Art In The Age Of SARS1

Outside a traditional Chinese medicine shop in Hong Kong, locals mill about2 , their mouths covered with white masks. They look like ordinary Asian shoppers in the age of SARS — but they are in fact actors shooting the forthcoming film"The City of SARS. "An anguished look at life in the territory during the epidemic , the film includes a segment starring veteran Hong Kong actor Eric Tsang as a flashy businessman contemplating suicide after the pneumonia outbreak threatens to ruin him financially."[SARS is] our Titanic , " says Tsang between takes."A lot of acts of bravery and heroism were involved. "

Every artist knows that turmoil fuels creativity. And from February to June in 2003, nothing has caused more turmoil in Asia than severe acute respiratory syndrome. Now, from Shanghai to Singapore, the drama of living with SARS is producing an artistic movement of sorts. Through a wide range of new paintings, photographs, plays, films and songs, Asia's artists are expressing the diverse emotions — fear, anger and even hope — triggered by the disease .

Some artists are simply determined to make a record of this atypical3 period."Artists are more sensitive than ordinary people, "says a Singaporean painter. His abstract work"A Year to Remember", made with oil, batik, sand and rice paper on canvas, has no special message but was inspired by the complex feelings that emerged while he listened to the daily news of the war in Iraq and the progress of the disease .

Others intend their art to provoke discussion. Singaporean playwright and actress Li Xie wrote the interactive Mandarin-language play"SARS"after witnessing negative reactions — like the ostracization of medical workers — in the early days of the outbreak. Li's drama, which requires audience participation, has been playing to positive reviews. Ordinary citizens, too, have felt compelled to create . When the Hong Kong Arts Center announced the creation of a SARS-inspired exhibited called"A Time Like This", it was flooded with entries from the general public . Students, forced to stay home after school was suspended, contributed more than 80 poems, cartoons and drawings — many about the extreme boredom they felt while in isolation. The Shanghai Museum of Art is holding an online exhibit and sale of calligraphic art inspired by SARS — the proceeds of which will go4 to SARS research.

The director of"The City of SARS"is hopeful that his flick will capture a momentous time in history."No other event like this may pass my way again, "he says.

四級閱讀練習題：

Ⅰ. True or False:

1. People outside the medicine shop are ordinary Asian shoppers in the age of SARS.

2. Through a wide range of new art forms Asia's artists are expressing the diverse emotions triggered by the disease .

3. All the artists simply determined to make a record of this atypical period.

4. The Shanghai Museum of Art held an exhibit to make profits for its own sake.

Ⅱ. Questions:

1. How did the Singapore painter make his abstract work A Year to Remember?

2. Why Li Xie wrote the play"SARS"?

四級閱讀答案：

Ⅰ. 1. F 2. T 3 . F 4 . F

Ⅱ.1. He made his work with oil, batik, sand and rice paper on canvas.

2. He wrote the play after witnessing the negative reactions in the early days of the outbreak.

四級閱讀參考譯文：

“非典”之藝術

香港一家中藥店門外, 一群戴著白口罩的本地人四處亂轉, 貌似非典時期亞洲普通的藥店顧客。實際上, 他們是正在拍攝電影《非典之城》的演員。這部電影再現了非典流行時期香港人糟糕的生活面貌, 其中一個片段講述一個由香港著名演員曾志偉扮演的魯莽商人受非典影響陷入經濟困境, 意欲自殺。拍攝間隙, 曾說:“‘ 非典’像我們的泰坦尼克事件,其中涌現了許多英勇無畏的事跡?！?/p>

藝術家們都知道, 動亂會激發創造力。2003 年2月到6月間亞洲沒有比嚴重的呼吸道綜合癥更能引起軒然大波的了。當前, 從上海到新加坡, 以對抗非典為題材的片子促生了各種藝術形式。通過一系列新的繪畫、攝影、戲劇、電影和歌曲, 亞洲的藝術家們表達了由這場疾病觸發的復雜情感——恐懼、憤怒以及希望。

有些藝術家只是想記錄下這段非典型時期。新加坡一位畫家說:“ 藝術家比普通人更敏感?！彼某橄螽嫛峨y忘的一年》是用顏料、蠟印、沙子和米紙在帆布上制作的。作品沒有特別的信息, 不過是從每天聽伊拉克戰爭和非典報道時產生的復雜感情中獲取靈感創作的。

另一些藝術家的作品意在引發討論。新加坡劇作家兼演員李勰, 在非典爆發初期, 目睹了諸如醫護人員的冷漠等負面影響之后, 寫了一部話劇《非典》。這部需要觀眾參與的話劇, 得到了積極的反響。

普通民眾也躍躍欲試。當香港藝術中心宣布舉行一次以非典為主題的名為《此時此刻》的展覽時, 公眾踴躍參與。因學校停課待在家中的學生寄來了80 多篇表現他們隔離期間 枯燥生活的詩歌、卡通和繪畫。上海美術館舉行了一次非典書法作品在線銷, 其收益將用于非典研究。

導演希望《非典之城》這部電影能捕捉住這一重要的歷史時段。他說:“ 我的生活中再也不會發生這樣的事了。