James CARL
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In the ongoing series of sculptures Thing's End, James Carl takes rubber bands as a prototype, fixes their transient states by three-dimensional scanning and digital enlargement, and finally completes the production using materials such as silver, copper, aluminum, and stainless steel. Here, James Carl, who is familiar with Chinese culture, engages in wordplay. The word "skin" refers to the appearance of the five senses, which is a unique symbolic characteristic of human beings, and "skin" in Chinese folk culture is also closely related to personal destiny. James Carl anthropomorphizes the rubber band and becomes the maker of the skin. Just as a person's natural appearance changes according to the environment in which he grows up and his personal state of mind, sculpture is often created in a dual context of history and self-awareness. "Thing's End" grows and adapts to the surrounding environment, and with the handmade warmth of the maker and the special character of the region, the "skin" appearance of all beings can be revealed.
James Carl is a cultural traveler who bridges the East and the West. As a product of Western industry, the unique physical properties of rubber bands have a subtle connection with classical Eastern philosophy. Flexible rubber bands can be stretched and twisted into any form but will quickly return to their original shape after losing external forces. Their strong adaptability, "such as yin and yang, such as round and square," corresponds to the Guiguzi's philosophy of living according to the principles of balance and adaptability. The identical state at the beginning and end of its deformation also reflects the Taoist principles of "simultaneity of life and death" and being in harmony with destiny, showcasing broad-mindedness and profound wisdom.
The flexible, easily discarded rubber band has a hard, permanent nature, and James Carl continues the idea of making sculptures of everyday objects out of cardboard, transforming the rubber band from a private object into public property. The endless loop is the urban spirit of sustainable development through sharing in the post-industrial era; the handmade transformation of the rubber bands also symbolizes James Carl's return to the basics in the exploding trend of global trade, with its appeal to the beauty and quality of commodities. The artwork dissolves its strong materiality and becomes the voice of James Carl's ideal utopia.
在持续进行的系列雕塑《皮相筋》中，柯乔以橡皮筋为原型，将它们的瞬时性状态固定，通过三维扫描并数码放大，最后使用银、铜、铝、不锈钢等材料完成制作。在这里，熟悉中国文化的柯乔玩起了文字游戏。“皮相”指五官长相，是人特有的符号特征，中国民俗文化里的“皮相”也和个人命运息息相关。柯乔将橡皮筋拟人化，自己则变成了捏制皮相的造物者。就像人天生的样貌随成长环境和个人心境发生改变一样，雕塑也往往在历史和自觉的双重语境中产生。“皮相筋”生长并适应于周遭环境，携着造物者的手工温度和特殊的地域性格，众生“皮相”得以显露。
柯乔是沟通中西的文化旅者，橡皮筋作为西方工业的产物，它独特的物理特性与古典的东方哲学也有着微妙的联系。柔韧的橡皮筋可以被拉伸扭转成任何形态，但失去外力作用后又会很快恢复原形，它的强适应性“如阴如阳，如圆如方”，正应和鬼谷子所推崇处世的方圆之道。而它变形初始和终止时完全相同的状态，也体现了道家“生死齐”“通乎命”的豁达胸襟和深邃智慧。
柔韧的、易被抛弃的橡皮筋具有了坚硬的、永久的性质，柯乔延续了以纸板制作日用品雕塑的理念，将橡皮筋从私有物品变成公共财产。无始无终的环形，是后工业时代下通过共享而实现持续发展的城市精神；对橡皮筋的手工改造，也象征着全球贸易爆发的潮流中，柯乔返璞归真般对商品美和质的诉求。艺术品消解了它强烈的物性，成为柯乔理想中乌托邦的代言。