一位美国外交官的“行走中国”

2019-07-29

海峡影艺 2019年2期

我与傅杰明（Jamie Fouss）的邂逅是在2018年农历春分华中农业大学为我举办的“风花雪月——方肃意象风景”展期开幕后的几天，当时我接到美国驻武汉领事馆的电话，说他们的总领事希望以私人的身份来看展览，并强调不愿意打扰学校相关部门。尽管按照“组织原则”我觉得不太妥当，但在领事馆的说明下我接受了他们的要求，等待她们如约而至。原计划半个小时的观看，结果他们夫妇俩看了近两个小时。他认真的议论着每一幅作品中她们认为的内在和外在的“审美内涵”。当他看到激动时，少不了与我拥抱和握手，同时用不熟练的汉语表达赞美并提出问题。他将他的网址告诉我邀请我去浏览并Give advice(给出意见)，他们的这次观看给我留下了深刻印象。我们互加微信相互探望保持着“知音”的友谊。

我与傅杰明是同一个时代的人，几乎同时出道摄影，对中国的观看无论从经度还是纬度应该说处在同一个轴线之上。尽管后来我接受的大学教育让我与艺术多了一份纠结，但在当年的“世界观”上，我们执着的怀揣着各自的那些异曲又不同工的理想。这次他在深圳的展览虽然只是他多年“行走中国”作品中的一小部分，但我们仍然能从中感受到他对中国的情有独钟。我无意评价一个外国人的中国心，谁让她们不是“龙的传人”呢！但摄影这一逾越国界的传播方式和可以相互认知的图式语言修正着中西方文化的异同，毕竟摄影可以直接链接在时间轴线的任意一个节点之上激活人们对时空的联想。正如他在第三届深圳国际摄影大展的展览《一个美国人眼中的中国1984》的前言所述“他以普通游客的身份进入中国，他第一次坐绿皮火车，第一次进入中国人的家庭，第一次看到剥了皮的羊……他见证了改革开放初期的中国。他这种不作修饰的拍摄，让我们看到了三十多年前真实中国的服饰、商场、街边和楼房，当年人们的音容笑貌历历在目此刻看来既熟悉又陌生。傅杰明的影像，正好印证了一个国家改革开放40年的城乡巨变”。

峨眉山，1984年（右一：傅杰明 Jamie Fouss）

三十五年前，当我们的摄影界还在争论摄影是不是艺术，还在争论摆拍还是抓拍的合法性的时候，一个二十八岁的美国小伙子已经用相机记录着广州、梧州、阳朔、桂林、昆明、成都、西安、洛阳和北京百姓的生活百态。这些影像深深嵌入他的内心，以致三十五年后的今天已经成为美国驻华外交官的他仍然按捺不住“重读中国”的激情，决心重走当年路，用镜头再次见证了改革开放几十年的“消失”与“保留”。他的视点是平行的，语言是平静的。我们没有看到“高山仰止”的伟岸，也没有看到“俯瞰众生”的“忧愁”，他以一种见证的方式将改革开放几十年来的中国故事娓娓道来，亲切又不失一声问候。

The first time I met Jamie Fouss was at my Exhibition on Imaginary Scenery:Wind Flower Snow and Moon at Huazhong Agricultural University in 2018. A few days after the exhibit opening, I was phoned by the U.S. Consulate in Wuhan and told that the Consul General would like to make an unofficial visit the exhibit out of personal interest and not disturb relevant department of the university. Although I felt it’s not proper but I accepted and waited for their visit. The planed half-hour tour turned out to be two hours. Mr. And Mrs. Fouss showed great respect to my work, hugging and shaking hands with me when they saw ones that particularly thrilled them. They even tried to discuss their appreciation in Chinese with me. Mr. Fouss also shared his website and asked me to critique his works. Afterwards, we exchanged our WeChat contacts and have continued our friendship since. This was an unforgettable experience.

I was born in the same decade as Jamie Fouss, and our photography have both matured over the same period of time. I assumed that we have similar ideas on China no matter from which degree. Although I was changed a little by art education in college, for our generation we had different dreams. His exhibit in Shenzhen was a small part of his first tour of China. We could tell his feelings about China by his works. I would not judge a foreigner’s love on China because he is not a descendant of the dragon. Photography is a transboundary communication way by which the different cultures of East and West is acknowledged by images which can stimulate viewer’s thoughts beyond the time. Just like the introduction of his exhibit Jamie Fouss of 1984 at the 3rd Shenzhou International Photography Exhibition, which wrote that he first handedly experienced the initial stage of the reform and opening of China as a foreign tourist. His photography shows taking a green train, visiting a Chinese family as a guest and seeing peeled sheep. His photography shows us a lively China of 30 years ago. The clothing styles, shopping malls, alleyways, buildings and the faces that feel familiar but also strange to now. Jamie’s exhibit is proof and witness of the rapid development of China after 40 years reform and opening-up.

35 years ago，we were arguing whether or not photography is art and the legality of staged or snapshot photography. At the same time, a 28-year-old American recorded the life in Guangzhou, Wuzhou, Yangshuo, Guilin, Kunming,Chengdu, Xi’an, Luoyang and Beijing. These experiences are captured by Canon and his heart. 35 years later, he is now an American diplomat but still has a passion about China and would love to return to the places to see the changes and the remains after the decades of reform and opening-up. His photography is objective and shows appreciation for the beauty he finds in common sights. The stories of China over the decades has been warmly and friendly documented by his works.

傅杰明（Jamie Fouss)2017年8月任美国驻武汉总领事。傅杰明在军人家庭长大，毕业于日本冲绳的高中。他拥有科罗拉多大学博尔得分校的人类学学士学位以及佛蒙特布拉特尔伯勒国际培训学院的硕士学位。他此前曾驻台北、北京、广州、达卡和海德拉巴。在入职国务院之前，傅杰明曾在菲律宾难民处理中心（PRPC）工作过五年，他还曾作为国家事物负责人在和平队总部工作数年，此后，他前往曾任志愿者的西萨摩亚担任副主任，以及在马绍尔群岛担任国家主任。傅杰明亦曾在贝立兹跨文化公司，之后在新泽西普林斯顿的培训管理公司做跨文化培训课程设计。

Jamie Fouss began to serve as the U.S.Consul General in Wuhan in August 2017.He grew up in a military family and graduated from a high school in Okinawa,Japan,He has a BA in anthropology from the University of colorado- boudoir and an MA from the School for international Training in Brattleboro, Vermont His previous postings have been in Taipei Beijing,Guangzhou, Dhaka,and Hyderabad.Prior to joining the Department of State,Jamie worked for five years at the Philippine Refugee Processing Center(PRPC).He also worked for several years as a country desk officer at Peace Corps headquarters and then associate director in Westem Samoa-where he had served as a volunteer-and country director in the Marshall Islands.Jamie has also worked as a cross-cultural training curriculum developer with Berlitz Cross-Cultural and later with Training Management Corporation in princeton,New Jersey.