王瀞苡。〈臺灣刺繡神明衣之流變與人觀〉。《民俗曲藝》217 (2022.9): 67-104。
Wang Ching-yi. “The Evolution and Personhood of Embroidered Deity’s Clothing in Taiwan.” Journal of Chinese Ritual, Theatre and Folklore 217 (2022.9): 67-104.
Abstract
本文藉由調查與分析神明衣的產製與表現形式的流變，來了解臺灣神明衣產製的人神互動中的人觀。臺灣宗教祭祀活動興盛，信眾們對於神尊的崇敬之意，充分反映在其所敬獻的神明衣上。神明衣的產製過程，是神明、信眾與藝師之間的互動歷程，是透過神人之間有形或無形的交感互動而得，神明衣的製作展現出信眾對於神明的尊重，也隱含了對神明的想像與內在投射。並藉由文獻分析與田野調查法，針對臺灣四間具知名度且仍從事神明衣製作的繡莊藝師進行訪談研究，分析製作神明衣的產製過程、文化特色、傳統與創新性等面向，以了解神明衣在創作時的動能與人觀。神明衣的完成，仰賴藝師與顧客的充分溝通；除了市場需求，藝師的民俗知識、文化涵養、刺繡手工藝及其頂真精神，均是成就神明衣技藝傳承與發展的基礎。從傳統信仰的角度，神明衣是「神明之衣」，是民俗文化的象徵；但以現代思潮觀想，則為「神明穿衣」，是附加的心理象徵符號。在文化創意與自我意識抬頭的當代，從傳統宗教與文化傳承的「神明之衣」，轉而為客製化、重視行銷的「神明穿衣」文創產業趨勢，就是傳統流轉到現代的人觀演變歷程。
This paper investigates the evolution in the production and representation of deity’s clothing in Taiwan. It is an attempt to understand the concept of personhood between human-god interactions. Religious sacrificial rites are popular in Taiwan, and the devotees’ reverence is reflected in the clothing they dedicated to the deities. The process of producing deities’ clothing involves both visible and intangible sympathetic interaction among gods, devotees, and craftsmen. The production of deities’ clothing demonstrates the devotees’ reverence, while also implying popular imagination and projection. By means of literature analysis and field investigation, I conduct interviews with four embroidery artists who are still active and well-known in the business. I analyze their production, cultural characteristics, tradition, and innovation, to describe the driving force and personhood of deities’ clothing in the creation. The finished product is a result of communication between the artist and the customer. Besides market demand, the artist’s folk knowledge, cultural literacy, and embroidery craftsmanship are fundamental in the heritage and development of deities’ clothing. From the perspective of traditional beliefs, deity’s clothing is a symbol of folk culture, whereas from the perspective of modern thinking, it retains additional psychological connotations. In the contemporary era of heightened cultural creativity and self-awareness, the trend in the cultural and creative industry has shifted from one that is focused on traditional, religious, and cultural heritage to one that is customized and market-oriented.