"Art Times" Interview
Interviewer: Zhao Zilong
Respondent: Jin Jiangbo
Time: May 4, 2010
Location: Shanghai
Topic:
Economy and Living Environment
Zhao: You used to study Chinese painting. From the traditional painting, what’s your understanding on the relationship between human and nature?
Jin: I think it is the harmony of mankind with nature. Nature also means the state of mind. Human is also a part of nature. Specifically, the core of learning Chinese painting is to be consistent with the nature. Nature has its rules."
Zhao: How do you define "nature”? What is the relationship between nature and natural philosophy?
Jin: Nature is a self-circulated system. It is like an initial state to maintain world’s balance and harmony. Natural philosophy is the way that everything has to be and how it works to comply with nature.
Zhao: As you engaged in the design, what is the ultimate significance of design?
Jin: I think it is to create a brand new system, which is a formula may change people’s thinking and behavior.
Zhao: I think there might be a question about design ethics, namely the design border, self-discipline or its bottom line. In other words, what is the criterion for the value of design? Design is always about changing. And our life is always being changed by economy or design.
Jin: I think design was born with its mission. But it is probably not just about changing. I think it is about creation ultimately. For example, we created cities as a life system, and we also creating a concept or platform and pack ourselves into the system. For example: iPad gives people more options for getting rid of paper and ink, reading more efficiently from the screen. Real design is a revolution. However, this direction may get further away from the "nature" I mentioned.
Zhao: In your words about human and nature, I think we can return to the harmonious and natural living status, and design works for it. What do you think about this?
Jin: No, I don’t agree. If the aim of design is to get back to pure nature, then the best way is to cancel design. Pure nature cannot be designed. The direction of the subject “design” is possibly against the “nature”.
Zhao: So do you mean that the world of traditional poetic lifestyle does not exist in today’s society?
Jin: I think it depends on whether people have the courage to give up the rich material in this world. Once people are able to control their desires, the real spiritual paradise will come out in the earth.
Zhao: Which one do you prefer?
Jin: It’s hard to tell. My heart tends to the second one. But I have no way to get rid of the material world.
Zhao: What is the ultimate significance of art?
Jin: The ultimate significance of art is to overturn the inherent concept, Deny but inherit the tradition to become a balanced ecology.
Zhao: How do you integrate your understanding of the natural philosophy and the order of the world from traditional painting into your later artworks? You may explain it by referring your specific works or the concepts.
Jin: I think the integration is conducted by the environment. Maybe I did not expect to, but my views to the nature and history are there. For example, in my photographic works, a lot of shots are perceived as "landscape" in my mind. Actually, I don’t look for something like “the decisive moments” but prefer to seek a kind of artistic temperament of the picture. From the theory of Chinese painting, this kind of temperament is the main element to create a vivid work. So when I take photos, I always focus on looking for the temperament of the object and spend more time than watch the camera lens. Maybe that’s the rules of painting nature. I have already made a plan in my mind for producing a photographic artwork about the natural landscape. Later once I am free, I will take photos of the natural landscape in the style of the landscape in my heart. Besides, the pictures I took about economic topic are another kind of "landscape": the landscape of human being. It is the “nature” with man-made traces. The “nature” forms a spectacle in the society, constitutes a new way of nature as well as new history.
Zhao: What are the the commonality and differences between design and art creation?
Jin: The commonality is that they are both human cultural phenomenon. The difference is that design serves for others, art serves for oneself. They are both cultural products. Specifically, design and art both emphasize creativity, but design lay more emphasis on its use by people, and art is created for people’s spiritual need.
Zhao: What is history from your point of view?
Jin: I think there two types of history. One is the cultural memory created by human activity. The other is fossil engraved by nature.
Zhao: How does economy make impacts on human living environment, physically and mentally?
Jin: The exchange of surplus value becomes a general sense of economic activity in the social structure. In order to obtain more surplus value, human can only ask nature for its wealth to meet higher economic demands. For example, coal, petroleum, rare metal, wood, water, etc. All of them are changed into the economic wealth data by human activities, while the “natural wealth data” is sharply declined. Consequently, the problem is that we are destroying the better life itself, in name of pursuing better life.
Zhao: What do you think is the ideal living environment for human being?
Jin: I don’t know what the human ideal living environment is. But I do not agree to destroy the wealth of nature for pursuing the economic wealth. The formation of the earth is a journey of billion years. Once it is destroyed, lots of things will on longer exist. I’d love to live under the blue sky and white clouds, with hills behind and sea in front, riding a horse along the beach and surfing in the sea wave.
Zhao: Do you believe the situation will come true? If not, what should we do?
Jin: I have no idea whether it will be true or not, at least I think it will take a very long time in China or never. As technology is getting more and more developed, we are away from the nature further and further. Almost everything is artificial today.