2026.6.23
以下是實習夥伴陳語漹（Audrea Chen）的實習紀錄與心得！
也附上華語翻譯，提供參考。
Weekly summary record
Week One:
During my first week at Lightbox, I got started with the Robert Frank book descriptions, talked with Yu-Chen Chiu and Natasha Chuk, and attended the Photo Obscura talk at Project 110 Space hosted by Natasha and moderated by Franzy Lamprecht. That weekend, I went to the first Youth Voice session at the Fubon Foundation where the first batch of high school students had their training workshops.
This week's work items:
- Robert Frank Book Descriptions
- Post-Photography + The Photographic Substrate [notes + questions]
Week Two:
Intern lunch at the beginning of the week! I had Wednesday and Friday off to go to museums. Finished all of the Robert Frank descriptions, proofread the English translations for the photo Google Map, and helped with the book clean out. Started research on American organizations for potential collaboration. Worked with Alison on making sure the translated versions of the Robert Frank descriptions made sense.
Week Three:
I worked on the Toya Legido biography and created a draft proposal for a youth program in coordination with other photography programs globally. Hopefully, this will be something that Lightbox can do for the next New Wave Award cycle. Went to NTUA Art Museum with Tommy! iORG event at Lightbox. Another event with Youth Voice at Fubon, where the students chose their Youth Perspective Award.
This week's work items:
- Toya Legido Biography
- Proposal for an International Youth Juror Program
- Opportunities for Collaboration – United States Arts Organizations
Week Four:
Spent some time combing through Pencil of Nature and other Photography books by the National Art Gallery about photography. Attended the Clemens von Wedemeyer screening. Proof read “A Sign for Cultural Labour" and started on writing descriptions for the different photographers and publication houses with Tommy. Helped with setting up for the juror event at Lightbox and with taking photos during the actual event.
This week's work items:
- Publisher & Artist Descriptions
Week Five (last week!):
Finished the descriptions for the different publication houses and photographers. Heard back from Natasha Chuk and finished the article about post-photography. Trip to the Botanical Garden!
This week's work items:
- Post Photography and Natasha Chuk
Reflections
On Fubon, Youth Voice, and the Youth Perspective Award:
It was amazing to see how these high schoolers were able to speak about these issues with such passion and nuance. Even if I was shocked by what they ended up choosing for the Youth Perspective award, at the end of the day, what we were seeing was democracy at play. The thoroughness of the process really made it impossible for anyone to leave with any deep feeling of regret or unfairness: they had the extensive chance to change the outcome and whether or not they took that chance was really up to them.
Youth Voice’s model of teaching students the voice of democracy rather than just hard skills like photography or filmography is something that is truly unique. This is how freedom of speech is defended, and programs such as these are so necessary in a time where social media has become fundamental to shaping the identity and community of today’s youth.
The addition of students around the globe would really add to this program and enrich the experience of the Taiwanese students along with those of the global students. (Please reach out to me if this idea is further explored! I would love to help!!)
On Lightbox:
Lightbox is a precious space, where “culture [gains] roots” but, also, new culture flourishes. By being a library at its core, Lightbox creates a new definition of a third space, bringing together artists, thinkers, and do-ers. In my time at Lightbox, I saw how powerful it can be to have such a space in a community, whether that be on the days where Lightbox was holding day-long events to the quieter days where it was just us and the library patrons. It was amazing to see the different types of people who came in, from students to travellers to curious community members. Whether they stayed for just a minute or two or for the entire five hour day, it was Lightbox creating a community.
On working at Lightbox:
Last summer, I worked at my school’s biggest library to help pay for my tuition. I worked shifts from 6 PM to 9 PM on select weekdays and 12 PM to 5:30 PM on Sundays. I worked the circulation desk at the library, and was doing the traditional task of checking books in and out. It was a very traditional library job, but I loved it. Lightbox subverted all my expectations for what a library could be.
A library is more than just a collection, more than just a space for books. Rather, it’s meant to be something living and breathing, that develops with time. We are in an era where the tangible matters less to people and everyone has become hyperdigital, attempting to understand the world through pixels. Lightbox is a foundation for photographic thought, for the preservation of photographic culture. It rejects the idea that art can just live on the Web or on Instagram, that photography is something that has gone beyond needing a physical exhibition space. The ideas, the people, the thoughts I was surrounded by during my time at Lightbox have fundamentally changed my understanding of what matters to me. As a photographer myself, I have only printed out around 30 of the 50,000 photos I’ve taken. That is a scary statistic. Spending a month surrounded by photo books has pushed me to think about returning to (not even returning to, maybe just entering) the physical aspect of the art of photography.
Lightbox’s dedication to preserving the work of Taiwanese photographers is especially important to me. To embark on this task of becoming the root for an artistic culture that would otherwise remain unrooted is remarkable. Additionally, how passionate everyone at Lightbox is about Lightbox itself adds to this all. Being able to see the fight against the speed bump sign during my time at the library was so inspiring, and I cannot wait to see how this progresses.
I loved my time at Lightbox. Thank you Hsuan, JC, Tommy, Alison, and, last but certainly not least, Liang-Pin for introducing me to Taiwanese culture and taking such good care of me during my internship. From starting my journey into exploring post-photography to learning too much about Robert Frank to having the chance to see the New Wave Award preparations, I am so inspired to do more in the world.
An adjacent thought:
I did not use any AI for any of the work that I did besides for the translations. While this meant that writing all of the book and publisher descriptions took a lot longer than it might have otherwise, it meant that I was really returning to doing intentional work. It seems like a very general reflection but in a time where optimization reigns supreme, choosing to not use AI was me allowing my own thoughts to guide my work. While this only really makes sense in the context of me doing pretty low risk tasks, this was a really great practice for clearing my brain fog and practicing intentionality.
On Taipei:
I love Taipei!!!! I love Taiwan!!!!! Besides my general reflections that everything is cleaner and the food is better, I think Taiwan truly has fundamentally changed how I think and see the world. Taipei is a city but still a home, New York City (Manhattan, mainly) is a city but not a home, at least not an inviting one.
The art and history museums here are amazing and being able to learn more about Taiwanese culture (乖乖 chips and more) so naturally through late night conversations was awesome. Thank you for giving me the time to go to museums and for taking the time to explain to me all of these small traditions. It made this experience all the more richer.
My ongoing museum reflections: Audrea Chen -- Museums and Exhibitions in Taiwan
Final Note:
I wish I had all of the words to convey this in 國語, but thank you for not seeing the language barrier as a barrier to get to know me and to form a relationship with me. I cannot thank Lightbox enough for making this the most enriching and memorable experience I have had in college so far. I do not know where the future will take me, but I know that it will lead me back to Lightbox in due time.
Stay happy and healthy!!
– Audrea Elle Chen
Summer 2026
PS: You can read my formal blogs for the Laidlaw Fellowship here
每週事項概要
第一週
在 Lightbox 的第一週，我開始撰寫羅伯・法蘭克（Robert Frank）的書籍介紹。與邱于真（Yu-Chen Chiu）和娜塔莎・楚克（Natasha Chuk）聊了聊，也參加了在 Project 110 Space 舉行的 Photo Obscura 講座，由娜塔莎主講，弗蘭齊・蘭普雷希特（Franzy Lamprecht）擔任主持人。那個週末，我前往富邦文教基金會，參與青少年評審團的培訓。
本週工作項目：
- 羅伯・法蘭克書籍介紹
- 娜塔莎・楚克「後攝影」圖書講座的筆記與提問整理
第二週
這週由午餐聚會開啟！我星期三和星期五休假去逛博物館，並完成了所有羅伯・法蘭克的介紹文、校對臺北攝影地圖的英文譯文，也協助整理書籍。接著，我開始研究美國可能適合合作的機構，並與惟萱（Alison）一起確認羅伯・法蘭克介紹文的譯文是否通順。
第三週
我撰寫了托雅・萊吉多（Toya Legido）的傳記，並草擬了一份青年計畫提案，希望能與世界各地的攝影計畫合作，也希望 Lightbox 能在下一屆 的New Wave 攝影獎中實行。我還和昶慶（Tommy）一起去了關渡美術館！另外，Lightbox 舉辦了 iORG 的社群小聚。我也再次來到富邦文教基金會，青少年評審們用一個下午的時間，選出了青少年觀點獎的得獎作品。
本週工作項目：
- 托雅・萊吉多傳記
- 國際青年計劃提案
- 可能的國際合作機構整理
第四週
我花了一些時間仔細翻閱《自然的鉛筆》（Pencil of Nature）以及國家美術館出版的其他攝影書籍。我參加了克萊門斯・馮・韋德邁耶（Clemens von Wedemeyer）的放映會，校對了Lightbox門口的《島島阿來：藝文勞動減速標誌》（Ta̍uh-ta̍uh-á Lâi: A Sign for Cultural Labour ），也開始和昶慶一起撰寫不同攝影師與出版社的介紹。我還協助準備 Lightbox 的評審活動，並在評審時協助拍照紀錄。
本週工作項目：
- 攝影師、出版社介紹撰寫
第五週（最後一週！）
我完成了不同出版社與攝影師的介紹。收到娜塔莎的回覆後，我也完成了那篇關於「後攝影」的文章。以及植物園之旅！
本週工作項目：
- 攝影師、出版社介紹撰寫
- 娜塔莎・楚克「後攝影」文章撰寫
心得與反思
關於青少年觀點獎
看見這些高中生能夠如此充滿熱情而又細膩地討論這些議題，實在令人驚嘆。即使他們最後為青少年觀點獎做出的選擇令我感到意外，但歸根究柢，我們所見證的正是民主實際運作的過程。整個程序十分周全，幾乎不可能讓任何人離開時仍抱有強烈的遺憾或覺得不公平：他們有非常充分的機會改變結果，而是否把握這個機會，確實取決於他們自己。
「青少年觀點獎」的運作模式並不只是教導學生攝影或影像製作等技能，而是教導他們如何在民主社會中發——這實在非常獨特，言論自由正是以這樣的方式受到捍衛。在社群媒體已成為塑造當代年輕人身分認同與社群的關鍵力量之際，這類計畫更是不可或缺。
若能納入來自世界各地的學生，必定能進一步充實這項計畫，同時豐富臺灣學生與國際學生的經驗。（若這個構想未來有進一步發展，請務必聯絡我！我非常樂意幫忙！！）
關於 Lightbox
Lightbox 是一個珍貴的空間，文化在這裡「落地生根」，新的文化也在這裡蓬勃發展。Lightbox 的核心是一座圖書館，卻也重新定義了何謂「第三空間」，將藝術家、思想者與實踐者匯聚在一起。在 Lightbox 的這段時間裡，我看見這樣的空間能在一個社群中發揮多麼強大的力量；無論是 Lightbox 舉辦一整天活動的日子，還是只有我們和圖書館讀者在場的安靜時光，都是如此。
看見各式各樣的人走進這裡，真的非常美好——從學生、旅人，到懷著好奇心的社區居民都有。無論他們只停留一兩分鐘，還是待完整整五個小時，Lightbox 都凝聚了一個社群。
關於在 Lightbox 工作
去年夏天，我為了支付學費，在學校最大的一座圖書館工作。我在一些平日的晚上六點到九點值班，星期日則從中午十二點工作到下午五點半。我在圖書館的流通櫃台工作，負責傳統的書籍借還業務。那是一份非常典型的圖書館工作，但我很喜歡。不過，Lightbox 卻徹底顛覆了我過去對圖書館可能樣貌的想像。
圖書館不只是一批館藏，也不只是一個放置書籍的空間。它應該是一個有生命、會呼吸，並隨著時間發展的存在。我們身處在一個實體事物在人們心中愈來愈不重要的時代；每個人都變得高度數位化，試圖透過像素理解這個世界。Lightbox 存在著攝影思想的根基，也成為保存攝影文化的基礎。它拒絕接受藝術只能存在於網路或 Instagram 上的觀念，也拒絕接受「攝影已經發展到不再需要實體展覽空間」的說法。
在 Lightbox 的這段時間裡，我周遭的理念、人與思想，從根本上改變了我對自己所重視事物的理解。我自己也是攝影師，但在拍過的五萬張照片中，我只印出了大約三十張。這是一個令人害怕的數字。在攝影書環繞之下的這一個月，促使我開始思考，是否該回到攝影藝術的實體層面——甚至不能說是「回到」，也許我只是才正要進入其中。
Lightbox 致力於保存臺灣攝影師的作品，這一點對我而言尤其重要。Lightbox承擔這項重任，成為一種原本可能無根的藝術文化得以扎根之處，實在令人敬佩。此外，Lightbox 的每一個人都對 Lightbox 、攝影藝術本身懷有深厚的熱情，也讓這一切更加動人。此外，在圖書館實習期間，能親眼看見大家對減速丘標誌牌的回應——島島阿來——令我深受鼓舞，我迫不及待想知道事情接下來會如何發展。
我非常喜愛在 Lightbox 度過的時光。謝謝王萱、知晴、昶慶、惟萱，以及最後、但絕對同樣重要的良賓，謝謝你們帶我認識臺灣文化，也在實習期間如此悉心照顧我。從開始探索「後攝影」、深入了解羅伯・法蘭克，再到有機會親眼看見 New Wave 的籌備過程，這一切都深深啟發了我，讓我想在這個世界上有更進一步的行動。
延伸的想法
除了翻譯以外，我所做的所有工作都沒有使用任何 AI，這代表在撰寫所有書籍與出版社的介紹文時，需要更長的時間。但也正因如此，我重新真正開始有意識地工作。這看起來或許是一種非常籠統的反思，但在一個凡事都以效率為最高原則的時代，選擇不使用 AI，等於讓我自己的思考來引導工作。
當然，這樣做之所以可行，也只是因為我所做的工作風險相對較低。不過，這確實是一種很好的練習，幫助我消除腦霧，也練習更有意識地行事。
關於臺灣
我愛臺北！！！！我愛臺灣！！！！！
除了到處都更乾淨、食物也更好吃這些整體感受之外，我認為臺灣確實從根本上改變了我思考與觀看世界的方式。臺北是一座城市，卻仍然像一個家；紐約市——主要是曼哈頓——是一座城市，卻不是一個家，至少不是一個會讓人感到受歡迎的家。
這裡的美術館與歷史博物館都非常棒，也能夠在深夜談話，使我自然地進一步了解臺灣文化——包括乖乖餅乾以及其他種種——真的很美好。謝謝Lightbox給我時間去逛博物館，也願意花時間向我解釋種種細微的傳統與文化差異。這讓整段經歷變得更加豐富。
而我正持續撰寫博物館心得：陳語漹（Audrea Chen）——〈臺灣的博物館與展覽〉
最後的話
真希望我能用中文找到所有足以傳達這份心意的話，但謝謝你們不曾把語言上的隔閡視為認識我、與我建立關係的障礙。Lightbox 讓這段經歷成為我大學生活至今最充實、也最難忘的一段回憶，我無論如何都感激不盡。我不知道未來會將我帶往何處，但我知道，到了適當的時候，它一定會帶我回到 Lightbox。
祝大家永遠快樂、健康！！
——陳語漹（Audrea Elle Chen）
2026 年，夏
