Collected hiking canes
健行手杖
Process photograph 過程影像
Process photograph 過程影像
Process photograph 過程影像
Process photograph 過程影像
Process photograph 過程影像
Process photograph 過程影像
Process photograph 過程影像
Process photograph 過程影像
Process photograph 過程影像
Process photograph 過程影像
Hiking journal
健行日誌
Shi Jin-Hua
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During a five-month residency at the Headlands Center for the Arts in California, I conducted 23 hiking expeditions through the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods, and Angel Island. This project marks the beginning of my practice governed by self-imposed behavioral rules—a mode of working where the process itself, rather than a predetermined aesthetic outcome, dictates the final form of the work.
As a Type 1 diabetic living alone in a foreign land, these hikes were more than mere explorations of nature; they were calculated maneuvers in survival. To prevent life-threatening hypoglycemia, I had to meticulously monitor the balance between physical exertion, insulin dosage, and caloric intake. Each hike became a laboratory for testing the limits of my body and my will.
Drawing inspiration from the Daoist philosophy of Zhuangzi—specifically the "Equality of Things" (Qiwulun)—I adopted a biological perspective that placed my existence on equal footing with the surrounding ecosystem. I documented my presence through minimalist journals and "marking" the environment with my own biological waste, viewing myself as just another wild animal within the landscape.
The Ritual of Documentation:
Each of the 23 hikes was rigorously archived through the following protocols:
Metabolic Monitoring: Precise tracking of blood glucose levels, insulin units, and food intake to maintain physiological equilibrium.
Biological Marking: Photographic records of animal tracks and excrement alongside my own, blurring the boundary between human civilization and wild ecology.
Cartography & Specimens: Hand-drawn route maps paired with "walking sticks" (fallen branches) and biological specimens collected from the trail.
Ultimately, Hiking Journal serves as a survival manual and a spiritual inquiry. It reflects the complex, often contradictory relationship between the disciplined human body and the indifferent vastness of the natural world.
(Text adapted from the 2013 monograph. Read full statement here)
1994 年在美國加州海德蘭藝術中心（Headlands Center for the Arts）駐村的五個月間，我在金門大橋休閒區、穆爾紅木森林與天使島等地進行了 23 次健行。這件作品標誌著我創作生涯中「制定行為準則」的開端——一種不由預設的美學結果主導，而是由過程與自我約束決定作品形式的實踐模式。
身為一名獨自在異鄉生活的第一型糖尿病患者，這些健行不僅是對自然的探索，更是一場精密的「生存操作」。為了防止致命性的低血糖，我必須在體能消耗、胰島素劑量與食物攝取之間維持極度的平衡。每一次健行都成為一個實驗室，用以測試身體極限與意志的邊界。
受莊子「齊物論」思想的啟發，我嘗試以生物學的視角將人類地位與自然生態等量觀之。我以精簡的文字記錄感官現象，並以排泄物標記環境，將自己視為荒野中的一種野生動物。
規則化的行為記錄：
這 23 次健行皆遵循嚴謹的文件化程序：
代謝監控 (Metabolic Monitoring)： 透過血糖機精確記錄血糖值與胰島素用量，將生理平衡視為創作的一環。
生物標記 (Biological Marking)： 拍攝野生動物與自身的排泄物，模糊文明與荒野的界線。
地圖與標本 (Cartography & Specimens)： 繪製詳盡的路線圖，並採集路邊的枯枝作為手杖標本。
最終，《健行日誌》既是一份個人求生手札，也是一場精神性的追尋。它反映了受限的肉體與冷漠而廣大的自然環境之間，既矛盾又試圖協調的複雜關係。
（文字編整自2013年作品集。閱讀全文）
◆《健行日誌》｜標本（原始物件）、15次健行日誌、血糖記錄、地圖、過程影像｜總尺寸依現場而定
Literature
2009 Tsai, Wen-ting. Art and Asceticism: A Study of the Work of Shi Jin-hua.Publications
2013 “Shi Jin-Hua”, Mind Set Art Center, Taiwan2013 《石晉華》，安卓藝術股份有限公司，台灣