遺憾的白晝之月 / The Regrettable Nuit Blanche

其實前幾天我就想下筆，寫出當天的心情，白晝之夜是法國首都巴黎舉辦的一個文化活動，開始於2002年10月，於每年10月第一個週六晚間六點至週日清晨六點舉行，在白晝之夜時，城市會從晚間開始到天亮為止舉辦各式各樣的文化活動，除了巴黎之外，台灣臺北也是舉辦城市之一，臺北第一屆的白晝之夜是2016年，之後每年都有舉辦，我不是每年都有參加，像前幾年疫情期間，我就乖乖待在家中，今年，好不容易，社交活動已經全面復甦，又是在連假期間，我很想過去信義區散散步，順便看看這些五花八門的藝術作品。

結果，下午四、五點左右，信義區就開始下雨了，頓時，我就有不好的預感，本來已經有跟朋友約好要一起去逛逛「2023白晝之夜」的，但是，很多朋友臨時取消，最後，我們的散步活動就取消了，看著窗外的大雨，雖然有些遺憾，但也是莫可奈何，沒想到，當晚，還是有少數朋友跑去國父紀念館周邊看看，他們只看到完淩亂不堪的小冰人後，就精疲力竭，立刻決定回家，算是敗興而歸，他們說間歇性的大雨讓期待已久的好心情，立馬縮水，到處綻開的傘花，根本無法好好觀看藝術作品，還好其他人沒去。

早上起床後，抓住降雨的空檔，出門在週邊街道散散步，觀察一下熟悉的城市，它已經沒有了之前的喧嘩，一且回歸到了平常簡單安靜的早晨，只有清早工作整理街頭的清潔員工在認真工作，而天空剛剛露出第一抹淡淡的晨曦，灑在建築物和道路上，形成溫暖的金色光斑，路邊的樹木和花朵逐漸蘇醒，鳥兒歡快地歌唱，為清晨的氛圍增添了生機和活力。

在城市中，大部份的人，可能還在睡夢中時，最早開始工作的，除了打掃街頭的清潔員工之外，應該是坐落於各巷弄間的早餐店員工了，據我觀察，它們也是四、五點左右，就必須準備開店做生意，因為在大城市中，總是有些晨昏顛倒的工作類型，那些晚出早歸的人們，我們的早餐就是他們的晚餐，吃完在梳洗一番就準備上床睡覺了，此外，有些早起的人，他們自己可能不做早餐，到早餐店消費是省時及便利的方法。

最近的天氣，開始像秋天了，相比於悶熱的夏天，可能是因為常下雨，所以給人感覺較為涼爽，事後，上網看了有關白晝之月的新聞，沒想到是負評滿滿，諷刺地，其實，我事前覺得這次藝術活動應該會不錯，畢竟信義區周邊可逛可看的事物本來就很多，各商家稍加協作一下，輕易就可以帶動人潮，製造話題，但可能主辦單位，並未做好活動的風險評估，以及室內備案並沒那麼吸引人，所以才有這樣遺憾的結果。

對我而言，為甚麼我的文章抬頭下的是「遺憾的白晝之月」，首先，我遺憾的是，一年一度的「白晝之月」，我居然沒去成，此外，我也蠻遺憾，原本是這樣棒的活動，居然帶給參觀的觀眾那麼多的不好體驗，是有些浪費了這活動的美意，事後來看，我當天並未去現場，遺憾，但也覺得有些幸運，心情好複雜喔。

To be honest, I had wanted to write about my feelings on that day a few days ago. Nuit Blanche is a cultural event held in Paris, the capital of France, which started in October 2002. It takes place every year on the first Saturday of October, from 6 PM to 6 AM the following Sunday. During Nuit Blanche, the city hosts a variety of cultural events that last from evening until dawn. Besides Paris, Taipei, Taiwan, is also one of the cities that host this event. Taipei held its first Nuit Blanche in 2016, and it has been organized every year since. I don't attend it every year; for instance, during the pandemic in the past few years, I stayed home obediently. This year, social activities have finally fully recovered, and it coincided with a long weekend. I really wanted to go for a walk in the Xinyi District and see the diverse artworks.

However, around 4 or 5 in the afternoon, it started raining in the Xinyi District. I had a bad feeling about it instantly. I had made plans to go exploring "Nuit Blanche 2023" with some friends, but many of them canceled at the last minute. In the end, our stroll was canceled. Looking at the heavy rain outside, it was disappointing, but there was nothing we could do. Surprisingly, some friends still went to the area around the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall that night. However, after seeing the chaos that was "Xiao Bingren" (a famous art installation) due to intermittent heavy rain, they quickly decided to go back home, returning with disappointment. They said that the sporadic heavy rain had immediately dampened their long-awaited good mood. The umbrellas blooming everywhere made it impossible to view the art pieces properly. Fortunately, others didn't go.

The next morning, during a break in the rain, I went for a walk on the nearby streets to observe the city I'm familiar with. It had lost the hustle and bustle, returning to the simplicity and tranquility of a typical morning. Only the diligent street cleaners were at work early in the morning. The sky had just revealed a faint dawn, casting warm golden rays on the buildings and roads. Trees and flowers along the streets were gradually awakening, with birds singing joyfully, adding vitality to the morning atmosphere.

In the city, most people were probably still asleep. The earliest to start work, aside from the street cleaners, were likely the staff at the breakfast shops tucked away in the alleys. From what I observed, they had to prepare to open for business around 4 or 5 AM. In a big city, there are always some jobs with unconventional hours. For those who work late and come home early in the morning, our breakfast is their dinner. After a meal, they freshen up and get ready for bed. Additionally, some early risers might not prepare breakfast at home, so going to a breakfast shop is a time-saving and convenient option.

Recently, the weather has started to feel like autumn. Compared to the hot and humid summer, perhaps because of the frequent rain, it feels cooler. Afterward, I went online and saw news about Nuit Blanche. I was surprised to see many negative reviews. Ironically, I had thought that this art event would be quite enjoyable beforehand. After all, the Xinyi District has plenty to offer in terms of things to see and do, and with some collaboration from local businesses, it should have been easy to draw crowds and create buzz. However, it seems that the organizers may not have properly assessed the risks of the event and the indoor exhibits may not have been as appealing as expected. This led to the regrettable outcome.

For me, why did I title my article "The Regrettable Nuit Blanche"? First, I regretted not being able to attend the annual "Nuit Blanche" this year. Additionally, I feel regret that what should have been such a fantastic event ended up providing so many visitors with negative experiences. It seems like a waste of the event's artistic intentions. In retrospect, I didn't go to the event in person that day, which was disappointing, but I also feel somewhat lucky. My feelings were quite complicated.