藝術家創作自述

若水

文／吳耀庭

自由潛水是一項「用一口氣潛到水底然後返回水面」的運動。血液中的含氧量會隨著運動間逐漸降低，不只是肌肉的活動會耗氧，大腦思考也會耗費不少氧氣，因此讓心靈平靜與放鬆成為這項運動非常重要的課題。

用自由潛水的方式下潛時，總是會經過幾段變化：在下潛之前，會在水面上做呼吸準備，放鬆的呼吸宛如沉睡的過程，這時我會有意識地冥想，想像下潛時需要完成的步驟，或是想像自己處在一個舒適安寧的狀態。接著吸飽氣，讓腹部與胸腔都因為空氣而脹起，踢動蛙鞋、躬身下潛、划手。一連串的動作之後，耳膜便會感受到水壓，必須迅速開始平壓。下潛至中性浮力後，踢動蛙鞋數下便停止，些許地骨盆前傾、鞏固核心，讓身體因為負浮力而進入自由落體的狀態，直到抵達預定深度。上升時臀腿需要稍微增加力度，突破負浮力，過了中性浮力後減速，讓正浮力帶著自己返回水面。在這些過程中，心中總是有許多念頭會產生：渴望呼吸、恐懼死亡、害怕未知的事物...。然而，練習潛水的過程，就是要讓這些念頭像流水一樣，出現、而後逝去，於是世界變得相當安靜，周圍的變動與思想的起伏，不再內心產生漣漪，只有無法言語的安寧。

道德經言：「上善若水」，指的是像水一樣的無私，滋潤萬物；像水一樣的不爭，柔順無形，即是善的表現。因為不爭執，所以沒有苦惱。而自由潛水這項運動也如同水一樣，在各種艱困的狀態下如何真正的放鬆？能做的只有不執著。那些潛水過程中出現的負面情緒，無法透過意志的壓抑而消失，如同再怎麼厚重的牆，也會被植物新發的芽穿透。洞悉那些情緒雨後春筍地出現，了解它們的存在，卻不特意專注於某個點，讓情緒像流水一樣，出現而後逝去。當不再執著於煩惱時，意識的寧靜才能讓身心真正的放鬆下來。對我來說，自由潛水是身體力行的實踐「經典所言」，於生活之中的一種方式。

此次個展多以具象的人體姿態，呈現我在自由潛水的心理狀態以及心路歷程。單一的人體是潛入大海中的孤獨感，鏡像的複數體態則是意志與身體對話時的自省。其中也包括無蹼、單蹼、雙蹼等不同的潛水形式，或是臀踢、躬身下潛、自由落體等潛水時會使用的運動方式。這些姿態像是潛水日誌一樣，記錄著每一潛中，環境、潛伴、與自身所帶來的感知經驗。我也使用了純金箔與木頭這兩種相異的材質結合，象徵潛水時的心境：木頭是有機物，隨著時間的流逝腐壞，如同身體一樣經歷生老病死，需要呼吸、生存；黃金則是永恆的，如同心志一樣，在萬千思緒中，不染而寧靜地存在著。

從接觸自由潛水以來，經過數年的沉澱。期間經歷了許多變化，例如：疫情肆虐全球、意外骨折、服兵役…等，這些波動像是潛水時遇到的情緒，一波波的接踵而來，若是提起蠻橫之勁硬扛，總使心情緊繃而無所適從；惟有若水一般，以柔軟的身段跟著浪的起落，才能觀照自己的心，才能從每一潛中體會寧靜的存在。

Artist's statement

Be Like Water

text/ Yao Ting WU

Freediving is a sport that involves “diving to the bottom of the water with one breath until resurfacing”. As the oxygen in the blood will gradually drop during the dive, and both muscle and brain activity demands a lot of oxygen, staying calm and relaxed has become an essential practice for this sport.

To freedive, you have to go through several stages. Before descending into the water, you should stay above the surface to prepare for the breath-holding. When I relax my mind and slow the breathing, it feels like falling into a deep sleep. Therefore, at this time, I will consciously meditate and preview what to do next. Sometimes I will imagine myself in a comfortable and peaceful place. Then it’s time to take a deep breath, let the air fill your abdomen and chest, kick the fins, row your arms and dive into the water. After a series of movements, the water pressure will push in on the eardrum and must quickly be released. When achieving neutral buoyancy, kick the fins a few more times and tilt your pelvis slightly forward to strengthen the core muscles, allowing the body to enter a state of free fall due to negative buoyancy until reaching the predetermined depth. To ascend to the surface, you must slightly increase strength on the hips and legs to swim against the negative buoyancy. After exceeding the neutral buoyancy, you can slow down and let the positive buoyancy bring you back to the water surface. During these processes, many thoughts will come to your mind, such as longing to breathe, dread of death, fear of the unknown... However, to practice freediving is to let these thoughts come and go, like water. In this way, the world quiets down, and the turbulence in the world no longer causes ripples in the heart, only indescribable peace.

There is a saying in Tao Te Ching that “the supreme kindness is like water”, which refers to being selfless like water and nourishing all living beings on earth. In other words, being secluded, flexible and formless like water is the expression of kindness. Since there is no disturbance, there is no distress. To freedive, you must be like water. As for how to truly relax in various challenging situations? All you can do is let go. The negative emotions that arise during diving won’t disappear if you try to suppress them. Like no matter how thick the wall is, the new sprouts of plants will penetrate it. Let those emotions spring up, and then accept their existence. There is no need to hold on to a certain point. Allow the feelings to flow like water. When you are no longer obsessed with disturbances, you will find inner tranquility and fully relax the body and mind. For me, freediving is a way of practicing the “classic sayings” in life.

This solo exhibition mainly presents my psychological state and journey in freediving with figurative human body postures. The single human body resembles the loneliness of diving into the sea, and the mirrored plural bodies are the introspection between the will and the body. The works showcased also include different freediving styles, including no-fins, monofin, and bi-fins, or the movements used in diving, like hip kicks, duck dives, freefall, etc. These postures are my diving log, recording the perception and experiences brought by the environment, diving partners, and myself in each dive. I also combined two materials, pure gold foil and wood, to symbolize the state of mind when diving. Wood is an organic material that decays with time. It goes through the life cycle just like the human body, and needs to breathe and survive. On the other hand, gold is eternal, like our state of mind, which exists untainted and peaceful among a maze of thoughts.

After several years since I started to learn freediving, I’ve encountered many challenges—for instance, the global pandemic, accidental fractures, military service and other things. These twists and turns strike me one after another as the emotions that emerge during diving. I would feel tense and lost if I tried to fight against them toughly. Only when I am like water, following the flows of the waves softly, can I look after myself and find inner peace from every dive.