Medicine BuddhaI藥師

“The relationship between religion and cinema is something that I have spent my life thinking about-not where religion is necessarily the subject of a film, but where the film itself is the spirit or experience of religion”

(Nathaniel Dorsky, Devotional Cinema,2003)

 

“Medicine Buddha” is a 16mm film installation, interweaving the Arctic sunlight, a Medicine Buddha Sutra, ghosts, and an invisible letter. This project utilizes 16mm film loops and an analog projector combining traditional and direct filmmaking techniques to explore the “optical soundtrack” and language, address a sense of loss, archive the ephemeral, and touch upon the subjects of time and memories.

Taking the meaning from the practice of the same name, the supreme healer, both for oneself and others, overcomes the inner sickness of attachment. When the Medicine Buddha repeats the Mantra 108 times this brings a strong earthquake and dazzling light, and all the suffering from the sickness and pain on the earth will then disappear.

The artist repeatedly traced the “Medicine Buddha Mantra” on onion skin paper, as well as onto 16mm film with the Chinese radicals of the mantra transcribed onto the film’s soundtrack. The optical soundtrack of the film projector then converted the written words into audio. The written Mantra and audio were projected in a cycle of 108 times on a blank onion skin paper.

This piece of onion skin paper was then placed inside the cabinet of the artist’s no longer existing childhood home with the intention of the termites’ act of chewing, thus eradicating the sickness and suffering of sentient beings, and for the mantra of the Medicine Buddha to fill the entire house with peace and happiness.

 

 

Watch Medicine Buddha Installation Video

 

《藥師》是一個16mm電影膠卷裝置,將北極太陽、《藥師經》裡的咒語(註1)、和鬼魂交織層疊。透過光學聲軌、文字、和聲音,來探索時間、生死等議題。我親手抄寫《藥師咒》在印有北極太陽光的毫米膠卷上(註2),並將咒語文字的部首寫在膠卷的聲軌上,透過16mm膠卷投影機的光學聲軌,把文字的形象轉換成聲音播放,循環投影108次在空白的洋蔥皮紙上,最後將此洋蔥皮紙放進台灣老家的白蟻窩內。希望透過白蟻的啃食,把能夠使一切眾生病苦皆除、受安隱樂的藥師咒語,帶進家中的每個角落,讓因病去世的家人,病苦消除、往生天界。

 

(註1) 《藥師經》是一本探求生命現象的規律、揭示生命本質、並能治癒眾生身心疾患的經書。當藥師重複《藥師經》裡的《藥師咒》108次後,大地震動,大放光明,一切眾生病苦皆除,受安隱樂。《藥師咒》是秘密語,在譯經時不做意譯,直譯其音。以一種特殊的聲音信號和宇宙信息,與他在的外力相溝通。

(註2) 16mm電影膠卷上的北極太陽影像,是我於2017年間在北極駐村時,用太陽能板燈蒐集逐日減少的珍貴日照。在製作《藥師》作品時,想起了這個放置10個月、電力即將消失的太陽能板燈。因此利用16毫米膠卷拍攝,意圖保存即將逝去日光,再透過投影重現的概念。

《藥師》裝置錄像

 

 

RELATED PROJECTS (相關作品)

 

SPECIAL THANKS TO (特別感謝)

MONO NO AWARE, Steve Cossman, Erica Sheu, Tzuan Wu, and SHIFT Residency staff and 2018-19 cohort.

Medicine Buddha is part of a year-long SHIFT residency at efa Project Space and is made possible by Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT (特別說明)

The solar power lamp that was used to collect the Arctic Sunlight is a product called Little Sun Diamond designed by artist Olafur Eliasson

Work info

  • Title: Medicine Buddha
  • Year: 2018-2022
  • Medium: 16 mm film, analog film projector, vintage onion skin paper
  • Size: variable

作品說明

  • 作品名稱:藥師
  • 材質:16釐米電影膠卷、16 釐米投影機、古董洋蔥皮紙、永久性墨水
  • 尺寸:尺寸依場地而定
  • 年份:2018-2022