《憂生學-眾生塔》Limbo – sentient beings

● 藝術家 Artist：葛昌惠 Chang-Huei Ge
● 主辦單位 Organizer：財團法人數位藝術基金會 Digitial Art Foundation
● 補助單位 Support：文化部 Ministry of Culture、台北市政府文化局 Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government
 
《憂生學-眾生塔》延續《憂生學》科幻故事的世界觀，以科幻原型的推測方法展開研究，在科技、社會、人物與道德邊界下，試圖建立科幻創作的敘事模式，開發未來世界的樣貌與社會脈絡。本計劃前期透過座談與工作坊，進行科幻藝術教育的實驗與研究，試圖提出科幻創作的方法理論建議。
計劃受Kirby提出的科幻原型（diegetic prototype）概念所啟發，該理論為透過科技的人工製成品，藉由角色使用它們的模式與心態認知，塑造出未來世界獨有的科幻面向。在《憂生學》中，當時對人類基因改造的禁制已解除，智力與能力提升的新人類快速地撼動這個社會，而人民裝設的肢能輔助器（Limbo），則作為政府高壓監管的統治策略。本作品中基改人類與肢能輔助器為兩大核心原型，而此正可對應富人與窮人面對惡劣環境的生存解法。在故事中貧富差距懸殊，生活型態的差異擴大成了衝突，接連發生的超人類孩童剪耳事件，讓社會的輿論達到巔峰，人們不斷地討論基因改造與環境生存的問題。在人類的潛能和智力是由天選而定的時候，雖然上下階級無法打破，但所有的肉體機能皆為不可控制，繁衍後代之時，這樣的「天擇」機制讓人類存有了眾生平等的幻象，如今當人類能代執神之手，是否會有無可挽回的災厄。而在社會熱烈討論之時，第三起剪耳事件發生了。
《憂生學-眾生塔》以《憂生學》故事的時空背景，設定貧富不等的40個民眾，對於剪耳事件的看法，由新聞、訪談畫面與獨白構成。這些人民年齡、性別不等，因貧富與智力的差距，對於自身期待的訴說也不同。而在那個世界中的云云眾生，是否正遙望著我們，看著人類一步一步地走往極端的邊界。
A spinoff following Limbo and its sci-fi universes, Limbo- sentient beings taps into themes of technology, society, as well as people and moral values. Using speculative design based on a sci-fi prototype, the project attempts to build a narrative mode to craft stories in science fictions and create settings for the future societies. The artist started by conducting experiments and researches on the education of sci-fi art, through seminars and workshops, trying to propose methods and evidence-based advice for world building in science fictions.
Inspired by David A. Kirby’s notion of the diegetic prototype, the project portrays a setting in the future world, built based on the use of human technology, in terms of how people use it and how they think of such technology. In Limbo- sentient beings, the world lifted the ban on the use of genetical modification of human DNA. Humans with enhancements in strength and intelligence has brought a huge impact on society. Apart from this, Limbo, a wearable device that allowed for increased human brainwaves to assists movement, became a surveillance tool for the authoritarian government. The human genetic enhancement and the wearable powered system reflected the different solutions from the rich and the poor to survival in a ravaged environment. The gap between the rich and the poor was huge, and conflicts arose from the disparity of people’s living conditions, followed by the incident where enhanced children’s ears were cut off. All these fueled the discussion of genetic engineering, the environment, and human survival. When human potential and intelligence are the result of natural selection, all physical functions were randomly predetermined, despite the barriers to social mobility. This mechanism gave the illusion that all men were created equal, when it came to reproduction of individuals. Today, is there a risk of causing irreversible disasters, when there is the possibility for humans to play God? Amid the heated discussion over these topics, the ear-cutting incident happens a third time.
Limbo- sentient beings, sharing the settings of Limbo, takes the form of featuring news, interviews, and monologues, where 40 people with different income level are invited to talk about their views on the ear-cutting incident. With differences in age, gender, intelligent, and income level, these subjects make different statements, based on their background and experiences. Is it possible that the sentient beings in that world are now watching us from afar, waiting for humans today to walk step by step into that future with extreme conditions?