MONDAY ARTPOST 0606-2022

MONDAY
ARTPOST
0606-2022
ISSN1918-6991
MONDAYARTPOST.COM
Columns by Artists and Writers
Bob Black / Cem Turgay / Fiona
Smyth / Gary Michael Dault /
Holly Lee / Kai Chan / Mak Fung /
Shelley Savor / Tamara Chatterjee
/ Wilson Tsang
+ Camera etc (Shan Hai Jin, 4x5)
words and photo by Lee Ka-sing
MONDAY ARTPOST published on Mondays. Columns by Artists and Writers. All Right Reserved. Published since 2002.
An Ocean and Pounds publication. ISSN 1918-6991. email to: mail@oceanpounds.com

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“There is always
Music amongst the
trees in the Garden,
but our hearts must be
very quiet to hear it.”
Minnie Aumonier

CHEEZ 2022
at 50 Gladstone Avenue
Saloon, Toronto.
31 originals from Cheez
series by Fiona Smyth.
Exhibition runs thru
June 18, 2022.
Visit by appointment
mail@oceanpounds.com

CHEEZ
Fiona Smyth

ART LOGBOOK
Holly Lee
1. Thirty Pieces of Silver by Cornelia Parker (a 2011 Installation)
https://www.yorkstmarys.org.uk/exhibition/2011-installation-thirty-pieces-of-silver/
2. The “Big history of our world” in 18 minutes by David Christian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqc9zX04DXs
YouTube (18 min.)

Leaving Taichung
Station
Bob Black
Trois couleurs: 最 好 的 時 光
“Does the world have nothing inside but sorrow?”–Andrei Platonov
“On windy or rainy days, naturally there are times when these clocks would stop…”-- 陳 黎
II
2014-2020: Phthalo Blue (a time for love)
Toronto – Taichung – Taipei – Toronto
Words, like small billows under hull, tiller the jib of my meandering thoughts. Pictures, like wisps
of exhalation, rudder the carriage of my body’s hinting. I have always worked both, rhyme and flap,

Endings before the beginning had even blossomed, blue as the coal night, blue as the touch of your
tongue on my body, blue as the Noctiluca scintillans familying at night along Taiwan’s islands,
sparkling love and loss
藍 色 的 眼 淚
to set my life’s navigation right—Ballast of Boom and Keel—the steerage from which I have tried to
helm my way home. A halyard in its pulling.
This is how he snagged and snared, his blue eyes like Centaurea cyanus, cornflower wild in the field
of his gaze and his words ran through me like my mother’s milk, for it was he who opened my taste
to uncanny and wobbly things, surrendering my predilection for mistrust to care and leaps and
undoing. Tangled trees our limbs became until I grew new roots that begun in the slow, waving
of the east Beaches and scampered across oceans and feted itself over bowls of eels in Taichung
and later singing to the distant mountains of the train station, lanterns guiding us along the spines
and secret whispers of 九 份 , cats pursuing like jealous lovers, our hearts together, mine for the
first time, in fire fettle and ferocious and he spoken as the sky curtained the sea: “the friscalating
dusklight”, a strange love song I only learned later but that it how it began, all blue words and blue
eyes and blue skies stretched over blue water and blue tea. Little did I know, then, our hearts would
grow blue as well, blue as the rust on oiled, long gone steel, our hearts blue as the ghosts that carry
their teeth in silk bags and render them mute, blue as the ache in his bones and his soon-to-stop
raging heart, blue the color of his chest and railroading scar after his blue heart was scalped open
and the black-blue valve, dead from the blue oxygen of which it was deprived and removed to be
replaced by a mechanical blue-steel one and blue when I left our love and our city in the time of
Covid.
And then the ocean took us, as did life, all of it, gone. And I could see death’s disguise hanging on
me.
But the colors had yet a surprise for us, blazing through the skystar in the shape and sweet sweep of
wine.
In the swallowing of a new time and a new color and there it was lapping up everything in front of
us,
waiting.
Phthalo blue, where was the halo of our love and our life, blue-deaf everywhere: the lost blue faces
on the streets, the leaving blue faces on the airplane, the made blue ocean on the southern sea, the
raucous blue words of my mothers and aunt and the soft blue lullaby my dead grandmother sang to
him one night, of which I would find out later. All blue.
The blue of the bitter melon, the blue of the magic and sea, the blue of the rain in Kenting, all gone
now, or so it seemed. The blue leather flintcraw of our life, our words and teeth and bones, all laying
in beds far apart.

ProTesT
Cem Turgay

Greenwood
Kai Chan
Drawing, pastel, graphite on paperr

Poem a Week
Gary Michael Dault
High Flying
deep sea blue
with islands far below
I love the stratosphere
it’s cleaner
than emptiness
up here
the whole sky shudders
if I cough
a tiger
twelve miles below me
yawns over
an entire town
there are icicles
on my fingertips
I’m drifting
like a pollen of ground glass
the more I sparkle
the more the tiger will look up

TANGENTS
Wilson Tsang
The Instance

Caffeine Reveries
Shelley Savor
Restless Dreamers

From the Notebooks
(2010-2022)
Gary Michael Dault
Number 140: The Ampersand Wagon (or Red Pitcher in Transit), May 9, 2020.
There is a little poem-scribble beside the painting that reads (after William Carlos Williams): “So much
depends / on a red pitcher / being hauled / from place / to place.”

Travelling Palm
Snapshots
Tamara Chatterjee
Morocco (September, 2014) – From France
we navigated our way to Marrakesh, slowly
maneuvering the Medina and its various
moorish sites. I spent the vast majority of
my time; admiring the ridiculously beautiful
mosaics tiles and playing hide & seek with the
shadows cast from the height of the midday
sun.

Yesterday Hong Kong
Mak Fung
Central Market (1960)
The market was built in 1937. Completely revitalized in 2009 and turned into a leisure landmark of retails and
eateries.
Gelatin silver photograph, 8x10 inch
From the collection of Lee Ka-sing and Holly Lee

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Camera etc
(Shan Hai Jin, 4x5),
by Lee Ka-sing.
An excert from “Donkey,
camera, and old lang
syne” (Double Double,
Feb edition, 2022).

山 海 經 , 4x5
楚 喬 說 , 這 個 就 算 是 結 婚 三 十 週 年 你 送 給 我 的 禮 物 吧 。
這 具 4x5 的 照 相 機 是 大 約 在 2010 年 底 , 我 裝 嵌 給 楚 喬 拍 攝 一 組 她 稱 為 「 山 海 經 」 的 照 片 。 照
片 在 她 心 中 已 醞 釀 了 一 段 時 期 ,2010 年 才 開 始 拍 攝 , 她 拍 攝 多 倫 多 的 公 園 。 其 實 也 不 一 定
是 多 倫 多 , 只 是 從 周 邊 附 近 先 開 始 而 已 。 開 始 的 時 候 , 她 使 用 SINAR Handy, 用 6x12 片
背 , 一 卷 120 膠 卷 可 拍 六 張 。SINAR Handy 有 可 移 動 鏡 板 , 我 們 有 90mm,65mm 及 47mm 鏡
頭 可 選 用 , 都 是 鏡 後 有 螺 旋 環 可 以 調 校 焦 距 。Holly 選 用 了 47mm, 她 的 照 片 是 橫 1 比 3 的 比
例 , 換 句 話 說 ,6x12 的 片 幅 還 要 裁 去 上 或 下 的 少 許 。
這 個 「 山 海 經 」 計 劃 , 她 試 拍 了 一 點 , 便 換 上 了 這 具 改 裝 過 的 照 相 機 。 由 於 相 機 主 要 設 計
用 來 完 善 這 項 拍 攝 計 劃 , 這 頭 工 具 , 就 也 姑 稱 之 為 「 山 海 經 」 吧 ( 下 文 簡 以 「 山 」 為 代
號 )。 其 實 SINAR Handy 已 經 是 很 輕 便 的 4x5 照 相 機 , 山 的 重 量 是 SH 的 一 半 。 木 造 , 但 後
組 裝 片 的 部 分 仍 沿 用 了 SINAR 的 配 件 。 鏡 頭 直 接 裝 在 機 身 並 拼 棄 了 調 焦 功 能 。 從 鏡 間 到 片
背 的 距 離 固 定 在 「 無 限 值 」, 照 相 機 的 機 身 厚 度 約 為 47mm, 即 大 概 相 當 於 鏡 頭 的 焦 距 。
簡 單 的 說 , 這 頭 照 相 機 是 完 全 沒 有 對 焦 功 能 ( 也 許 正 確 的 說 是 不 用 對 焦 ), 它 也 沒 有 外 置
觀 景 器 。 當 然 , 有 著 高 質 素 的 鏡 頭 , 也 可 調 校 光 圈 。 這 個 拼 棄 的 過 程 , 除 了 棄 去 不 必 要 重
量 , 簡 樸 以 便 服 , 更 主 要 的 還 是 一 個 哲 學 性 的 考 慮 。 拍 攝 的 過 程 也 即 是 心 理 活 動 的 過 程 。
山 比 一 具 35mm 單 反 還 輕 。 使 用 一 支 我 們 手 上 最 小 號 的 Gitzo 或 Linhof 三 腳 架 已 足 夠 。 架 起
相 機 先 要 固 定 好 水 平 。 這 是 觀 點 的 問 題 。 然 後 選 定 景 物 的 中 間 點 。47mm 鏡 頭 在 4x5 機 相 當
於 14mm 鏡 頭 在 35mm 照 相 機 , 涵 括 點 約 105 度 , 假 若 你 心 中 有 一 枚 量 角 器 , 大 概 可 以 預 見 到
從 左 方 至 右 方 會 括 進 甚 麼 景 物 。 拍 攝 如 此 景 物 , 我 相 信 大 片 幅 會 比 小 片 幅 為 恰 當 , 當 然 這
是 主 觀 的 看 法 。 又 或 你 想 景 物 有 盡 量 稀 少 細 部 訊 息 , 那 麼 小 片 幅 已 是 足 夠 了 。 這 是 大 物 縮
小 再 還 原 , 其 間 所 流 失 份 量 的 考 量 。 當 然 , 優 良 的 工 具 可 以 比 較 有 効 地 控 制 流 失 量 。

不 過 我 認 為 大 片 幅 與 小 片 幅 的 比 較 , 更 主 要 的 是 使 用 不 同 工 具 在 一 個 相 同 環 境 中 所 衍 生 出
來 的 不 同 心 理 狀 態 , 假 若 我 們 抽 象 地 假 設 兩 者 都 可 以 給 出 完 全 相 同 的 結 像 質 素 。 一 個 比 較
簡 單 的 論 述 , 用 小 型 機 你 會 多 拍 幾 幀 , 使 用 大 片 幅 照 相 機 你 會 看 得 準 確 , 或 是 醞 釀 , 或 是
推 敲 , 方 才 按 下 快 門 。 是 這 個 原 因 , 即 使 不 同 的 大 片 幅 照 相 機 , 使 用 上 由 於 要 照 顧 不 同 細
節 , 也 會 衍 生 出 不 同 的 心 理 狀 態 。 走 文 及 此 , 相 信 可 以 領 會 出 另 造 一 具 照 相 機 的 囑 意 。 也
樸 素 也 華 麗 , 它 背 後 是 有 著 複 式 的 考 量 。 我 們 抽 掉 了 在 戶 外 使 用 大 片 幅 照 相 機 , 取 景 對 焦
等 複 雜 程 序 。 甚 至 , 完 全 不 提 供 觀 看 取 景 器 的 機 會 , 不 周 旋 於 構 圖 細 節 , 你 站 在 大 自 然 的
前 面 , 裸 眼 觀 察 , 物 像 與 心 像 合 而 為 一 。 併 棄 了 小 的 觀 景 窗 , 其 實 是 一 個 大 的 觀 景 窗 。
楚 喬 的 「 山 海 經 」 系 列 照 片 , 屬 於 簡 約 直 接 拍 攝 , 同 時 又 是 非 常 觀 念 性 的 作 品 。 很 需 要 保
留 盡 可 能 擁 有 的 細 節 , 所 以 適 宜 使 用 較 大 的 片 幅 。 此 外 , 工 具 的 可 㩗 行 性 以 及 操 作 上 的 忘
我 程 度 , 拍 攝 當 刻 的 心 理 狀 態 都 可 能 與 照 片 產 生 著 關 係 。 由 於 本 文 主 要 是 談 及 照 相 機 背 後
的 設 計 理 念 , 我 就 不 再 進 一 步 去 釋 及 她 作 品 本 身 。2014 年 寫 了 一 首 詩 , 有 著 一 個 很 長 的 題
目 :「 正 在 下 樓 梯 的 Holly, 從 三 樓 走 到 地 面 的 畫 廊 。 她 正 準 備 外 出 到 Trinity Bellwoods 公
園 拍 攝 一 張 照 片 」 我 寫 她 從 家 中 經 過 畫 廊 到 鐘 活 公 園 拍 照 。 這 個 過 程 某 程 度 也 是 多 年 來 掙
扎 , 友 情 , 活 動 , 思 考 的 過 程 。 我 說 鐘 活 公 園 的 樹 梢 倒 掛 著 神 話 的 精 靈 , 也 即 是 楚 喬 述 說
婆 娑 樹 影 鱗 光 閃 閃 的 背 後 。
“ 你 看 透 春 天 按 下 快 門 捉 住 四 季 變 幻 於 一 身 ”
我 將 該 詩 最 的 一 行 抄 下 作 為 本 文 結 語 , 以 及 附 錄 楚 喬 寫 的 一 則 關 於 「 山 海 經 」 照 片 的 序
述 , 提 供 給 有 興 趣 的 朋 友 作 為 助 讀 。
“Shan Hai Jing is a photographic collection of park panoramas, a travelogue through time, myths
and imagination. Having lived for a number of years in Canada, I started to feel a sense of belonging,
and eager to explore different textures of the city. I started to photograph parks, which are abundant
in Toronto. The preoccupation of shooting parks perhaps arises from the aspiration of wanting to see
things beyond specific time, space and geographic locations. A mind journey. Are there more stories
to tell, things to be reckoned with in these seemingly ordinary places? My passage is not guarded nor
ruled by time. Moving between the real and the imaginary, springing and bouncing off the trampoline
to create free falls. In other words, my idea is to “rephrase” the ancient Shan Hai Jing texts with my
own observation and narration, mixing contemporary and old, familiar and unfamiliar, visible and
invisible, an acrobatic act springing back and forth in the arc of time.”
Shan Hai Jin, 4x5
Holly refers to this as a present for our Thirtieth Anniversary.
This 4x5 camera was built in 2010 for Holly, to shoot a series of photographs in the parks of Toronto
entitled Shan Hai Jin. In the beginning, Holly used SINAR Handy for the shots, with a 6x12 film
back, in which a 120 roll film would take six frames. Our SINAR Handy was equipped with a shift
lens board, and three lenses - 90mm, 65mm, 47mm, all with focusing devices. She picked the 47mm.
Her finished photograph is in 1:3 proportion, which means, for a 6x12 image, a bit of either the top or
the bottom would have to be cropped.
I built this camera for her, right after she had started the project. The SINAR Handy is in fact quite
a compact 4x5, but the one I built is only half the weight. I took off the focusing device, with the lens
directly mounted on the body, the focal distance was preset to infinitive. This camera was made of
wood, and I kept the rear portion of the original SINAR .
This camera has no focusing device, it is simply unnecessary. It does not have an external viewfinder
either. The idea of reconstructing a camera, apart from the weight issue, there is also a philosophical
consideration. We believe the psychological aspect will surely affect the way how a photograph will
be taken.
It is lighter than most 35mm DSLRs, our small Gitzo or Linhof tripod is good enough for it. So long as
the camera is in level (which is an important issue), and the subject at the centre is chosen, you can
figure out how much will be included on the both ends. A 47mm lens on 4x5 is approximately equal
to a 14mm lens on 35mm, covers about 105 degrees. For landscape photography, the larger the format
is, the better. When a large piece of scenery is scaled down into a tiny frame of film, and blown up
again into a large photograph, losing information during the process matters. Superior lenses can hold
the quality of an image, but still can not beat the format issue. A smaller format could certainly be
used, of course, if crucial detail is not that important.
Put it this way - even though we assume both formats can deliver the same good image quality, the
psychological factor while shooting with different sizes camera could lead to different outcome. Take
for an example, while using a candid 35mm you tend to take more frames, in comparison, using a
large format, the process is slower. You might consider more before pushing the shutter.
Despite the fact that you are on the same boat of using large formats, the configuration of the camera

might change the way you handle the shot. Taking a photograph on location with a large format
camera, focusing and composing an image through the upside down ground-glass is not a simple task.
For that reason, I eliminated all the focusing and viewfinder options. The camera becomes merely
simple equipment, with a piece of good optic on. You are framing and focusing on the landscape
through your naked eyes - a larger and flexible viewfinder. You guesstimate the shot and click the
shutter. The creating part takes over the operational part. A totally different process and experience.
Holly’s Shan Hai Jin is a series of straightforward, but conceptual photo work. The subject needs
more detail to hold the contents, the reason a large format was put to use. Yet, the image is more
emotionally driven than just technically perfect. The camera thus, was constructed with these
considerations in mind. In 2014, I wrote a poem about her going out to take a photograph at the
Trinity Bellwoods Park. The journey I described, from home to the gallery, and to the park is also the
journey for the years we live in this city. The struggles, friendships, activities and reflections. I end
this article with the last line of my poem -
“Criss crossing all the Springs, you push your shutter capturing the up-and-downs of four seasons
into one”
你 看 透 春 天 按 下 快 門 捉 住 四 季 變 幻 於 一 身
Holly has written an introduction of her Shan Hai Jin series, I quote in the below.
“Shan Hai Jing is a photographic collection of park panoramas, a travelogue through time, myths,
and imagination. Having lived for years in Canada, I started to feel a sense of belonging, and eager
to explore different textures of the city. I started to photograph parks, which are abundant in Toronto.
The preoccupation of shooting parks perhaps arises from the aspiration of wanting to see things
beyond specific time, space and geographic locations. A mind journey. Are there more stories to tell,
things to be reckoned with in these seemingly ordinary places? My passage is not guarded nor ruled
by time. Moving between the real and the imaginary, springing and bouncing off the trampoline to
create free falls. My idea is to “rephrase” the ancient Shan Hai Jing texts with fresh observation and
narration, mixing contemporary and old, familiar and unfamiliar, visible and invisible. An acrobatic
act springing back and forth in the arc of time.”
(trans. LKS and Holly)
Holly taking photograph at High Park (2014)

“The Fence, the Garden, the Connoisseur”
(DOUBLE DOUBLE, May edition 2022)
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