The Spectacle of Now

This is not a guidebook.

People used to make selections such as the Seven Wonders of the World, high-sounding as if they have an imaginary scale for measuring the world. In contrast, it seems that we’re losing our bearings today. Lose one’s bearings, I like the term in Chinese, which in origin, literally refers to someone who doesn’t know where to position their hands and feet. As now human beings, forty-two years after the day Amstrong took his very first step on the moon: every day we indecisively log in all the on-line accounts we have; we indecisively read newspapers and we indecisively watch tv programmes; then we’re waiting for the end of the world indecisively.

Despite the topic for this issue is “The Spectacle of Now”, and though I was referencing a bit of the original Seven Wonders; though I was trying to offer a peep into the world of contemporary art by showing selective works made out of everyday objects; though you might learn that one can makes the unique sound from fluorescent lamps by controlling the laser light; though there’s an editorial about one of the Taiwanese motels; or, even though Waterfall hasn’t had any apps for the readers. This issue, the Spectacle of Now, however, might not become what you imagine.

這不是一本圖鑑導覽。

以前的人選出了七大奇觀,冠冕堂皇,彷彿他們內心中都有一把丈量世界的尺。對照之下,現在活著的我們反而顯得不知所措。不知所措,我很喜歡這個詞,原意為不 知道該將手腳放置在哪裡。距離人類登陸月球的四十二年之後,我們每日每日無所適從地登錄所有自己擁有的帳號;無所適從地讀著報紙、看著電視;無所適從地等 待世界末日來臨。

因此,即使這本的主題是作「世界奇觀」,即使我稍微提及了最初被劃定的七大世界奇觀,即使用日常生活的物件開啟得以一窺當代藝術樣貌的小窗,即使你認知到原 來利用控制雷射光束可以使日光燈管發出獨一無二的聲響來,即使規劃了一間臺灣汽車旅館的寫真記錄,或者,即便是瀑布尚未有自己的app。但這一本「世界奇 觀」或許是也不是你所想像的那樣。

Contributors

Ana Carolina Minozzo, Luming Lu, Benedict Drew, Julia Tcharfars, Yinglin Hsu, Erich Kronsteiner, Leah Robertson, Ting Cheng, Stefan Stark, YuHsiue Lin, Chunghan Yao, Chun P. Lin, Toby Christian, Ting-Tong Chang, Patrick Goddard, Liz and Max Haarala Hamilton, Azuma Makoto, Klaus Pichler, ChunChiang Niu, IFeng Chang, COPY SHOP, Holy Ghost Zine, LSF, Mara Bueno, Damon Cromer