从纪录片说开去(转载)

　版权所有：soundaddict 原作　　　提交时间：2000-07-28 15:27:10  



近来纪录片走红，“关注现实”这个话题也渐渐被拉上了台面，在数不清的谈论纪录片的文章里，“对现实的关注与呈现”肯定是出现频率最高的字眼。这里想谈谈个人对这个问题的一些看法。

说纪录片关注现实、呈现现实实际上是一句多余的话：这根本就是纪录片的定义。定义不可能成为判断艺术品高低的标准，因此，我很难仅仅因为某部纪录片关注并呈现了现实就赞美它。但是令人失望的是，在我接触到的论述纪录片的文章中，似乎还没有哪篇能为这种艺术形式提供真正有力的美学理论支持的。（对，理论支持绝对是必要的，你能说音景艺术 soundscape 不需要美学支持吗？）纪录片，和 free-jazz，或是偶发/机遇音乐一样，是属于艺术家/创作者(whatever)在某种程度上“放弃控制”的艺术门类。正如在 60 年代中期 Pierre Boulez 发明了整体序列法以求得对音乐的全面强力控制以后 John Cage 以机遇音乐对其作出了反面的回应一样，纪录片大概也是对传统的电影工业和电脑技术对电影的越发深入的控制的反弹。但我们必须明白艺术和生活的界限，正如 Fransico Lopez 指出的，Cage 虽然提出了偶发音乐，但他本身用扔硬币的方法作曲就不是真正的偶发，仍然是人为的，生活就是艺术是一句美丽的谎话，艺术就是人为的，哪怕象 Chris Watson 的纯粹纪实性的录音艺术，也仍然是人拿着 DAT 走到森林里录，然后回到录音室加工完成的。

John Cage 在他的著作里有时会采取一种叫做 Mesostics 的排字法，比如：


had there been two compoSers
You
might haVe asked the other one
to write your music.
i'm gLad
i was the onLy one
Around


这表面上看来象是 David Carson 的视觉游戏的先驱，但实际上两者的目的大不一样，笔者最近特地就此问题请教了一位作曲家，以下是他的回答：

--------------------------------------------------------------------------


yes, that's 'mesostics' -- using a word's letters in vertical
alignment (SYVLLA, or any other word, like JOYCE, etc.) and then fill
out the horizontal lines into a readable poem.

most of his writings is put forth in this manner. but not all.


Why do this? that's a very good question. I haven't read too much
second-hand writings on Cage, but my own thinking is that this is a
needed discipline or imposed format/rule that's necessary in many
'free' art creation.

for example, in modern poetry, you can end a line in any way you
like, to the point of turning poetry simply as regular prose writing
cut into different lines. poetry is no poetry anymore. if you think
about it, what makes ancient poetry so beautiful and powerful, lies
exactly in its extremely rigid rules of prosody. for example,
chinese Tang poetry (5-character gu3shi1, 7-character lu:4shi1, etc.,
etc.).

Cage, like many other, realized that to differentiate good free art
from junk art, you must impose some rigid regulations on yourself.
that's why he used rigid coin-tossing and notation methods. same
with mesostics.

Robert Fripp of King Crimson also emphasized 'discipline' in the past
20 years or so, because only thru discipline comes lasting artwork,
even in the age of avant-garde and free chaotic art creation. this
is also why most 'free jazz' is worthless after a while, because
there is no 'form' imposed, no rules (other than we must not blow
pretty notes).

rules and virtuosity/techique is what distinguish art from life and junk.


another aspect of the use of mesostics is the concept of 'work' or
'working'. this rigid rule makes you work hard to arrive at a
readable paragraph and that working ethics is at the heart of the
american people (also their strongest merit), and also at the heart
of Cage.

**************************************************************************

（笔者的译文：

对，那就是 mesostics 排字法------把一个单词的字母垂直排列（在这里是 SYVLLA，也可以是任何其他单词，比如 JOYCE，等等），然后在每个字母的水平行上填入句子使它成为一首可以读的诗。

他的大部分写作都是这样生成的，但不是全部。


为什么要这样做？这可是个好问题。我读关于 CAGE 的书不是太多，但我个人的看法是，这是一种在形式上“自由”的艺术创作中所必须的“纪律”或“规则”。（注一）

比如，在现代诗里，你可以以任何方式结束一行，