A piece of paper is simple yet complex; it could be cut, slashed, and engraved. It embodies a history that’s commonplace and ancient; it is a cultural medium that has been used by mankind for thousands of years. It can hold a plethora of patterns, and is a carrier of everyday memories, a gathering of groups and communities. Sensitive and fragile, it tends to breathe in sync with the humidity in the air, expanding and shrinking, accordingly. Used for decorative purposes and capable of transcending beyond words and rhetoric, it is stylistically intuitive; it is feminine. It is temporal, because every fiber of its being takes on qualitative changes along with the pH values of its surrounding.
The papercut tree grows and thrives on earth, and its tree rings are durable and strong. The recent bygone decades (from 1970s to the present, roughly around 50 years) only take up 3% of its history (approximately 1500 years). It has endured urbanization and rural demise and witnessed economic shifts and turns, the rise of modular buildings, and the mass production of artificial plastic goods. It has also been entangled in the cyclone of “progression”, without a clue of where to go next. Along the way, everyday activities of paper-cutting began to drastically dwindle. Since the 1970s, many whom had realized what was happening began to go into local areas to investigate. They began to archive and classify, founding an exhibition venue and incorporating the art form into academic curriculums. They put forth great efforts to try to salvage it and to allow its vital roots to continue to grow.
Human civilization is rapidly changing, and we are in the midst of launching into a blue light-filled digital era with everything contained underneath dark, reflective screens, with the needs for paper being replaced.
Perhaps because of paper’s fragile and ephemeral quality, it having beeen preserved and passed down from generation to generation makes the warmth that it embodies even more notable in a time when blue-light-blocking has become a thing to be aware of. It is partially because of nostalgia with intricately entangled emotions, and it is also because the cultural emblem of red papercuts is still actively present in many people’s everyday lives.
Salty Zone, Birthplace of Hung Tung, Where Water Birds Reside
Learning, to be in a state of learning, to hold an ideal that is uncertain, when a maker is immersed in such state of mind, the spirit that she or he naturally exudes is one of dedication and enthrallment.
Living water, to create a spring of living water, to strive forward, to pursuit after something, the questions and desires in life, to find an exit or to seek out an answer is not necessary the aim; more importantly is to do it with all your might, and you will find that the “journey” is what fascinates and captivates.
In the hands of those women are scissors that move between pieces of paper, as ideas are inspired and emotions freely flow. The gentle glow of the Mother is intimately connected to the vitality of the land.
At times, the scissors are put on pause, with a stroll enjoyed outside the house. By the area of the Great North Gate (Beimen) are various delightful sights, or by the seashore are rows of oyster racks made with bamboo, and by the oyster shack are mounds of white oyster shells. Perhaps you will run into grandmas with straw hats and floral headscarves, as they flip and dry pieces of mullet roe under the sun. The abandoned salt field glistens with white crystals, and sometimes a flock of water birds is spotted gliding by along with the ocean breezes. In front of the temple, underneath a banyan tree, people live their lives in harmony with the sun. With a game of chess played, glimmers of the sun reflect on the fishpond; the market bustles at sunrise, followed by sunset that dazzles briefly with its infinite beauty…
Papercut is deep-rooted within this landscape, and on the map, it is noted as a waterfront place, the backyard garden of Tainan. More than just delectable catch of the day, it is a place that mesmerizes with its vastness and history. It was the birthplace of Taiwanese painter Hung Tung; it is where water birds reside.
It is quite difficult to comb through, document, and classify this, and part of the reason is because these experts are local moms. Together with their families, those moms have devoted themselves in this project and diligently created papercuts and traveled to different places to interact and befriend with others. Motivated by their families, friends, schools and organizations in their neighborhoods, they were not secluded in their homes, and were willing to paste those papercuts out on the streets, even though, those papercuts were unable to withstand the elements and faded and disintegrated in just a few days.
If papercuts fade so easily, why cut them? Why not opt for another path that is more durable and long-lasting?
This year before the annual Lantern Festival, although still in winter, there were days in Southern Taiwan that felt like summer. The moms went to the old downtown area of Tainan and pasted papercuts in the narrow historical lanes and alleyways near the city’s old roundabout. The area is where one of the pathways to Memorial Hall of Shitao Ye is located, and at that time, the Puji Temple was bustling with preparation for the Lantern Festival. With a festive vibe filling the air, the moms pasted papercuts on the wall of an old house with peeling paint, by a wall where a family’s laundry was hung out to dry, and on a glass window of a newly opened coffee shop. Along the way, a 90-year old grandma from one of the alleyways joined in to cut some paper. More and more people began to join in on the fun, including a little boy whose family runs a barbershop at the end of the lane, a backpacker from abroad that happened to walk by, and tea was offered by a woman that owns a small eatery nearby. Perhaps those moms were not experienced with managing group activities, but the energy exuded from their self-initiated action was infectious and resonated with those around them.
These people are not professional artisans; they are homemakers, pillars of their families. Where then do they find their motivation?
Having pondered extensively on this, I have then concluded with the following possibilities. For one, they hold the desire for art, or in other words, people have the natural desire to pursuit beautiful things. Another possibility is they wish to set good examples through the action they take, and to be role models for their families and friends. Coming from Jiali District in Tainan, because of the unique geographical location of the area, this small town has always exuded a sense of self-sufficiency, and compared to bigger cities, the people there seem to be more willing to learn together and to engage in acts of self-learning. Moreover, through the process of continual social interaction, the moms felt like they have gained from what they have given, because they experienced a sense of enjoyment from the action and discovered happiness through interacting with others.
Books and papercuts were also donated to schools in remote areas. The project lasted for a whole year, with a workshop held once every month, which explored the Pingpu tribal history in the Kabuasua Village, visited the night festival of the Pataran community, and witnessed a religious ceremony taking place at the Jintang Temple in Jiali District. Festive papercuts were created for Lunar New Year, followed by Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, Teacher’s Day, Water Chestnuts Harvesting Festival of Guantian, a literary seminar on Taiwanese novelist Chung Li-Ho, winter solstice, a literature exchange program, traditional pigeon competition, Mother’s Day, Dragon Boat Festival, and more. Papercut served as a simple and fundamental core element throughout these celebrations and events, with the lives of these women documented.
Besides making papercuts, these women are no strangers to self-initiated co-learning activities, which have included a scripture reading class, a children’s musical that has been passed down from generation to generation, a choir, a poetry study and writing class, and they have also recently begun learning the ukulele.
Stepping out of their homes and neighborhoods to socialize with other communities, these women are active doers.
Although unlike in big cities where there are an endless supply of events and entertainment options, these small towns are, nevertheless, full of life. This vitality comes from ordinary everyday details, from the desire to “find something to do” outside of their means of securing the necessities of life. It is a drive to be a part of a community, to give back to society, to return to the countryside, to dwell by the salt field or next to the harbor; it is an inspiration to live life, differently.
These are the reasons why I think the area of the Great North Gate is full of inexhaustible regional humanity and culture.
Papercut and Taiwan
Fundamentally, papercut involves picking up a pair of scissors to cut geometric shapes, lines, or patterns on a folded piece of paper; technically, it is not hard to start making papercuts, and most people are capable of doing it in a short span of time, especially since the materials required are readily available. This is why it has become a widely practiced and historically extensive form of folk art. It is used by people in specific regions to depict the notable features in their surroundings, with distinctive styles shaped and created. In studying folk art field archives, it is observed that nearly every region has, more or less, a papercut style that is uniquely its own.
In Taiwan, red papercuts are seen everywhere during Lunar New Year and other holidays. It has become a traditional cultural element that the people of Taiwan are familiar with. However, due to several periods of colonial rule and division of history, Taiwan, an island that borders the Pacific Ocean, does not have enough human resources to massively and collectively conduct field research for papercut. The culture of papercutting does not hold an obvious or dynamic regional symbolism or stylistic foundation in the history of Taiwan.
Nonetheless, please bear in mind that Taiwan is a land with towering mountains and is surrounded by the vast ocean; it is a land of great biodiversity, a place where different groups mingle. Taiwan does have its very own unique accent, its distinctive voice.
When the Nationalist government retreated to Taiwan from China in 1949, people brought with them lifestyles and memories from their hometowns in China. Different regional papercut styles from China thus spread throughout Taiwan, carried by sentiments of nostalgia. Prior to this, the format of papercut was mostly used by the people of the Pingpu tribes or other indigenous Taiwanese tribes as templates for craftworks and religious articles or sketches for patterns. Actual papercuts were rarely preserved, and many intricately cut and engraved papercuts were burned in rituals. As for everyday usage, papercuts were used in garment or embroidery pattern making, but paper’s sensitive, fragile quality makes it hard to preserve in the densely humid climate of Taiwan.
China began to launch its “reform and opening up policy” in the 1970s, and during this time, folk art was faced with a time of rapid replacement and drastic change. After martial law was lifted in Taiwan, freedom of the press opened up, and a lot of field research archives from China were published in Taiwan. The culture of papercut was one of them, which gradually sparked some memories or a sense of familiarity in people, and readers in Taiwan began to resonate with different papercut styles, including the robust, rugged style from Northern Shaanxi; papercuts used in shamanic rituals; or the dot-dyeing technique practiced in Yu County of Hebei Province, China.
In recent years, many handcrafters, artisans, or visual designers have been drawing inspiration from papercutting, and subsequently, papercut has been indirectly preserved and transformed in Taiwan, blossoming into a medley of forms.
An ambiguous connection seems to have risen in Taiwan, as seen with the “Double Happiness” (a traditional papercut design on red paper, commonly used as a decoration symbol of marriage) and other pictorialized papercuts. The phenomenon signifies a rebirth, and one that is uniquely Taiwanese.
Mr. Li Huan-Zhang (1925-2015), whom had retreated to Taiwan from China, was a promoter and educator of papercut in Taiwan for several decades. The style taught by him consisted predominantly of replicas of Chinese papercut patterns, and he had taught countless people throughout his career. At the turn of the millennium, creative markets began to gain popularity in Taiwan, and it was during this time that a collective of industrial designers started the “Paper Cutting & Design FUNction Design Club”, with the objective of applying papercut concepts on designed goods. Doggku Ku is another artist whose practice is profoundly connected to papercut, and Ku creates artworks that are closely linked to everyday life, with subjects of nature and literature integrated. Unique styles have also been demonstrated by other artists, such as Hsia Hsia and ChiuYu-Wen.
Taiwan is free and earnest, which has resulted in an environment that is healthy and decent, and its youths are quite bold in voicing their opinions and willing to take risks in creating their own paths in life. Its local communities and neighborhoods strive to be good and work hard for the pursuit of a life that is beautiful; they do what they do out of joy and happiness and are not driven by political agendas.
There doesn’t seem to be a great divide between private or public, which are simply just terms used to facilitate communication. The private sector or folklore has always been changing but just more drastically in recent years. Looking back on the history of papercutting, papercuts that were found in rural areas in the past, which were pieces of paper that connected to a spiritual domain leading to the heaven and earth, have disappeared.
The shaping of a regional style doesn’t happen in just a few years or a few decades; sometimes, it may take several generations before such a style could accrue and take shape. Because of paper’s ephemeral quality, it requires an extensive period of time for it to accumulate.
The use of traditional Chinese characters in Taiwan denotes a unique cultural dynamic, which exudes a sense of temporality that is aligned with paper.
In the present time when the medium for writing is rapidly changing, a different epochal significance has risen from this ancient cultural material – paper. Compared to blue light screens, the contact with this fibrous material via reading, rituals, or other everyday details marks an intimacy that is more tactile and connected to the body.
Just like other traditional artifacts and legacies, how to preserve good and precious spirits from the past seems to have become something that people are habitually considering.
Sometimes I would imagine that no matter how something has changed, but as long as it takes on a unique look in each and every moment of its existence, it is then able to dwell confidently in the flowing river of time and accept itself throughout the changing times; the same goes for papercutting.
The Conception of Papercut Field
During my college years, Xiju Island of Matsu was a place that I conducted extensive surveys, as I used the foundation of architecture to engage in the area. It was an experience that opened up my path of personally getting involved in local communities. Subsequently, I later by chance became a visual artist, with my creative journey divided into two directions: one that consists of artworks that are more personal, and another has to do with projects that focus on forming connections with communities or others.
“The Long March Project: Yanchuan Papercutting Archives” in China is an example that is often mentioned in visual art discourses, and it was exhibited in 2004 at the Taipei Biennial. The approach of the project was one that was logical and planarized (without selective ways of seeing). It had placed on display papercuts collected from surveys done in various areas in Luochuan County of Northern Shaanxi. A big part of the project consisted of artworks by or styles made known by Gao Feng-Lian, and the rest were more common papercuts (with styles that were not uniquely from the area of Luochuan County). From the overall perspective of fieldwork done on China’s folk art, this project provided a section that focused on Northern Shaanxi, and Gao’s highly dynamic personal style acted as a pillar that supported the unique visual appeal when the project was put on display.
Field research was fervently conducted in China in the 70s and 80s, which led to the development of different schools and thoughts. Sequentially, it was faced with the collective issue of how to incorporate “the collection and the archive”, “the demands”, and “the future direction” for folk art into the modern lifestyle. The Chinese government has in recent years implemented many census surveys and archive buildings in local regions, with private and academic sectors dictated by top-down decrees via political policies.
It is further observed that traditional culture has turned into a double-edged sword, with it used to service agendas of economy, politics, cultural and creative industries, and production.
An obvious example would be to look at papercuts created by people as decorations for their homes, as expressions of their emotions or to use in rituals and ceremonies; those personally created papercuts are quite different from wholesale papercuts sold at tourist destinations.
Shifting the focus back to Taiwan, I’ve been thinking about how to use a “backward planting” approach with papercut, which could bring the focus of my personal creative endeavors back to things that are local and regional. Imagine papercut as a simple carrier, how could it be used to contain Taiwan’s regional cultures? Bearing this in mind, I began thinking about what kind of papercut is emblematic of Tainan? What does Paiwan tribal papercut look like? How about Hakka papercut?
In the winter of 2015 at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, I and some members of the audience were making papercuts together inside the small house installed for the exhibition. I met Ms. Hsieh Mei-Ling from Jiali Township, Tainan during that event, and this serendipitous encounter would later lead to “Papercut Field - Soulangh Project.”
Subsequently, the Soulangh Cultural Park founded on old sugar refinery warehouse extended an invitation for us to realize the project there. The interim progress of the project was presented at the cultural park’s Children’s Art Museum and shared with people from the area.
For ease of project implementation and communication, the plan was to invite 20 women to take part in the project, and they were also encouraged to incorporate their families in the project. Participants were quickly gathered from Jiali District because of Hsieh Mei-Ling’s enthusiastic recruitment.
A series of workshops was then organized to gather everyone together and to start “doing something” with everyone. Preparation work was conducted prior to the workshops, including collecting information on the Jiali District, such as its history, culture, geography, local affairs, and other data, and the information was used to help people discover things about their hometown that they were unfamiliar with before. Rural schools around the area of Jiali were then visited to introduce the project and to seek help from the schools to invite the families of their students to partake in our mobile workshops.
Each workshop was then gradually adjusted according to the different spaces we were in. There were certainly some pre-planning or visions toward the project, but more often than not, improvisation was something that I preferred. When done appropriately, it could lead to more unexpected fun and surprises. Although some basic skills are required for papercutting, I do not think that is the most vital. What’s more important is to guide the participants to gain a little more insight on their surroundings and their lives and to encourage them to see things differently, to ponder more, and then to reflect on the purpose of their involvement in the project.
In a way papercutting is like a basic set of skills, and through time, it could slowly lead a person towards imaginative thoughts and gestures for art (or even for non-art matters).
Through interactions and collaborations, those participants, those women created woodblock prints, Taiwanese poetry, innovative recipes, sculptures, and even performances. They then frequently incorporated spontaneous creativities into their surroundings and interacted with local communities. We then presented interim progress of the project in an exhibition format at the old sugar refinery, starting at its Children’s Art Museum. The objective was to spark a sense of fun and new realizations in people.
Art’s Social Dynamic or Society’s Art Dynamic
The genre of papercut is highly in touch with humanity and handcrafted artistry, and it is connected to the education of aestheticism. The origin of papercutting is largely connected to shamanism; it is connected to life, faith, and is spirited like the warm, red blood. The participants of this project also demonstrated modern priestess-like energy, as they extended the dynamic of art to individual lives, to groups around them, and even showed compassion and love for the society-at-large.
New genre of public art, participatory art, art in communities and neighborhoods, and many other types of projects like these have slowly spread throughout Taiwan, with more possibilities provided to work with the changing space-times and for creative endeavors to be site-specific.
Issues raised through project-based efforts are rooted in a network of interconnected complexities. It is also a challenge to clearly define the artist’s role in a project-based artwork. Moreover, it is also difficult to categorize project-based outcomes in an archive, because it involves different ways of seeing, including through the perspectives of building and planning, visual art history, art education, or folk art. However, this potential to encompass a wide range of perspectives is what makes project-based endeavors richly appealing.
This book has extracted from the thousands of archived artworks created by this group of women. It is an attempt to preserve a part of the light that this project has sparked at this interim phase. Those small papercut trees were created through “self-initiated” actions, with creative gestures carried out to fulfill specific dreams, which then flourished and bloomed. The resources attained from their efforts were then given back to places in need, and all of this makes this group of people so lovable and admirable.
The endeavor is still ongoing, and perhaps, we are uncertain of what the project will ultimately lead to and nor do we want to nonchalantly define it. We will strive to fulfill any possibility, and it may be to meet the emotional needs of a small group of people, or perhaps, it could act as an art dynamic that could help to heal social problems. We invite anybody to pick up a piece of paper, and through folding or cutting, a light may manifest and guide our hearts and spirits forward.
( Translation by Anna Liao )
單純而繁複的，一張單薄的紙，幾經剪鉸鏤刻，它的身世（日常而古老的文化材，誕生於人類文明數千年），它的花紋（變化萬千，記載著常民記憶，族群地方），它的敏感脆弱（容易與空氣溼度一同呼吸，膨脹收縮），它的陰性（裝飾形繪，越過文字語言，惻重造型直觀），它的時間感（纖維隨著酸鹼環境而質變）。
這株剪紙樹在土地上生長繁衍，年輪壯碩，在不久的前些時日（從1970年代往後至今約五十年），僅僅佔據它歷史的（粗略估計一千五百年），百分之三的時間，歷經城市化與鄉村消滅，經濟結構轉變，模板化建築頃筑，塑膠合成物大量製造，在不知往何處「進步」的漩渦裡...，民間的剪紙現場，急遽消逝。1970年代開始，眾多有意識者，下鄉普查，建立檔案，建構分類學，籌建展館，甚至引入校園學科，彷彿在生生滅滅之中，想盡辦法要延續它的生命之根。
人類生活的火箭加速度，我們正前往黑鏡時代，透過螢幕冷光，數位編碼，取代紙本的需求。
或許因為紙張的脆弱易逝，靠著代代相傳的特點，在這個抗藍光時代，更加顯現出它的溫度。一部份是甚難釐清的情感連結，一部份是紅色剪紙所代表的文化符碼，仍然存在於我們的生活。
在鹽份地帶，洪通的故鄉，水鳥的居所
學習，學習中的狀態，懷抱某一種未知的理想，在那樣的狀態下，勞作之人的精神自然顯現出一種專注入迷的狀態。
活水，創造一種活水，往前進，對事物的追求，人生的尋求渴望，倒非得有個出口，有個答案，只要投入生命力耕走，「過程」即讓人神迷。
她們，手執刀剪，在紙間穿梭，思想靈動，情感流瀉。母性的微光，緊貼著大地的生息。
或者，放下刀剪，往家門外走走，大北門地區的風情萬種，到沿海蚵田見竹子架起的桁桁蚵架，蚵寮小屋的周圍，堆積出一座一座白殼小山，帶著草帽，裹上花巾的阿嬤們，在陽光下翻曬著烏魚子，已然廢棄的鹽田，白光閃耀的水與結晶，偶遇水鳥群起隨海風飄移，一個廟埕前，大棵榕樹下，人們隨日影移動生活，下棋閒晃，一片一片水光魚塭折射著時日，晨起市場，夕陽無限......。
這剪花根植於這片風景，從地圖上看來是一片水澤之地，臺南的後花園，不只思想到海鮮漁獲的垂涎，亦有種平闊滄桑下的生活靈魅。洪通的故鄉，水鳥的居所。
試圖梳理一些，紀錄與歸納，是很難的，乃因這些高手在民間的地方媽媽們，她們及她們的家庭，在這個計畫過程中，遍地開花，努力而忠實地剪下那些紙花兒，努力東奔西跑，與地方交往，作朋友，絕大部份的動力也來自於他們周遭的，家人朋友地方鄰里學校組織等等，並非閉門繡花，而是寧願讓這些紙張貼於曝曬的街頭，耐不了幾日風雨，這些紙花便淡化隱遁。
說到這，既然剪花易逝，又何苦剪花？何不尋找一種更為堅固恆久的路徑？
例如今年元宵前夕，南台灣冬日偶而如夏，暖陽伴冷風，媽媽們跑到台南老市區，老圓環周邊窄巷錯弄，既往葉石濤的散步道之一，時值普濟殿正熱鬧準備元宵花燈慶，雞鳴春曉年，媽媽們將紙花裱貼於老巷弄裡，一片老宅外的剝落粉牆面，一戶人家門外的晒衣壁面，年輕的咖啡店玻璃窗，街道就是是她們的展示美術館，也許是第一次離開佳里小鎮，來到城市，大家滿腹熱情，巷弄裡一位九十來歲老阿嬤亦加入剪花，街尾家裡開理髮店的小男孩，經營攤位小吃的婦人送茶水，路過的外國背包客，大家都來「兜鬧熱」，儘管媽媽們完全不熟嫻於團體的經營管理，但這樣的自發行動，其動力，感染著周圍的人。
這群人，並非手藝匠人，而是職業婦女，家庭支柱，她們的動能來自於何處？
我思索這個問題許久，大致歸類幾個可能，一是對於藝術的渴然，或說是人本追求美好事物的嚮往。一是以身作則，以自身行動，作為週遭家人朋友的學習範例，佳里因為地緣位置特殊，小鎮自立，相較於大城市，共學與自學的意識強烈。再者，在不斷與社會交流的過程裡，媽媽們樂於行動，樂於與人互動，視付出為收穫。
又例如贈書與剪紙到偏鄉學校。持續一整年，每個月一場的工作坊。到吉貝耍探詢平埔族聚落的歷史。走訪北投洋夜祭。佳里丁酉年的金唐殿建醮。農曆節氣剪紙，中秋，教師節，台南官田採菱角季，鍾理和文學專題，冬至，文學交換計畫，鴿苓習俗，母親節，端午......等等，剪紙算是一個簡單而基礎的核心，紀錄著她們的生活。
剪紙之外，她們的日常滋養亦來自於自發性的共學活動，例如讀經班，一代一代相傳的兒童音樂劇，合唱團演出，詩的寫作研習，近日則是學習烏克麗麗。
走出家門鄰里，與社群社會對話，她們是行動派的實踐者。
沒有大城市供給不完的節目活動與消費娛樂，小鎮的生活感十足，柴米油鹽是滋味，是那些糊口工作以外的「找點事情做」，回歸社群，回饋社會，回到鄉間小路，鹽田港邊，去過另一種日子。
這也是我認為，大北門區的風情，是掘耙不完的深藏不露，具有「地方性」人文地貌。
剪紙與臺灣
說到以剪紙作為基礎，拿起剪刀，一張紙，或褶或疊，構思幾何，曲線花紋，入門其實不難，短時間內人人幾乎均可上手，材料工具易得，因如此，它成為民間藝術史裡面，最為廣泛且流傳久遠的形式，經由特定地方的一群人，描繪屬於地方的環境，去形塑一種特定的風格面貌，回看那些民間藝術田野檔案，每個地方或多或少都有屬於自己的剪紙風格。
在臺灣，過年過節，走在街上看到紅色剪紙，我們已習慣它為自己的傳統文化，然而，臺灣幾經殖民斷代，在這個太平洋邊陲的小島，我們沒有「人海」去築構大量而集體的剪紙田野。剪紙文化在臺灣本島的歷史中，並沒有顯著而強烈的區域性象徵或風格奠基。
但別忘了，高山大海，物種繁茂，族群揉合，臺灣有屬於臺灣的聲腔。
1949年國民政府撤退來臺，他們帶來了中國家鄉的生活記憶，中國各個區域性剪紙風格在臺灣鄉愁似的撥種。此前，在臺灣本地的平埔族或原住族群，剪紙在生活裡多半呈現於手工藝或宗教儀品的樣版前身，紋樣草稿，鮮少被以「剪紙」為主體被保留下來。更多在祭儀裡，甚為雕琢繁複，但大多必須火化燼之。至於生活運用，服飾打版，刺繡紋樣，也因為紙張的敏感性，不易在臺灣溼溽之地留存。
七〇年代，中國改革開放，民間藝術面臨快速消逝與轉變的年代。臺灣解嚴後，出版政策自由開放，許多中國民間田野資料，在臺灣編輯出版。其中，剪紙文化稍稍地勾起某些斷代的記憶或熟悉感，不論是陝北的粗獷，薩滿的巫儀，蔚縣的點染，多樣的剪紙文化，感染著臺灣讀者。
近年，許多手作者，工藝範疇，或視覺設計者以剪紙為靈感表現。剪紙以臺灣多樣化的形式，間接傳承與變體，百花齊放。
我們對臺灣紅色的囍字，與圖案化表現的剪紙，有了一種曖昧的連結。一種臺灣式的再生。
從中國流離來臺的李煥章（1925-2015）先生，在臺灣從事剪紙推廣教學數十年，教學多半是複刻中國的剪紙紋樣，累積的學員眾多。約莫在二千年初，創意市集剛剛誕生的時候，有了一群以工業設計師背景為社團的「前刀系氏」，他們試圖以剪紙為本源，將剪紙概念運用在設計產品。另外，貼近生活環境，創作者古國萱將自然與文學題材，深刻實踐於剪紙。夏夏、邱雨玟等創作者，各自有自己的獨特聲腔。
臺灣的自由與樸實，造就一個相對健康良善的環境，年輕，勇於提出自己的意見，實驗屬於自己的里路。地方社區鄰里締結良好，為追求生活美好而作，為喜歡而作，不為政治而作。
民間與非民間，其實並無分野，只是便於溝通的措詞。民間或民俗，一直在變動，只是近代比起以前，劇烈許多。回望剪紙的身世，那種以往在鄉野間發現的剪紙，連結著天地人的精神向度，似乎已不復見。
然而，地域性風格的形塑並非幾年，幾十年，甚至幾個世代可以累積創造出來的。紙的本質「易逝」，需要長的時間積累。
在臺灣，繁體字的存有即是一種特殊文化力，它的時間性，與紙本相醞而生。
特別在這個書寫界面改變，速度不斷變動的現在，紙作為古老文化材的存在，交扯出另一種時代性意義。我們與紙張的親近感，相對於螢幕藍光，在閱讀，在儀式，在生活裡，仍保有纖維本質的身體觸感。
一如其他傳統，傳承之物，如何把我們認為以往好的，珍貴的精神保留下來，似乎成為慣性價值思考。
有時候也懷想，不管一個東西如何改變，在每一個時刻都有它獨特的樣子，可以寬心在時光漫漫長河裡，接受它每一個時代樣子，剪紙亦然。
剪紙合作社計畫的萌芽
從大學時期開始，以馬祖西莒島為基地的考察，並以建築學為基底的介入地方方式，開啓了我親身踏入地方社區的經驗。爾後，偶然的成為視覺藝術創作者，在我的創作歷程裡兵分兩路，一個是趨近個人化的創作，另一則是與社群或他者，鏈結關係的計畫。
視覺藝術理論裡常常提到的例子，中國的「長征計畫 - 延川剪紙大普查」，於2004年臺北雙年展展出。這個計畫以理性、平面化（不帶有特殊挑選觀點）的方式，攤出於陝北洛川地區收集調查而來的剪紙，其中，以高鳳蓮的作品或風格為大部份奠基，另外則是較為普遍性（非洛川地區獨有風格）的剪紙，集合而成。如果從整個中國民間藝術的田野史來看，這個計畫似乎是陝北的一個切片，然而高鳳蓮的個人風格的強度，支撐了這個計畫於展覽時的視覺特殊性。
中國經歷七〇與八〇年代，風風火火的民間踏查，林立學派與觀點，稍後，即面臨大環境的共同課題：我們對民間藝術的「收藏與檔案」，「需求」，「未來走向」，如何安置於現今生活。近日，中國官方在各個地方進行大量普查與檔案化建置，政治政策，支配左右著民間與學術由上而下的指令。
更多的現實是，傳統文化成為服膺經濟、政治、文創化、產值化的一刀兩刃課題。
簡單舉例，在生活裡為抒發個人，妝點居室，表達情感，儀式祈福...而作的剪紙，相較於，為了批發到觀光景點而作的剪紙，有截然的差異。
回到臺灣，我在思考如何從個人的創作經驗，將剪紙以「逆種植」方式，回到地方性。估且狂想，如果剪紙是一個單純的載體，如何承載臺灣的地方文化？於是心裡萌生了，怎麼樣的剪紙是「臺南剪紙」？怎麼樣的剪紙是「排灣族剪紙」？怎麼樣的剪紙是「客家剪紙」？
2015年末冬日在臺北市立美術館，我於現場參展的小屋與民眾一同進行剪紙創作，偶遇來自臺南佳里鎮的謝美鈴女士。「剪紙合作社 – 蕭壠計畫」始於這場偶遇。
其後，由舊糖廠空間修建的蕭壠文化園區，提出邀約並支持，我們得以落實這個計畫，並計畫將階段性成果，帶到「兒童美術館」空間，以展覽型態初現，介紹給地方觀眾。
為了方便計畫進行與溝通，預先設定以二十位女性為參與者，並且鼓勵她們的家人一同參與。謝美鈴的熱情邀約，很快的招集了佳里地區的參與者。
我們排定一連串的工作坊，作為大家聚在一起「做點什麼」的開始。在工作坊開始之前，預先進行準備作業：搜集關於佳里的歷史人文，地理環境，地方軼事...等等資訊，去挖掘自己不熟悉的故鄉。另外，拜訪佳里周邊的偏鄉學校，除了介紹計畫，也希望邀請該校的家庭來參與我們的移動工作坊。
接著，每一次的工作坊，因應現場場地空間的不同，逐步調整。有一部份的事前規劃，或是對於計畫的想像，但更多的時候「即興」是我喜愛的方式，即興得宜，就會有更多意想不到的好玩與驚喜。雖說，剪紙創作需具備基本技巧，但我從不覺得技術是重要的，能夠帶領參與者，對周邊生活多一點體悟，對平凡事物另眼相看，多一點疑惑與思考，進而反思參與這個計畫的意義，至關重要。
剪紙，也許像是一套基底拳法，焠鍊時間，慢慢練就個體對藝術（或非藝術）的想像。
「她們」這群參與者，以相互協進之力，實作了木刻版畫 ; 台語詩文 ; 新創食譜 ; 立體形塑 ; 乃至肢體展演，最後時時將即興創作，介入周遭生活環境，與地方社群交往互動。稍後，我們將階段性成果，以展覽形式帶回舊糖廠空間，從兒童美術館的屬性出發，希望呈現另一種好玩與啓發。
藝術的社會動能，或者社會的藝術動能
剪紙形式帶有濃烈人本與手工藝的氣息，可鏈結美學教育。剪紙的緣起，一大部份與「巫術」有著密切關係，帶著生命信仰，紅色的血液。此次計畫，這群參與者，也宛若發揮現代女巫之力，將藝術的動能延伸，至個體生命，至周遭群體，乃至環境關懷。
新類型公共藝術、參與式藝術、藝術介入社群、藝術浸入社區......，此類計畫型態之積累在臺灣遍地開花，提供更多可能性，應變時空，因地制宜。
在計畫型態裡提出問題，問題的本源根植於一連串關係的複雜性，計畫型創作對於藝術家個體的關係釐清，本是一難題。再者，計畫型態歸入檔案之後，從建築城鄉角度，從視覺藝術歷史、美學教育或是民間藝術，都有似乎有截然不同的觀看視野，是檔案歸納的難題，卻也是計畫型態回饋的豐富性與魅力所在，可涵納諸多面向觀點。
這本書從這群媽媽們數千件檔案作品，擷取切片，試圖為現階段計畫留下一點微光。在「自發性」行動之下，每一株小小剪花樹，因著某種夢想性而勞作、開花，並盡力將所得資源回饋給更需要的地方，這是這一群人的可愛之處。
一個持續中的關懷，我們也許不確認計畫的最終走向，不輕易定義，盡可能的可能，可能是小單位的個體心靈需求，也可能是針灸社會問題的藝術動能。我們邀請任何觀眾，拾起一張白紙，或褶或剪，透過光，引領我們心靈向前進。
( 2019年寫，2020收錄於《剪花活》 )