「糊紙」又稱紙糊、紙紮,顧名思義是以棉紙、宣紙、金紙、色紙甚至報紙等,各種紙材為主的工藝,骨架多為細韌的竹篾,運用紮、綁、糊、剪、雕、繪、寫、印、揉、摺等技巧,紮塑出各式神靈活現的紙藝品,其製作與使用廣泛遍佈於臺灣、中國、香港、馬來西亞、新加坡等國的漢人社會。
糊紙早在清代即頗為盛行,主要使用於民俗信仰與生命禮俗中,輔助儀式及藉由儀式轉化供神鬼享用,例如糊紙神像須經過開光點眼儀式;糊紙靈厝在尺寸方面須遵循文公尺、丁蘭尺之吉凶。糊紙的聖俗轉化須以火燒化來進行,達成與神鬼溝通及消災祈福等目的。
就用途而言,糊紙主要可分為「紅事」與「白事」兩大類。前者如各種醮壇所用之醮燈、三清天尊、四大元帥;民間信仰的紙糊神像、王船;或是普度法會的觀世音與大士爺、神虎將軍、普度山、翰林院、同歸所、沐浴亭及水燈、車藏等;祭解補運法事中所使用的替身紙人;成年禮的七娘媽亭、乞花的紙花、婚俗中吉祥的舅仔燈、拜天公的燈座等。後者如喪事或法事所用的各式紙品和魂身、桌頭嫻等紙人;提供亡者的靈厝、生活用品等;此外,還有糊龍頭獅頭、燈籠、風箏、紙傘、紙扇的製作也與糊紙相關。
藝術表現方面,糊紙運用許多傳統的用色原理以及紋飾,各藝師有不同的造型與裝飾手藝特色,隨著現代化的腳步,除了各式色紙、錫箔紙等亮麗的紙料,也運用布料等其他材質,以及電腦印刷圖案的各式紙料,造就糊紙活潑絢麗的形色。
糊紙的工藝技術以家族傳承或收授徒弟的方式傳承,並仰賴眾人在民俗場域重複地實踐使用,才得以存續。然而,因為社會變遷、傳統觀念的式微、生活習慣的改變,以及簡便的印刷紙品和環保議題,使得以手工製作、燒化為主要使用方式的糊紙需求減少、規格縮小,技術與藝術性降低,面臨著無人承繼的問題。目前,糊紙已登錄為傳統工藝類項的文化資產,各縣市共有 7 位保存者之認定。糊紙中的燈籠工藝,也有 1 位保存者登錄於保存技術及保存者類項,7 位列冊追蹤。
在民俗場域須燒化為灰燼的糊紙近年來也走入展覽場館,由藝師特別製作精緻的糊紙作品作為一種工藝展示出來,甚至成為歐洲各國場館的典藏品。新一代的年輕藝師,也致力於糊紙文化資產的傳承,結合藝術創作、教育推廣,嘗試讓糊紙與現代人的生活連結起來。
Also known as paper-paste and zhizha (paper tying), “pasted-paper sculpture” is a handicraft that sets up a skeleton with thin and resilient bamboo strips, before pasting various types of paper on top using cotton paper, xuan paper (rice paper), gold foil,color paper, and even newspaper. Various techniques, such as wrapping, tying, pasting,cutting,sculpting, drawing, writing, printing, rubbing, and folding are applied, to create the final lively papercraft. The production and usage of such paper art is widespread in Han Chinese societies in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore.
As early as the Qing Dynasty, the use of pasted-paper sculpture was quite popular in folk beliefs and life rituals. For example, pasted-paper statues of deities may be used in an auxiliary ceremony, transforming the object as offerings for the gods and spirits after undergoing a deity consecration ritual. For the making of a pasted-paper house, it is important to reference the Luban ruler, to choose measurements that are auspicious and avoid the ominous ones. The transformation of a pasted-paper culture from the secular to the sacred is achieved with incineration, as a way to communicate with the gods and spirits, to seek blessings as well as deliverance from evil.
The use of pasted-paper sculptures may be categorized into "red events" and "white events". The former may include the following: various objects on the ritual altars, such as the ritual lighting, and ritual figures such as the Three Divine Taoist Teachers and Four Taoist Heavenly Martials.
For folk beliefs, pasted-paper art would include deity statues and the Wang Ye boat.For Purdue ceremonies, paper deities such as Guanyin, Dashiye, and the Tiger God General would be included, as well as the backdrop such as the Purdue Mountain, Hanlin Academy, Tonggui Hall (where all wandering spirits may stay during the ritual ceremony), a bathing pavilion, floating lanterns, and Che-Zhuang (a tubular religious tool that spins to guide the spirits from hell to the heavenly world).
During a ritual amelioration, paper figures would be used in place of real people.For the coming-of-age ceremony, pasted-paper backdrops would include the Pavilion of Qiniuma (a weaver and Jade Emperor’s Seventh Daughter), paper flowers, uncle lantern for an auspicious marriage, and the lamp stand for the ceremony of praying to the Jade Emperor.
The "white events" include various pasted-paper sculptures for funerals or rituals,paper figures symbolic of the souls, paper-maids, paper houses, daily necessities for the deceased, and various objects including dragon and lion heads, lanterns, kites, paper umbrellas, and paper fans.
In terms of artistic expressions, pasted-paper sculptures apply a multitude of traditional color principles and patterns, and each craftsperson may cultivate their own unique styles and decorative characteristics. Modernization of the art has provided a rich variety of color papers, tin foils, fabric, computer-printed paper, and other shiny paper materials.
The craftsmanship and techniques of pasted-paper sculpture have been passed down via families or apprenticeship, as well as the repeated usage in folk customs by the general public. However, hand-crafted products that are mostly made to be incinerated are much less in demand due to community transformations, decline of traditional concepts,changes in living habits, easy-to-obtain printed paper products, as well as environmental protection issues. As a result, this traditional art has become smaller in scale, with a reduction in skill and artistry, and now faces the challenge of the lack of successors.Currently, pasted-paper sculpture has been registered as a traditional craft cultural asset,with seven recognized preservers from various counties and cities. For the pasted-paper lantern craft, currently there is one preserver registered in the skills preservation and preserver category, with seven artists recorded and traced.
Pasted-paper sculptures, which are made to be burnt to ashes in folk customs, have been featured in exhibitions in recent years. Exquisite pasted-paper sculpture crafts created by artists have been displayed, and even treasured as part of a collection in various venues in Europe. A new generation of young craftsmen are also dedicated to heritage continuance of the pasted-paper sculpture culture asset, by integrating artistic creations and educational promotion, in an attempt to integrate the art of pasted-paper sculptures with the lives of people in modern times.