2015年紐約大都會藝術博物館的「中國：鏡花水月」展，是該館參觀人數最多的時尚展，也是開館以來第五大受歡迎的展覽，更在中國得到盛大報導與討論。搭配此展的慈善晚會，也受到了高度的媒體曝光，並為大都會藝術博物館帶進極為可觀的收入。這個由博物館服裝藝術部(Costume Institute）主辦的展覽，首次以結合電影、藝術、時尚的方式，呈現時尚設計師透過對中國的想像，將中國元素納入作品的樣貌。本展的視覺呈現，為何如此受歡迎？從博物館研究的角度，又帶出哪些討論議題？本文透過分析館方資料與過往文獻，媒體、社群網站報導與評論，以及作者的參與觀察，首先說明並討論本展的策展理念與展示設計，以及館方宣傳、操作展覽的方式。本文接續討論新近出現的「時尚博物館學」與博物館時尚展的特色，並且提出博物館時尚展在博物館倫理議題上，可能面臨的兩難。最後，本文討論觀眾一片叫好聲之外，媒體與網路社群對此展的其它評價。
本文認為，大都會藝術博物館憑藉豐沛的資源，建構了清楚、簡要的策展理念，再透過跨領域專業人才的技術合作——尤其是電影的加入，將與中國有關的時尚展帶入展示設計的新里程。然而，本展所建立的視覺經驗，將會和其他型態的展覽同時存在；博物館與私部門合作辦理時尚展上的動態關係，以及倫理議題，也將持續受到討論與檢驗。
策展、展示設計、時尚展、博物館倫理
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's spring exhibition of 2015,"China: through the Looking Glass", drew a record number of visitors to the Costume Institute and became the fifth most popular exhibition in the museum's history. Met Gala, the fundraising event designated to benefit the fashion exhibition, also attracted considerable media attention and raised a significant amount in donations to the museum. "China: through the looking glass", an exhibition resulting from a collaboration between the Asian Department and the Costume Institute, was the first at the Institute to combine fashion, film and art in a single exhibition. It presented how, in their creative processes, Western designers were inspired by Chinese aesthetics. How was the exhibition presented, and what issues arose out of the exhibition? Through materials from the museum's website, media reviews, fashion literature, audience responses, and the author's own observation, this article discusses several inter-related issues including the curatorial ideas, exhibition design, the promotion of the exhibition, the ethical dilemma involved in fashion exhibitions, and critiques from the audience. This article concludes that, with abundant resources, the exhibition constructed a succinct curatorial statement. Together with a design team consisting of talents from various fields—especially the film industry—the exhibition created an unprecedented on site visual experience and established a new milestone in exhibition design. However, the dynamic between the museum and its sponsors, and the ethical issues involved in fashion exhibitions, remains contested.
curatorial study, exhibition design, fashion exhibitions, museum ethics
