About Thousand Objects 關於千物誌

 About Thousand Objects

In the autumn of 2024, anothermountainman paid us a visit. His primary purpose was to see Holly, but he also came to discuss the possibility of organizing a larger-scale exhibition for us in Hong Kong. One day, as we sat around the six-by-six-foot table brainstorming ideas, the concept of Thousand Objects (千物誌) suddenly flashed through my mind. I noticed Jessie quickly jotting down my point. In hindsight, this moment could mark the origin of Thousand Objects.

I have always placed emphasis on origins. As one journeys down a path, the ability to recall the starting point often provides insight into what lies ahead. Although the thought of Thousand Objects appeared spontaneous, it may have followed a traceable trajectory. In the spring of 2020, we organized an exhibition at our place titled DOUBLE DOUBLE: Box-in-a-Valise. Soon after, COVID struck, and the exhibition was barely made public. Fast forward to 2024, and the exhibition THE 50 GLADSTONE: Lee Ka-sing and Holly Lee Archive drew upon the earlier show as its blueprint. The concept of Thousand Objects clearly evolved from these two exhibitions.

For the DOUBLE DOUBLE exhibition, we intended to produce three books as a record:

    The first book, subtitled on-site, contains a complete photographic documentation of the exhibition, with each work assigned a number.
    The second book, close-cropped, features direct scans of selected original pieces, offering a closer approximation of the physical objects.
    The third was envisioned as a text-based publication, providing written details for each item from the first book according to its number.

The third volume proved the most challenging. It was never fully completed, and the portions that were written were displayed only on the website.

For the second exhibition in spring 2024, learning from the first, we spent two months after setting up the display creating descriptions for the 200 items showcased. This time, we limited ourselves to media details and brief contextual notes. The resulting book was mainly for visitors to use as a cross-reference during the exhibition, with only a few copies printed.

We are confident that exhibitions resonate more with viewers when they can glimpse the stories behind each item, even briefly. This storytelling element became the foundation of the Thousand Objects concept, complementing the media descriptions for each piece.

In the first exhibition, items were displayed on walls and tables. In the second, due to the tables being reserved for other uses, we relied solely on wall space, excluding items requiring table displays. These experiences underscored the importance of aligning the nature of the objects with the mode of display.

Thousand Objects is envisioned as an organic concept for exhibitions. Its scale and content would vary depending on the venue. In a museum, the number of objects could expand significantly. In a library, the selection might be reduced or presented thematically. Beginning in 2025, we plan to organize monthly thematic micro-exhibitions in our space, utilizing the glass display table.

Reflecting on the past two shows, we found that showcase tables are particularly well-suited for displaying objects. I proposed to anothermountainman a bold idea: in a large exhibition hall, we could place a single line of display cases extending hundreds of feet, arranged in a straight line or a zigzag pattern. This would create a strong visual impact. Of course, Thousand Objects is not intended to replace traditional gallery-style exhibitions. These two formats function differently, akin to distinct modes of expression.

Thousand Objects might sit somewhere between a retrospective and a memoir. It lacks the breadth of the former but offers more intimacy than the latter. Alternatively, it could be described as "a house of retrospective stories." These objects encompass a wide range: original works, documents, artifacts, Polaroids, printed materials, tools, and memorabilia. Despite their diversity, their commonality lies in their ability to evoke stories that reflect our creative life over the past five decades—hence the importance of accompanying text.

In terms of writing style, I initially approached the text from a third-person perspective. However, I found that more personal stories required a shift to a more immersive, first-person voice. I began mixing voices depending on the context.

If I were to start the project today, writing one object a day, it would take three to four years to complete the thousand objects—and I assume there will be more to include along the way. However, we don’t need to finish all the stories to organize a show. We can always curate an exhibition based on what has already been written and the materials on hand. To facilitate better use by researchers or curators, I devised a serial system for the Thousand Objects project:

    The first four digits represent the serial number of each item.
    The next two characters denote the medium.
    A single digit follows, reserved for internal use.
    Another character indicates the item's size, categorized into four levels.
    The final character, either K or H, denotes its association with me or Holly.

To conclude, I’d like to respond to a foreign friend’s question about why I chose “Thousand” rather than “Ten Thousand” (Wen). My answer is: “A thousand” signifies a vast number while remaining within the realm of the personal. “Ten Thousand Objects” (Wen Wu) suggests the totality of everything under heaven, which is far beyond my intention.



關於千物誌


2024年秋天，又一山人夫婦從遠道來訪。主要是來探望楚喬，另外的是探討在香港與他方為我們安排一個較大型展覽的可能性。一天我們圍坐在一方六乘六呎的大桌子作概念漫遊式傾談，我一時閃出千物誌(Thousand Objects)的想法。眼見Jessie怱怱把這點子記下，這該便是千物誌的起點了。我是個比較著重源頭論的人，路或行到途中，你若能夠呼喚出源頭，或許你可以瞭望出前方的一些端兒。話雖說是即興，其實是有著它的跡路可尋。2020年春天，我們在畫廊策劃了一個展覽「DOUBLE DOUBLE: Box-in-a-Valise」，跟著便來了COVIC，展覽其實沒有怎的公開。2024年我們又辦了另一個展覽：「THE 50 GLADSTONE: Lee Ka-sing and Holly Lee Archive」，以前面所說的展覽作為底本。千物誌的想法，便是從這兩個展覽發展出來

「DOUBLE DOUBLE: Box-in-a-Valise」展覽，我們打算做三冊書作為記錄。第一冊是現場所拍的全記錄照片，每件作品均設上編號；第二冊是部分展品的原件掃描，這樣較能展示出原物；第三冊是第一冊所展示的全場展品，逐一件的文字解說。這個是最困難的工序，終於沒有完全地完成，部分已寫出的，只放在網頁。第二回的展覽，在2024年春天舉行，這一回吸收了上一趟的經驗，展覽裝置完成後，花了兩個月時間，將 200件展品，每寫了一段媒體及相關說明。做了一本書，但只印了數冊，供給來看展覽的人，對號參看說明簡要。

這樣的展覽，假若每件展品都能夠讓觀者看到背後的故事，即使是簡略，也會趣味盎然。這也便是千物誌想法的起端。在媒體說明之外，或多或少，寫下一點背後的故事。

第一回的展覽，展品有的掛在牆，有的放在枱上；第二回的展覽，由於枱要留作別用，我們只用了牆的空間。有的只能放在枱的，就不作展出了。這兩趟經驗的綜合，也領我們體會到，物體屬性與展示方式的配合。

兩回的展覽都是在我們的地方舉行，所選擇展出物件的數量，也就因地方的面積而異。千物誌這個展覽是有機的，也即是說，展覽的大小及擺放方式都會隨著展埸而改變。要是展出於博物館，展品的數量就會倍增，要是展出於圖書館，展品數量可能減少，又甚至可以主題性構成。我們正計劃，自2025年開始，在我們的展覽空間，以玻璃展示枱的形式，每月做一趟主題性的小展覽。

綜合之前的兩次展覽，我們的結論是展示枱比較適合作為物件的展示平台。所以在那次傾談中，我建議館方在一個特大空間的展場，當中橫放一列數百呎長的展示枱，或成一字，或形蛇狀。展覽以千件物件構成。當然，千物誌是不可能代取以空間為重的畫廊式展覽。兩類展品性質不同，其間展覽之方式，其實是兩種不同的書寫文體。

千物誌，也許是介乎於回顧展及回憶錄之間。它沒有前者的宏觀，與後者的私密程度也不同。千物誌，也許還可以補充一個伸延說法：回顧錄。它提供了回看的意思，但卻略了物件的屬性。我們說物件，範圍也廣泛，包括原作，文件，相關物，寶麗來，印刷品，工具，甚至紀念物。 他們都有一個共通點，就是或大或小，都可以呼喚出一個故事。 也是這個原因，文字就顯得相關地重要。

開始撰寫文本的時候，我原意是想全部文字皆以第三身的寫法，不介入主觀情緒。後來寫至個別故事，又發覺單從這個角度，一些精彩片段會因此不能納入而流失。於是改變以混合的方式，但整體而言，還是以我為執筆人的方向。

要是平均每天寫一件物件，完成千物也得要三數年。況且，要寫的可能不只此數。 此外，我又為 千物誌的物件設計了一個編號系統， 以方便研究員，或策展人將來使用。前四位數字是序號，跟著的兩位表示媒體屬性，第三項單字留作將來使用，第四項單字表示物件的大小，第五項以K或H，展示該物與我或楚喬相關隸屬。

順答一位外國朋友問，為何千物誌而不稱萬物？千表示其數眾多，但仍屬私人之物。萬物即是天下之間所有物，不是我原之所意也。