「書就跟湯匙、鎚子、輪子或剪刀一樣，一旦發明了這些東西，就想不出更好的了。你不能做出一根比湯匙更好的湯匙。」「書已經通過了考驗，在同樣的用途上，我們看不出要怎麼做才能做出比書更好的東西。或許書的組成要素會有所改變，或許那些書頁不再是紙做的。可是書終究會是書。」在《別想擺脫書》（N'esperez pas vous debarrasser des livres）中，符號學家艾可（Umberto Eco）將「書」和葡萄酒開瓶器、檸檬榨汁器等做類比，認為這種類型的物件在發明之後即趨近完善，即使在設計上有稍微的調整或創新，仍不會改變自身結構。

 

話雖如此，「書」作為人類文明中重要的發明，在各方面曾陸續經歷重大變革。就「型態」而言是從書卷形式到單張翻閱的抄本，就「載體」而言是從竹編、石器等到紙張的發明，就「產銷模式」而言是19世紀書籍製作的工業化與出版社的出現，就「電子革命」而言是從Xerox複印機的發明到各式Print-on-Demand隨需列印技術⋯⋯。「數位技術」的發展，使閱讀的載體從紙張轉換至電子閱讀器或平板電腦，而「網路社群」又以資訊共享的形式改變傳播途徑。我們手上的書，都是歷經各式挑戰與審查制度所留存下來的。即使數位技術帶來閱讀經驗的轉變，我們還是會使用熟悉的語言進行指認，將電子閱讀器稱為「電子書」、將線上資料庫稱為「圖書館」。雖然「書本會消失」的說法一直存在，2010年以後，全世界的藝術書展（Art Book Fair）卻以更高密度、更多元的樣態出現；2020年起，全球活動受到疫情影響，許多藝術書展則轉為虛擬書展（Virtual Art Book Fair）—當以「實體書」為主要訴求的書展活動轉變為線上虛擬時，我們可以如何「閱讀」？

 

同樣都是書，在不同人的眼裡或是手中，卻會產生不同的可能。在這個計畫中，我以台北為主要基地，拜訪了近年曾進行與「書」相關的實踐者。無論是創作、展演、編輯、策展、出版、教學或研究，這些實踐者的身份無法被單純定義、作法也可能隨不同目的而有所調整。為了畫出此文化現象的大致輪廓，並保留受訪者的原初想法，每組訪談皆以相似的結構進行，包括自我介紹、做過和書相關的實踐、如何思考自己所做的書、在展覽中如何呈現、對數位與類比媒介的想法等。在訪談中持續出現的不同「書」—小誌（zine）、藝術家書籍（artist’s book）*、攝影書（photobook）等，並非將任何實踐視為特定類型（genre），而是以小寫的方式作為指稱，希望藉由訪談的過程，透露這些名稱背後所涉及的創作需求與文化想像。

 

在訪談過程中，我也在不同受訪者的話語之間，發現彼此在想法上的交錯呼應、甚至指向更大的文化現象。也因此，這本書雖然是以「訪談」為主要書寫策略，卻不是嚴格定義上的「訪談輯」。書中將不同的文句節錄（quotation）與訪談文字並置，並在文稿旁標注其他頁面編號—這樣的作法並非以註記為目的，而是希望透過相互指涉，讓讀者可以自行組構想像：讀者可以依線性的方式翻閱、可以挑選自己感興趣的篇章、可以單純閱讀各式節錄文句、可以依標註的書頁編號跳躍閱讀、甚至可以隨意在空白頁面上做塗鴉筆記。就好比在圖書館、書店遇到一整面的書櫃，不同的書並置在一起會彼此產生交流；或是遇到一本喜歡的書，光從封面或隨意翻閱就能引發許多想像。

換言之，這是一本關於「書」的書，提供的是2020年前後台北「書文化」交織狀態的切面。這本書會以自出版限量的方式印成紙本，提供圖書館與相關機構館藏，全文也以電子書的方式提供下載，作為未來繼續研究或創作的參考。**

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“The book is like the spoon, the hammer, the wheel, or the scissors, once invented, it cannot be improved. You cannot make a spoon that is better than a spoon.” “The book has been thoroughly tested, and it’s very hard to see how it could be bettered. Perhaps it will evolve in terms of components; perhaps the pages will no longer be made of paper. But it will still be the same thing.” In his book titled N’espérez pas vous débarrasser des livres, semiotician Umberto Eco compared a “book” to a corkscrew and a lemon squeezer. He argued that these kinds of objects have been consummated at the very moment of invention. Its structure will not be altered even though it is slightly modified or innovated in terms of design.

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Nonetheless, as a significant invention in human civilization, the “book” has undergone major reforms in every aspect. It evolved from scroll to paged manuscript in terms of “form,” from bamboo slip and stone implement to paper in terms of “medium,” from the industrialization of book production in the 19th century to the emergence of publishing house in terms of “production-marketing model,” from the invention of Xerox to Print-on-Demand technology in terms of the “electronic revolution.” E-reader is substituted for paper as the reading interface thanks to the advances in “digital technology,” and online community changes the previous communication approach in the way of information sharing. The books we read are the survivors from censorship and challenges of all stripes. Although digital technology drastically transforms our reading experiences, we are rather inclined to recognize with the language familiar to us. We describe e-reader as “e-book,” and online database as “library.” Whereas people have talked ad nauseam about the “eventual demise of the book,” art book fairs around the globe have mushroomed in a denser and more diverse manner since 2010. The catastrophic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a worldwide lockdown in 2020, leaving many art book fairs with no choice but to “go virtual” — How can we “read” when book fairs supposed to peddle “physical books” are held virtually online?

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The book will show different potentials in the eyes or hands of different people. This project treats Taipei as the point of departure. I interviewed a total of 18 groups of practitioners who have undertaken “book”-related endeavors, be they creation, exhibition, editing, curating, publishing, teaching, or research. The roles of these practitioners are vaguely defined, and they tend to achieve their objectives on an ad hoc basis. In order to outline this cultural phenomenon without compromising the interviewees’ original thoughts, I held all the interviews under similar procedures, including self-introduction, book-related practice, idea about the books they made, way of exhibition, as well as comparison between digital and analog media. The different types of book—zine, artist’s book,[1] and photobook—frequently appeared in the interviews were not intended to classify them into specific genres but to designate them with lower case, insofar as to reveal the creative demand and cultural imagination behind these appellations in the interview process.

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Besides, from the interviewees’ discourses, I noticed that their ideas echo one another and even manifest a greater cultural phenomenon. As a result, this book is not a collection of interviews as such, although “interview” serves as its key strategy. This book juxtaposes quotations and the interview transcripts with page numbers beside the text. The purpose of this approach is not so much to make annotations as to afford mutual reference that ignites the readers’ imagination. The readers are allowed to flip through the book in a linear fashion, select the chapters that kindle their interest, simply read the quotations, browse the book according to the page numbers beside the texts, and even scribble notes in the blank spaces at will, just like the exchange among different, juxtaposed books on the bookcase that occupies an entire wall in a library or a bookstore, or the encounter with a favorite book that has many resonances for the reader simply by looking at the book cover or browsing it.

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In sum, this is a book about “book.” It shows the profile of the intricate “book culture” in Taipei around 2020. This book will be printed in paperback and appear in a limited edition through self-publishing for the collection by libraries and related institutions. The full text will be available as a downloadable e-book that constitutes a source of reference for future research and creation.[2]

 

[1]

「artist’s book」在中文語境中有不同的翻譯，作為直譯「藝術家的書」，在字面上強調「書」（作品）是屬於「藝術家的」（創作者），回應自杜象開始，藝術創作當中概念先行的重要性。「藝術家創作書」將書作為「創作」的途徑（approach），暗示「書」是由「藝術家」所「創作」出來的。在中國較為常見的譯法「藝術家手制書」，在字面上則凸顯人為手工的介入能力，從工藝的角度區別出artist’s book與數位書籍格式的區別。另外又如「藝術家書」、「藝術家書籍」等稱法，皆回應artist’s book在概念上開放流動的特質。為維持受訪者的語調，本書一律依照受訪者對於artist’s book的稱法，一方面維持受訪者的口吻，一方面也透露其對於artist’s book的理解與討論。（關於artist’s book的中文翻譯，感謝「PAPER MATTER 藝術家書籍文獻庫」蔡胤勤提供想法）

In the Chinese language context, no clear consensus exists in the translation of the term “artist’s book.” It literally translates as “the book owned by the artist,” which not only emphasizes that the “book” (work) belongs to the “artist” (creator), but also echoes the significant idea of “concept preceding artwork” since Marcel Duchamp. Another translation is “artist’s book of creation,” which treats the book as the approach of “creation” and suggests that the “book” is “created” by the “artist.” “Artist’s hand-made book” is a common translation in China. It highlights the artificial intervention of handicraft and distinguishes between artist’s book and digital book from the perspective of arts and crafts. Other translations like “artist book” and “artist’s work” further reflect the openness and fluidity of the connotation of artist’s book. In order to retain the interviewees’ intonation, this book will not rephrase the ways they called artist’s book, so as to faithfully represent the interviewees’ voices on the one hand, and reveal their understanding and discussion about artist’s book on the other. (I owe a debt of gratitude to Yin-Chin Tsai from the PAPER MATTER Artists’ Books Archive for his help with the Chinese translation of artist’s book).

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[2]

這本書以自出版方式限量印刷100本，以提供圖書館館藏與相關研究者文獻。全文以電子書方式提供下載 。

This book will appear in a limited edition of 100 through self-publishing as a contribution to libraries and the literature on related issues. The full text will be available as a downloadable file from the website: tw-chuyinhua.com/book-phenomenon.

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text translated by Sheng-Chih Wang

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     Image & Text/ 朱盈樺 YinHua CHU

     Editor/ 沈裕昌 YuChang SHENG

     Assistance/ 李汶諭 WenYu LI

     Book Design/ 簡伯勳 BoHsin CHIEN

     Photography/ 陳瑋萱 WeiHsuan CHEN