“变故在期须，百年谁能持”

“变故在期须，百年谁能持”

顾  铮

摄影的题中应有之义之一，是如何运用摄影的自动成像的技术手段来清晰地捕捉、显形事物形态，并由此呈现得以解析事物结构的线索。将具有确定形态的事物加以模糊，显然不是发明摄影术的初衷。当然，在摄影术发明之后，人们或从语言探索的角度出发，或因当时技术的限制而起意反其道而行之，或利用并认可了摄影的短处，或故意采取摇晃等手法而获得模糊影像，也有不少可圈可点的表现。但是，与追求清晰、标榜获取实相进而夸示其为真相的摄影正宗主流相比，这种追求模糊、不求“形似”的手法，仍然属于偶一为之的实践。绝大多数摄影家也不会以此作为自己的主打手法，也不会使之成为让自己以此安身立命的风格表象。

而马康的摄影，却是持续一贯地以享有盛名的地标性建筑的模糊影像，作为自己的摄影表现的主要追求，并且最终确定以这种不确定的影像为自己的风格。

以反复叠加的影像来建构一个处于时间与空间中的双重不确定的影像，显然属于一种反摄影的制像方式。这种双重不确定的影像也

给出了某种形态辨认的困难。摄影以其细节描绘的高强本领而受到期

待。但是，通过影像的反复叠加，叠加在一起的所有影像的所得细节变得模糊起来，变得难以辨认。相对确定的外形与无法辨认的细节，同时强化了这些历史性地标建筑的不确定性，并且进而喩示了影像作者本人的历史观。

当然，这不仅仅是一种辨认真实（the real）的困难，也是一种辨认真相（truth）的困难。马康在此向我们提示的是，摄影既有可能是一种自动描绘成像的艺术，也有可能是一种如他今天所呈现的、有真相的飘渺影子却又不得其门而入的制像方式。他以此表达对于影像能否出示真实与真相的怀疑。当然，这种怀疑也包括了对于摄影这种“写真”术的怀疑。他通过质疑真实与真相，同时也质疑摄影本身。而我更愿意接受这种摄影思考的态度。

马康并不仅仅只是一个摄影语言的探索者。他是以摄影的语言来视觉化有关这个不确定时代的个人感受，同时也给出有关历史的不确定的具体形态。是的，这是一个不确定的时代。我们所面临的一切都无法获得终极性的判断与定位。大量的赝品混迹于真迹之中，无数的假象掺杂于真相之中。因为人类自身的放肆，确实与确定的事物已经失去其可靠性。这并不是因为事实本身有所变化，事实和真相本身没

有变化，其之所以不被确认或无法确认，是因为人类本身之不可靠所致。这种不可靠也包括了观看方式本身的局限性所致的不可靠。

而通过所有这些处于不确定状态的历史性地标性建筑所汇聚起来的一个确定的印象是，我们置身于一个不可逆转的不确定状态之中。同样的，我们的历史也处于一种真假掺半的状态之中。马康画面中的所有这些不确定形态，随着历史的演进与现实的发展，只会越来越突现其不确定性、强化其不确定性、并且不可挽回地走向消散与解体，而不是向着某种确定性收敛、确定、坚固起来。我们也许可以确定地认为，不确定也许才是我们这个时代的最为确定之处。正如诗人曹植所说：“变故在期须，百年谁能持。”而这也许就是马康的模糊不定的画面所要提示我们的。

                                               2011.07

Accident happens in a moment; who can remain unchanged in the ages?

by Gu Zheng

One of the functions of photography shall be how to use automatic imaging techniques of photography to capture and visualize the sharp images, and then present the clues for analyzing the object’s structures. Blurring object of certain shape is obviously not the original intention of inventing photography. After the invention of photography, people tended to either act from the angle of language exploration, or in an opposite way of photography because of the limitations of technology at that time, or utilize and approve the shortcomings of photography, or deliberatively sway the camera to get a blurred image, from which we could find many notable behaviors. Compared with the main stream of pursuing clarity and vividness as truth, this technique of pursuing obscurity rather than resemblance still belongs to accidental practice. Most of the photographers won’t choose the technique as major approach, nor personal style.

Nevertheless, Ma Kang insists on blurred images of the prestigious landmarks as his primary pursuit of photographic expressions and has finally established this personal style of bluerred images.

It is a kind of anti-photography approach to use repeatedly overlapped images to construct a double uncertain picture between time and space. This double uncertain picture also makes it difficult to identify the forms. Photography is highly recognized by its superior ability to describe details. However, it is hard to identify the details of the forms which is more and more flurry after been repeatedly overlapped. Comparitively certain shapes and unrecognizable details, all together, reinforce the uncertainty of these historic landmarks and further indicate the artist’s concept about history.

Of course, it is not only difficult to identify the real but also the truth. What Ma Kang reminds us here is that photography may be not only an automatic imaging art but also an image creation, as he presents today, which has a misty shadow of truth but is puzzling. He hereby doubts if photographs can present the real and truth, which of course includes the doubt to photography as ‘recording the real’. He also doubts photography itself through questioning the real and truth. Yet, I prefer this attitude towards photography.

Ma Kang is not just an explorer of photographic language. He uses the photographic language to visualize personal feelings about this uncertain time and meanwhile present the specific shape of the uncertainty of history. Yes, it is an uncertain time. Everything we face can not reach a final judgment and definition. A lot of fake sneaks in the authentic; a lot of false mixes in the true. Because of our own impudicity, real and certain things have lost their reliability. It’s not due to the change of the fact. The fact and truth have not changed. The reason of uncertainty is our nature of fallibility, which includes unreliability caused by the limitation of ways of seeing.

    Gathered by these historic uncertain landmarks, one certain impression is that we are now living in an irreversible uncertain situation. Similarly our history remains half false, half true. With the evolution of history and development of reality, all uncertainty in Ma Kang’s photographs will appear more and more obvious and intense and inevitably go on the way to evanesce and break up rather than converge, confirm and consolidate towards certainty. We may confirm that the most certainty in this age is the uncertainty. As the poet Cao Zhi says: Accident happens in a moment; who can remain unchanged in the ages? This may be what Ma Kang’s blurred pictures inspire us.