首先感謝麗迪亞女士和世界文化宮的邀請，使我能有機會來這里介紹我的新作品，這是一個研究了好幾年的項目，它包括近六十年以來中國歷史上那些最重要的圖片，以及大量的普通圖片，有些圖片發(fā)表了無數(shù)次，我們都非常熟悉。但有些只發(fā)表過一次。也許普通人無法知道：在這些非常熟悉的圖片背后，還有另外一個版本，或者是另外兩個版本，更或者有些圖片它根本就不存在，是再創(chuàng)造。當然那些經(jīng)過加工的圖片，有些最終也無法找到最原始的版本，因為是在底片上直接加工的。
我們知道人類的歷史有一部分是由想象構(gòu)成的。為了和那些躺在檔案袋中的原始歷史相區(qū)分，這些被修改和再創(chuàng)造的、我們所熟悉的圖片應(yīng)是一種第二歷史，第二歷史我認為也是歷史的一部分，它就如同本體的影子，在光源的照射下可長可短，可虛可實，甚至可以因為光源的奇妙變化而讓人們拒絕承認本體的主導地位，影子使給它提供存在的母體顯得丑陋。因此人們會自然的去修改那些他們認為不美的，又必須接觸和可視的一切物體。
這些圖片只不過是可視物體的一部分，它反映了當時人們的心態(tài)、以及主觀愿望和美學觀，當你仔細的欣賞和凝視這些圖片時，你會感覺到人們對每一張圖片的苦心經(jīng)營，你能摸到歷史的脈搏，感覺到他們心臟的跳動。
我大致的總結(jié)了一下這些圖片的幾個特點：1，政治目的，這是一種非常典型的形式，在這種狀態(tài)下修改的圖片，大都是執(zhí)行任務(wù)或是不承擔責任。他們會隨著時代的改變及政治人物的起伏而反復變化，象有彭德懷、劉少奇、林彪的圖片，知道中國歷史的人會了解這些人物的背景；2，被美學所支配的修改和創(chuàng)造，這種情況是將主要人物突出，巫鴻先生稱之為“升華”，由于主人不在畫面的中心位置，或背景雜亂等等，這種修改使圖片更加符合于當時的美學觀念；3，心理作用下的自動修復，這有點像電腦軟件在有些情況下會自動的修復某一文件的碎片，修改圖片的人大都是工廠的印刷及上色工人，專業(yè)術(shù)語叫“修版”；4，主動創(chuàng)造和虛構(gòu)一個主觀的場面，這差不多是一種繪畫式的創(chuàng)造，把不存在的、但需要表達的主題，通過不同的圖片剪裁和拼接，從而創(chuàng)造出一個理想的畫面，它反映了時代的要求。
這些圖片我以檔案的形式展示出來以饗對此有興趣的讀者，我私下里認為這是我們的歷史里極其重要的一部分，因為在這近六十年的時間里，它們差不多一直指導我們的生活、學習、工作以及家庭觀念，因為它們的存在，由此創(chuàng)造和發(fā)明了脫離于本體的另一種歷史，那么它們的存在就是第二歷史。
張大力
2006年3月24日
Speech presented in Berlin at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt
Zhang Dali
I would like to first express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Lydia Haustein and the Haus der Kulturen der Welt for giving me this opportunity to introduce my new work, a project that I have researched for many years. This project includes some of the most vital and recognizable photographs from the past sixty years of Chinese history, as well as many more commonplace pictures. Some of these photographs have been displayed countless times—those with which we have become intimately familiar—while others have been exhibited only once. Perhaps the general population has no way of knowing that hidden behind even the most familiar photographs, there lies another version, or perhaps even two versions. It could even be the case that some of the photographs don’t even exist, but rather are complete fabrications. In some instances, it is impossible to locate the original version because the negatives themselves have been doctored.
We know that human history is, in part, formed from the imagination. These photographs were altered and fabricated in order to be distinguished from those lying in historical archives. They constitute a secondary mode of history. This secondary mode is still a component of history, but appears like a shadow: beneath the light, it can be elongated or condensed, real or imaginary, and due to remarkable changes under the light can cause people to refuse to recognize the primary position of the original thing. The shadow reveals the ugliness of the original. Thus, people will naturally fix what they consider ugly, and touch those objects that are visible to them.
These images are only one portion of what is visible. They reflect contemporary people’s viewpoints, as well as subjective desires and aesthetic considerations. When carefully observing these photographs, one can sense the painstaking efforts that went into each image…one can feel the beating pulse of history.
I will broadly outline a few of the notable characteristics of these images. First, doctored photographs are one of the typical forms for displaying political objectives. They can serve as a means of executing specific tasks or avoiding blame. They follow the historical vicissitudes of that period, as well as the rise and fall of political figures. For example, people who are familiar with Chinese history will understand the background behind photographs of Peng Dehuai, Liu Shaoqi, and Lin Biao. Second, some images were manipulated for aesthetic purposes—namely by emphasizing an important figure—a process that Wu Hung has termed “sublimation.” This was achieved by giving the figure a central position in the picture plane, removing clutter in the background, etc. Third, some of these photographs evidence a psychological compulsion to repair, like word processors automatically correcting mistakes. The people responsible for this were mostly factory workers, whose jobs entailed printing and retouching photographs. Fourth, some images were completely fabricated in order to create a particular scene. This borders on a painterly approach, wherein non-existent elements are added in order to depict a necessary idea. Through the cutting and reassembling of different photographs, an ideal image can be achieved. Such a photograph reflects the needs of that era.
I have displayed these photographs as records for interested viewers to study. I consider these photographs to be a critical part of our history. In these past sixty years, they have guided our lives, studies, work, and family values. Because of their existence, a separate history has been produced and cultivated: a secondary mode of history.
March 24, 2006
Translated by Peggy Wang
【編輯：霍春?！?/span>
