Newsletter No. 427

10 No. 427, 19.11.2013 藝術行政人員的左腦和右腦是否都要相當發達？ 哈哈，我可是看不到自己的兩邊腦袋是否同樣發達。話說回來，藝術行政人員對藝術有熱 情是先決條件，這樣才有足夠的推動力，否則只是停留在行政的層次。至於充當橋樑把藝 術家抽象的創作帶到受眾可以理解的層面，則需要理性的部署。 你怎樣和藝術沾上邊？ 我是個很靜的孩子，沒有學樂器，但很喜歡聽音樂。那時荃灣大會堂剛落成，政府開始資 助樂團，我常從學校取免費票，獨個兒去聽管弦樂團和中樂團的演奏。一進音樂廳坐下， 彷彿到了另一個世界，渾忘一切，那種感覺很美妙。我在中學學現代舞，有了表演經驗， 跟着認識了演藝學院的畢業生，開始做話劇，漸漸發覺自己較有興趣在幕後工作。自覺審 美能力不錯，空間感強，我跑到英國唸舞台設計，回來後參與了幾個製作，不久便給藝術 中心看上幫手策劃節目。 精心策劃的表演遭受冷淡對待時，怎辦？ 給觀眾的教育和準備十分重要。小朋友許多時會在演奏廳裏坐不安席，如果事前安排導 賞，介紹作曲家故事、歷史背景、樂器特色等，或參觀排練，讓他們理解從創作到表演的 整個過程，與之產生聯繫，不覺得是受命而為，便會慢慢改變行為，靜下來欣賞，而且感 受會更加豐富立體。 藝術家都是脫離現實又脾氣大的，是嗎？ 藝術家多是完美主義者，專注於追求最理想的，卻未必了解怎樣運作，或者認定只有一種 方法才行得通。我喜歡藝術，所以能理解他們的執着。當理想與現實衝突時，藝術行政人 員得設法解決問題。遇到資源有限，要調節藝術家的心態，同時思考怎樣比較輕省地達 到同樣目的。尤其是演出在即，一大堆問題等着解決，必須有策略地一一對付，哪些要堅 持，哪些可妥協，都要當機立斷。 甚麼原因驅使你進大學工作？ 多年創作、推動甚至資助藝術創作的經驗告訴我，香港整體的藝術教育還是不足。大學 生正好處於建立價值觀念和人生模式的階段，我不希望見他們只着眼在商業經濟上，而 欠缺了人文關懷和文化修養。透過接觸、欣賞和創造藝術，久而久之會建立人生觀，懂得 珍惜美善，知道何者當為，何者不當為。我很想填補這個空缺，在大學撒下一些種子，豐富 學生的一生。 較為滿意的是哪項工作？ 學生文化大使計劃。我加入中大時它在試行階段，有二百人，今年增至八百人了。計劃除了 資助學生觀賞表演和展覽，提供導賞，更鼓勵他們討論，就同一個作品，發掘不同面向， 探索藝術、自身與社會的互為關係。我們希望大使也發揮推廣文化的影響力，譬如找朋友 作伴看表演，與別人分享感受。 這些工作對學生有甚麼影響？ 有學生初來參加文化大使的時候，沒有什麼信心，也不慣於表達自己。三年下來，已經會 興致勃勃主動跟我們分享觀後感。有學生藉活動發掘到對舊物的興趣，畢業後進了拍賣 行工作。兩年前我們曾帶中大劇團到北京參加大專生匯演，與各地的學生觀摩，討論對藝 術、社會和人生的看法，學生眼界豁然開廣，增長很快。 工作的困難在哪裏？ 學生是不斷流動的，在他們在校的三四年裏我們盡量播種，是否就能開花結果，我不敢 說，也不會執着。每個人心中都有藝術，端視怎樣引發出來。有些可能得經過幾個寒暑才 可萌芽，有些可能只需一點兒催化劑便可激發。慶幸的是中大有好環境有空間，利於塑造 滋養學生心靈的文化氛圍。 An arts administrator needs to be equally strong in the left and right brains. Is that true? Ha-ha, I really don’t know as I have no idea what my left and right brains are like. Let’s put it this way, a passion for the arts is a must-have for an arts administrator because motivation is driven by passion. Without passion, what one does is merely administration. Bridging the gap between the abstract elements of an artistic creation and the audience’s comprehension surely requires rational logistics. How did you become acquainted with the arts? I was a quiet kid who didn’t take any musical instrument lessons but loved music. I remember that was the time when the Tsuen Wan Town Hall opened and the government started sponsoring local orchestras. I often attended concerts of the philharmonic and Chinese orchestras alone on free tickets given out through my school. To me, the concert hall was like another world where I could leave everything behind me for the enjoyment of music. It’s marvelous. I learned Chinese dance in secondary school and gained some stage experience. After knowing some graduates from the Academy for Performing Arts, I participated in drama and found that I like the backstage more than acting. I studied stage design in the UK because I believed I have a good sense of aesthetics and space. Upon my return to Hong Kong, I worked on a few productions and then joined the Hong Kong Arts Centre as a programme officer. What can be done when a performance gets a cold shoulder from the audience? Educating and preparing the audience for the performance is a way out. It’s difficult to ask children to sit still in a recital hall, but it’s possible if they are given the chance to attend a pre-concert talk or open rehearsal. Knowing something about the composer, the historical background and the instruments, or witnessing the process from production to performance makes them feel connected. With this connection, the act of attending a concert will turn from a passive duty to enjoyment, and the experience will be more multi-dimensional. Artists are unrealistic and bad-tempered, aren’t they? I would say artists are perfectionists whose sole focus is on pursuing excellence, though they may not be aware of the operational support needed to achieve that, or may think that there is only one way of doing it. I love the arts, and so I fully understand their obsession. The role of an art administrator is to solve problems when conflicts arise. When resources are limited, he/she has to manage the artist’s expectation and think of a less costly way to achieve the same goal. When the curtain is about to draw, and problems keep coming, he/she must be resourceful, strategic and decisive enough to strike a balance between insistence and compromise. What made you take up the job at the University? After all those years of producing, promoting and sponsoring the arts, my experience told me that arts education in Hong Kong is generally inadequate. The undergraduate years are vital for life education and the development of values. It will be sad to see students overly concerning themselves with monetary pursuits at the expense of humanistic concern or cultural cultivation. It’s through exposure to the arts, the appreciation of it and the participation in it that students gradually shape their values, and learn about beauty and benevolence. I want to help fill this void. I want to sow some seeds on campus for the lifelong enrichment of our students. Any project that you feel particularly satisfied with? The Student Cultural Ambassador Scheme which had 200 members when I joined CUHK. It has expanded to 800 now. The scheme sponsors students on show and exhibition tickets, prepares them with the necessary knowledge for arts appreciation. It also encourages them to have open discussions on their arts appreciation experience so that they can learn from each other how the same piece of work can be interpreted from different perspectives. We hope they would come to discover the interrelation between arts, individuals and society. We also hope that they would help to promote culture by influencing their peers. What impact has the work of your office brought to students? I met a student who lacked self-confidence and was too shy to express his views when he first joined the scheme three years ago. Now he is always keen on sharing his reviews with us. Another student found interest in antiques and took up a job in an auction house after graduation. Two years ago, we took the CUHK drama group to Beijing to meet other universities for a performance. They learned a lot through interacting with their counterparts from different places. The eye-opening experience broadened their vision and they came back visibly improved. What difficulties have you encountered? Students come and go. They are here for just three or four years. We try to sow as many seeds as possible, with no guarantee whether they will blossom or bear fruit. But I won’t be bothered by this. There is an artistic seed in everybody’s heart, but whether it will sprout depends on how you take care of it. Some may take years to germinate, while others may only need a small dose of fertilizer. We are fortunate that CUHK offers a nice and spacious environment, with the right kind of cultural ambience favourable for the spiritual growth of our students. 請掃描QR碼 閱讀全文版 Scan the QR code for the full version 藝術行政主任 鍾小梅 Ribble Chung Arts Administrator