瓶裝記憶：京都之水

　　對於一座城市的記憶，能否用一種氣味表達？單單憑藉著味道，是否能讓人想起一座城市、挑勾起專屬於那城市的回憶？

　　《瓶裝記憶：京都之水》是一本融合了香水設計、香水調配、還有古城京都的書。學學文創志業副董事長詹偉雄先生說：「《瓶裝記憶》一書獨特，因為它同時擁有『歷險紀』、『懺悔錄』、『方法論』三種個人探索角度，在地理和知識廣度上則拉開『法國香水文本』和『京都物質美學』兩個對張版塊。也因而與市面上過量出版、已『近浮光掠影』程度的『彩色設計書』不同，《瓶裝記憶》有著個人私密體驗的系譜、跨文化的客觀詮釋，以及與歷史對話的某種震懾之存在感。」

　　《瓶裝記憶：京都之水》是一本風格獨特、講有趣的設計、講神祕的香水、講迷人的京都，也講設計的百轉千迴、香水的繚繞幽幽，還有，京都之款款風情的書！

1.
THE INSPIRATIONS
靈感
I had no intention of writing a treatise on design doctrine; I simply would like to impress on the reader the unpredictable nature of the first stage of a design project. The mind explores all kinds of directions; ideas and thoughts come and go. This chapter shows fleeting glimpses of Kyoto, design, literature, art, and life. They spark to produce an epiphany, and eventually become the inspiration for this book.
我無意撰寫任何討論設計原理的專論。我只是單純地，想讓讀者對設計方案的起始階段是如何無法預測且不可捉摸留下印象。設計者的心靈必須對事物做全方面的探索，因為構想和思緒來去不定。這一章展示了京都、設計、文學、藝術以及生活方面的乍現靈光。這些閃爍的靈光不僅讓我有所頓悟，最後也成了創作此書的靈感。

THOUGHTS ON THE IDEA OF THIS BOOK
有關這本書的創意緣起

A Glass of Water
This book began with a glass of water. It was a rainy day. With nothing better to do I went through old things. I found a picture that showed a close-up of a glass of water. I took this shot to a Cafe on Monday morning of February 2, 2006, the first workday morning right after I quit my job as an art director at Ralph Lauren Fragrances. The waitress served me this glass of water as soon as I had sat down. I still can remember the taste of the water – it was flavored with melancholy. I also recall the smell of that moment – it shimmered with the mixture of excitement and worry for the adventurous future. This glass of water represented more than an object – it is the visible appearance of an invisible meaning.

一杯水
這本書從一杯水開始。那是一個沒事好做的下雨天，我翻閱著一些舊雜物，發現了這一張近拍水杯的照片。那是我在一家小咖啡館裡拍攝的，日期是二○○六年二月二日，星期一早上，也是我離開Ralph Lauren香水部門藝術總監的第一個上午。我記得，當我一坐下來，女服務生立刻遞上了這杯水。我還記得那杯水的味道──滿載著憂鬱。我也仍能回想起那個時刻的氣味──閃爍著某種混合了對充滿冒險的未來，「一則以喜，一則以憂」的味道。這一杯水代表的不只是一件物品，而是涵蓋著無形意義的有形姿態。

The Invisible Meaning
I suffered from an overabundance of projects in 2006: I worked as a designer, a writer and a photographer, day and night, night and day. The heavy workload overwhelmed me, and finally I had to escape from New York and take refuge in Kyoto. In the temple where I lodged I met an old monk. Merciful, the monk sensed my uneasiness and offered me gentle and understated wisdom. He pointed to a full glass of water on a table and said, “The glass is like life. Life happens to us, each and every day. You are not happy because you are taking more than what you can handle. Take this full glass as an example – if we pour more water in it, it would overflow. One of the lessons in our life is to learn how to let go….” “A rose is a rose is a rose,” a quote by the American writer and poet Gertrude Stein (1874 – 1946), often is interpreted, as “things are what they are.” In Stein’s view, the sentence expresses the fact that simply using the name of an object already evokes the imagery and emotions associated with it. To me, a water glass is a water glass is a water glass. It possesses the invisible meaning of the liquid memory of Kyoto.