2015 “咏竹” Wendy Clayton-Kindl 专访 | Interview with Wendy Clayton-Kindl

1. 这个展览的灵感来自于哪里？为什么？

Where does your inspiration come from for this exhibition and why?

2012年我们首次来上海并被邀请去参加一个在杭州的签证讨论会。会议结束后，接待方的同事带我们在周末参观了杭州。我们先去了一个竹林， 这位同事说在他的孩提时代时经常会来这个竹林玩。 在他表达了他对于竹子的热情后，我开始了解这美丽的植物对于他和中国文化的意义。我拍了很多照片，他问我的丈夫我是不是摄影师，我丈夫说我其实是名画家。也就是从这个周末开始，我决定开始创作我的竹子系列。

When we first came to Shanghai in 2012 we were taken to Hangzhou for a visa conference. After the conference we spent the weekend with my husband’s counterpart and he took us on a tour of Hangzhou. One of the places we went was a bamboo forest where this man, as a boy, used to spend a lot of time. After talking with him about his passion for the forest I got a sense of what this magnificent plant meant to him and Chinese culture. I was taking a lot of photos and he asked my husband if I was a photographer. He told him I was a painter. It was from this weekend that I decided I would like to create my bamboo collection.

2. 你是如何理解作为中国文化积极象征的竹子精神的？

What do you perceive the spirit of bamboo as a positive symbol of Chinese culture?

竹子的精神在于它的力量和它的永远向上生长的不屈不饶的性格。削短它后，它又会继续生长，我同样在中国人身上看到了这种坚忍不拔，不屈不饶的力量。

The spirit of bamboo is its strength and tenacity to keep on growing. Cut it down to size and it will just rise back up again. I see the same strength and tenacity in the Chinese people here in China.

3. 就我所知,你虽出生在悉尼,但曾经在叙利亚,科威特和奥地利生活过, 这段生活经历给你的艺术创作带来了什么呢?

As I know, you were born in Sydney and you have been living in Syria, Kuwait and Austria, what does this experience bring to your art creation?

在不同国家生活的经历让我学到了在澳大利亚无法学到的很多东西。这不仅仅是对于我的艺术创作而言。和来自世界各地的艺术家交流已经成为我深入学习艺术的一部分了，前往很多新国家旅行也让我能近距离地欣赏到自己曾梦想见到到艺术杰作。这让我在创作新作品时有了更多的自信和力量。

Living in different countries has given me an education that I could not get by staying at home in Australia and not just for my art work. Being able to meet other artists from all over the world has also played a part in my learning more about art. Being able to also travel to many new countries has given me opportunity to see art works I only ever dreamed about seeing and to get an up-close and personal look at them. It has helped to build my confidence and take a risk in how I create a new piece.

4. 你觉得上海怎么样？

What do you find about Shanghai?

上海是一个世界性的大都市。这个城市的活力能让你的头脑停不下来。这里的艺术氛围很强大，一些本地和国际艺术家都很棒。上海可以给任何人在任何艺术、文化、音乐和戏剧范畴里带来无尽的创作灵感。

Shanghai is a very cosmopolitan city. It has a vibrancy about it that makes your head buzz. The art scene here is enormous and the talent both local and international is amazing. There is so much here to inspire anyone in any field of art, culture, music and theatre.