如 MAY

人際距離學定義著人際交往中雙方之間的距離和意義。透過服務主流人際關係而設計的科技，我們找不到離我們曾經靠近，現在卻失去聯繫的人。藉由MAY，探討科技在帶來精確的數據之外，為了不確定性而設計的可能性，而人與人之間的關係又會如何被重新定位？

The classical proxemic theory defines the distance between two parties in interpersonal communication. Finding someone who’s not in the mainstream of interpersonal relationships is hard since technology has been designed for certainty. We can’t find people who have been lost in our lives but still are important to us. Through the search results of MAY, explore whether technology can also be designed for uncertainty and alternative in addition to bringing accurate data? How will the relationships between people be redefined?

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有沒有一個人，是你希望能夠再次遇見的呢？曾經在你的生命裡駐足的重要之人，但是因為某個原因，現在卻沒有了聯絡，而你，也找不到他了。

Is there a person you hope to meet again someday? Someone important who once appeared in your life, but there is no way to contact and find him or her anymore.

May是我兒時最要好的朋友。那一天在後背包的一張小卡，是她不會再來上課的訊息，而她說她會一直記得我。我們透過電子郵件分享生活，但最後我們還是失去了聯絡。我才知道那是我們最後一次見面。一直以來，我嘗試以我僅有的資訊，在社群網路上尋找她，但是到現在我依然找不到她。

May was the best friend of my childhood. One day she left a card with a message saying that it was her last day for class and she would always remember the days we spent together and our friendship. We continued to share our lives via email, but still, in the end, we lost contact. That day was the last time we met. Since then, I have tried to look for her on social media, but still I fail to find her.

然而，在人類學家Edward T. Hall提出的人際距離學中，並不存在像May這樣特殊定位的群體。一個不存在於人際關係主座標上，卻是我們心裏常常會想起的人。這樣的人，在關係和距離的向度中，該座落於何方？我又該如何找到他？

However, in the classical proxemic theory which defines the distance between two parties in interpersonal communication proposed by anthropologist Edward T. Hall, there is no group like May, people that are on our mind but not on the main coordinates of interpersonal relationships. Where in the dimension of relationship and distance are they located? How could we find them?

人與人之間的距離是真實的，但如果May在數位虛擬中，有了位置和方向，我和她之間的距離是不是也就能更明確和具體？而思念的情感與對象也能有個載體呢？但是我無法透過現有的科技服務找到她，因此我以maker的方式製造了以她的英文名字May命名的裝置來尋找她。

Finding someone who’s not in the mainstream of interpersonal relationships is hard since technology has been designed for certainty. We can’t find people who have been lost in our lives but still are important to us. For the reason that, I built MAY with childhood elements and combined technology as a maker.

以類比的外型，將積木作為載體，讓情感與兒時的記憶連結。內容用科技尋找的方式，結合尋找方向的類比概念與在虛擬世界中定位的設計，螢幕以rawdata顯示搜尋May的結果，方向的指示和如同幸運餅乾的字條的列印機，上方會印出搜尋到的May公開發表過的一小段訊息作為線索，尋找在真實世界裡的May。May當年給我的最後一樣東西是她寫給我的字條，那是她留給我的最後的訊息。

As the form of analogy, building blocks are used as carriers to connect the current emotions with my childhood memories. Combining the analogy of finding the direction and the design of the digital position in the virtual world, I tried to use technology to find May. The results of searching her are displayed in raw data and combined with a printer that replicated the idea of fortune cookies. It prints short messages which have been published by any person who is named May on the Internet. Through the directions, results displayed on the screen, and clues from notes, I can look for May in the real world even if it’s full of uncertainty.

雖然充滿著不確定性，但是一點一點的，讓我和她的距離越來越近。 雖然不知道哪個方向才是真的她，但是每一個都是希望。

Every result is a little step for me to get closer and closer to her. Although I don’t know which direction will lead me to her, every one of them contains hope.

藉由科技，我們可以尋找親朋好友：在我們生活圈裡擁有明確位置的對象，但是我們找不到在生命中駐足過卻失去聯繫的人。藉由MAY，除了探討科技在帶來精確的數據之外，是不是能有不確定的可能性，並服務非主流的群體？而我們對於另一個人的思念，是不是能透過另一種形式傳達？然而即使我們仍然能夠聯繫對方，我們願意拉近彼此的距離嗎？科技在帶來快速和便利，縮短彼此的距離的同時，也在之間建起透明的牆。當見面成了打擾、遠觀和距離成了禮貌，人與人之間的關係會如何被重新定位?

With technology, we can find people who are still in our life such as friends and relatives, but not the important ones with whom we lost connection. When the current technology has been designed for mainstream interpersonal relationships, we can only miss the time we spent with those who were once close to us but are now far away. Through the search results of MAY, not only try to find her by every little uncertainty clues but also explore whether technology can also be designed for uncertainty in addition to bringing accurate data? But even if we are still able to contact each other, are we willing to get closer in real life? While technology brings convenience and shortens our distance, it also builds a transparent wall between us. When meeting people becomes an interruption and long-sightedness also becomes the new norm, will the relationships between people be redefined?

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我不知道May是不是也正在找我，又會用什麼樣的方式尋找？我希望她還是使用May這個名字，我才有機會在未來的某一天，在某一張字條上發現屬於她的訊息，然後找到她。

I don’t know if May is also trying to find me or how will she look for me? I hope that one day I could find her message on one of the fortune cookie notes, so I may find her and meet her again. Every message hidden in MAY represents people who are important to you but lost somewhere in the world.

May除了是她的英文名字，也包含著也許的意思，以及祝福。祝福，我們都能再次和我們生命中的May相見。

MAY is named after her name, and it also contains the meaning of maybe and blessings. You may also have a May, and may you meet your May again.

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張鈺均, 《如 MAY》,
互動裝置22x25x33cm, 2021

指導 何樵暐
總召 鄭司維
攝影 楊雅晴
程式 張培智