類似，但大小與方位差異的重複。
「在這次作品中，神話和紡織品是相互對照融合的，例如在「阿南西」（Anansi，起源西非神話，常以蜘蛛、人類，或者兩者混合體形象出現）這個詞中，蜘蛛是碎形和無盡結構的創造者。因此在這一系列作品中，我的意圖不只是描繪故事，而是捕捉故事的情感精髓，並藉由一種情感的閃爍，或是一種形狀，再將它發展成一件織物作品。」古斯塔．薩克希說話時，古老的傳說都好像在他凝視下投射出來。難怪我常常覺得世上的神話都好像跟勇氣、美酒、成年、神鳥都有著微妙的相似，就像碎形一樣，故事也有無窮無盡的重複模式。幾千年來，神話或童話故事被一遍又一遍地講述，往後也會不斷地重複。
「我們認為現代文明走到了一個揚棄舊典範、創建新典範的十字路口。那種完全以人類為中心的演算與征服思維，以及所衍生的生活型態，必須讓位給眾生平等的自然主義。我們需要翻轉感知世界的方式，找回虔敬與審美的眼睛，同時更為細緻地聆聽和嗅聞。」肯園創辦人溫佑君說。剛好最近因為Covid-19失去嗅覺的我，頓時體會到氣味歸零的孤獨及恐慌，如果世上沒有了神話，我們還能相信甚麼？在軟弱的時候找到寄托，重回對自然的敬畏，即使在這廢棄20多年的古礦場建築中，得到如森林的植物擁抱過後，空間再次被神話眷顧，人類跟自然也再次連上。
Myths are the descriptive stories that humans use to express kindness and awe towards nature. Even with the perpetually evolving world and consistent technological advancements, mythical figures such as the giants, wine gods, and unicorns still have a place in our hearts. Because of myths, we came to learn and understand the rules and power of nature, managed to tame the temper and frustration within us, and remain hopeful in our lives.
The century-long history of mining in the Sanxia District of Taiwan started in 1918 when three men from Guanxi named Fan Jiang, Luo Qi, and Bai Ma, opened up a coal mine in the area of Couhe. In 1944, the Haishan Coal Mine No. 2 was established (and later on renamed to Chungyi Coal Mine). It was in 2000 that Taiwan stopped mining operations altogether. Years later, the old mine site was transformed into a unique architectural space called Mine-less by Divooe Zein, the mastermind behind the Siu Siu Laboratory of Primitive Senses where Kustaa Saksi, a Finnish contemporary artist, debuted his first ever solo exhibition in Asia, titled Little awake. Little asleep. in 2015.
Set to connect the old mine site with mythology, nature, and civilization; and use fragrance to dissipate the hardship and sufferings of the past, Taiwan’s local aromatherapy brand, Canjune, on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, collaborated with Kustaa Saksi to hold an exhibition at Mine-less under the theme of Anius in Greek mythology.
With wool, viscose, lurex, alpaca wool, mohair, and other fibers, Kustaa Saksi created 12 pieces of tapestries for the exhibition using the French Jacquard weave and transformed his view of Anius into textiles and opened the door to a dream-like, fantastical wonderland.
“Memory is fluid; simply by recalling it, its narrative would be altered. There is no such thing as indestructible memory. Every time we revisit the past, we are unconsciously altering it. I don’t know whether there is a reality out there which is more real than the illusion of the mind; but I do know that the so-called ‘coding’ or ‘programming’ exists because I’ve seen it.” Kustaa Saksi suffers from migraines which often causes kaleidoscope vision. During an attack, bright geometric lines and shapes, checkboards, circles, and squares that are reminiscent of Persian rugs or mosaics appear in his visual field. “After several attacks, I feel like I’ve caught a glimpse of the coding process inside my brain. I’ve learned to live with this annoying friend called migraine.”
“I began to immerse myself in these visual illusions that transcended reality. The numerous fractals that appeared repeatedly allowed me to see clearly what’s written on our mind by nature. The dazzling and repetitive patterns can be seen in many cultures and on various kinds of decorations and ornaments. I find it interesting that myths that have been passed down for thousands of years will continue to be told. From ancient Greek narratives , African tales, to the mythology told by the indigenous people in Taiwan, I interpret these narratives through weaving, using different textures, prints, and patterns.” We cannot confirm if myths are factual, but no one will intentionally and openly question whether they are real stories or not because people know that myths have been passed down from generation to generation even earlier than the written word, and, after all, we all love stories. There are many metaphors in stories that allow people to temporarily escape from the so-called “reality.”
Inspired by the myths from Europe, the East, North America, Greece, and the Middle East, the tapestries created for this exhibition were titled Totem, Jin Wei, Unicorn, Vega, Aurora, Anansi, Aligaigai, Hind, Gilgamesh, Dionysus, Sinbad, and Soma.
“For this collection of exhibits, I corresponded geometric fractals with narratives. I love the fact that fractal is a pattern that repeats forever. They are powerful because they can present the vast and also the microscopic scales of the universe. They are also infinitely complex, demonstrating the highly creative structure of nature.” While I am curious about what geometric fractals are, they actually surround us in so many different aspects of life. For example, fractals in nature include branches of trees and snowflakes. They consist of different repeated patterns, and on each scale, there could be slight variations of the basic pattern.
“Myths and textiles are closely intertwined and reciprocal in this collection. For example, the piece titled, Anansi (A popular figure in West African mythology that is often depicted as a spider, a human, or a combination of both), corresponds to the spider that is the creator of fractals and infinite complexes. My intention was not only to depict the story, but also to capture its emotion and essence that are spelled out in a flicker of emotions or in the form of shapes, and then transform it into a woven piece of artwork.” Kustaa Saksi has a captivating way of speaking that brings to life ancient legends and stories. At this point, I also came to the realization that myths are like fractals for they also have endless repeating patterns. With the recurring theme of courage, wine, coming of age, divine birds etc., myths and fairy tales have been told over and over again for thousands of years, and will continue to be repeated in the future.
“We believe that modern civilization has come to a crossroads of abandoning old paradigms and creating new ones. The algorithmic and conqueror thinking that is completely centered on human beings, as well as the lifestyle derived from it, must give way to a naturalism that treats all living beings equally. We need to overturn the way we perceive the world, regain a reverent and aesthetic eye, and listen and smell more delicately,” said June Wen, the founder of Canjune. Recently, I lost my sense of smell due to Covid-19 and was stunned by the loneliness and panic that it brought out in me. If there were no myths in the world, what could we believe in? With the embrace of plants, even this mine site which has been abandoned for more than two decades is once again blessed by myth, and we humans are able to reconnect with nature. In times of weakness, we find solace in nature.
