The Dialectical Landscape of edge and Center

By Du Le

边缘与中心的辩证图景：从认知边界到艺术交融

The Dialectical Landscape of edge and centre: From Cognitive Boundaries to Artistic
Confluence

若将“边缘” 定义为认知的边界或存在的边线，那么“中心” 便构成了思维图谱中的坐标原点。在一般的认知框架里，“中心” 总是以清晰的轮廓存在——在以“自我” 为主体的价值坐标系中，无论是文化身份的理
性界定、世界观的逻辑建构，还是日常生活中习惯偏好的感性刻度，皆如经纬线般可被精准丈量。然而，“边缘” 与“边界” 的意涵却始终笼罩着朦胧的光晕，其轮廓在认知的景深中若隐若现。事实上，唯有深入探索这些不确定的思维边际，方能绘出更为完整的精神图谱。

If the "edge" is defined as the boundary of cognition or the edge of existence, then the "centre" constitutes the coordinate origin in the mind map. In the general cognitive framework, the "centre" always exists in a clear outline — in the value coordinate system with the "self" as the main body, whether it is the rational definition of cultural identity, the logical construction of worldview, or the sensory scale of habitual preferences in daily life, they can be accurately measured like meridians and parallels. However, the meanings of "edge" and "boundary" are always shrouded in a hazy halo, and their contours are faintly visible in the cognitive depth of field. In fact, only by delving deeper into these overlooked boundaries of thinking can a more complete mental map be pieced together.

一、艺术场域的边界实验：身体与媒介的中心重构

Boundary Experiment of Art Field: Central Reconstruction of Body and Media

在舞蹈艺术的实践维度中，“中心” 与“边缘” 的辩证关系往往呈现为动态的身体幅度。舞者对身体机能的掌控，包括关节运动、肌肉发力，皆在经验范畴内形成可被量化的“中心” 体系。但当创作试图突破常规动作的核心范式，肢体表现力的边界便成为亟待探索的部分。

In the practical dimension of dance art, the dialectical relationship between "centre" and "edge" often presents as a dynamic bodily amplitude. Dancers' control over bodily functions, including joint movements and muscle exertion, forms a quantifiable 'central' system within the realm of experience. But when the creation attempts to break through the core paradigm of conventional movements, the boundaries of physical expression become an urgent part to explore.

比如，在Yukiko 的作品中，编导与舞者共同发掘身体的“边缘”：通过对身体力度极限的挑战、空间维度的拓展、群体配合的解构与重组，在实验中重构舞蹈语言。这种探索并非对“中心” 身体的背离，而是以边缘突破拓宽中心潜能，恰似在认知的边疆框定新的身体“中心”。

For example, in Yukiko's works, the director and dancers jointly explore the "edges" of the body: by challenging the limits of body strength, expanding spatial dimensions, deconstructing and recombining group cooperation, the dance language is reconstructed in experiments. This exploration is not a departure from the "central" body, but rather a breakthrough at the edges to broaden the potential of the centre, just like framing a new body "centre" on the cognitive frontier.

Terry 的技术实验则呈现另一种可能：借助AI 捕捉身体运动的微观数据，将舞蹈动觉转化为视听符号的跨媒介实践。当技术以视觉化手段强化传统舞蹈“中心” 概念的同时，他亦将艺术表达的边界拓展至科技与艺术的交汇地带—— 在这里，AI 不再是边缘工具，而成为重构“舞蹈中心” 的核心要素。

Terry's technology experiment presents another possibility: using AI to capture microscopic data of body movements, transforming dance kinesthetic perception into a cross media practice of audio-visual symbols. While technology reinforces the concept of the "centre" of traditional dance through visual means, it also expands the boundaries of artistic expression to the intersection of technology and art — here, AI is no longer an edge tool, but a core element in reconstructing the "centre" of dance.

二、文化体验的情感通途：从生理边界到心灵共振

The emotional pathway of cultural experience: from physiological boundaries to spiritual resonance

作为生长于北京的北方人，我对“冷” 与“热” 的体感耐受度构成了生活感知的“中心” 刻度。而在香港的短暂旅居，则让陌生的文化气候成为浮动的“边缘”—— 潮湿的空气、急促的节奏，皆需以谨慎的姿态调试身心坐标。直到在刘梦辰的舞蹈剧场中，这种生理隔阂被骤然消解：当舞者以呼吸为脉、以肢体为桥，在俯仰屈伸间传递对生命的共情时，性别、地域、文化的边界在“爱” 的流动中被消解。

As a northerner growing up in Beijing, my physical tolerance to "cold" and "heat" constitutes the "central" scale of life perception. However, my brief stay in Hong Kong has made the unfamiliar cultural climate a floating "edge" — the humid air and fast-paced pace require careful adjustment of physical and mental coordinates. Until in Liu Mengchen's dance theater, this physiological barrier was suddenly dissolved: when dancers use their breath as the pulse and their limbs as the bridge to convey empathy for life through pitch, flexion, and extension, the boundaries of gender, region, and culture are dissolved in the flow of "love".

情感作为超越理性的通道，打通了个体感知与集体意识的屏障。恰如舞者牵手的瞬间，动作不再是单向的情绪投射，而是形成观众与舞台之间的能量闭环—— 这正是边缘与中心在情感维度的辩证统一：当文化差异的“边缘” 被情感共鸣照亮，“人类共性” 的中心便自然显影。

Emotions, as a channel that transcends reason, break through the barrier between individual perception and collective consciousness. Just like the moment a dancer holds hands, the action is no longer a one-way emotional projection, but forms an energy loop between the audience and the stage — this is the dialectical unity of the edge and the centre in the emotional dimension: when the "edge" of cultural differences is illuminated by emotional resonance, the centre of "human commonality" naturally emerges.

三、学术研究的跨界思辨：从文献中心到实践边缘的道通为一

Cross disciplinary speculation in academic research: the path from the centre of literature to the edge of practice

在中国古代文化研究领域，官方文献构成了学术认知的“中心” 版图，海量典籍如星辰般密布于研究坐标系中。但如何跨越理论与实践的“边缘地带”，始终是学术转化的核心命题。《庄子・齐物论》的智慧在此显现：其“齐物齐一” 的哲学观，正是对“中心— 边缘” 二元对立的终极解构—— 如同“庄周梦蝶” 的寓言，当“我” 与“蝶” 的边界消融，认知便抵达“道通为一” 的境界。

In the field of ancient Chinese cultural research, official documents constitute the "central" map of academic cognition, with a massive collection of classics scattered like stars in the research coordinate system. But how to cross the "edge zone" between theory and practice has always been the core proposition of academic transformation. The wisdom of Zhuangzi's "Qi Wu Lun（齐物论）" is manifested here: its philosophical view of "Qi Wu Qi Yi（齐物齐一）" is the ultimate deconstruction of the binary opposition of "centre edge" — like the fable of "Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly（庄周梦蝶）", when the boundary between "I" and "butterfly" melts, cognition reaches the realm of the same.

赵知博的身体实践亦呼应着这种哲学思考：通过对“虚实”“有无” 等抽象概念的肢体诠释，看似在强化对立，实则在边缘与中心的共生关系中寻找平衡。这种探索恰似在理论文献的“中心大陆” 与舞蹈实践的“边缘群岛” 之间搭建桥梁，让学术思考从典籍中心走向更广阔的存在现场。

Zhao Zhibo's physical practice also echoes this philosophical thinking: through the physical interpretation of abstract concepts such as "virtual and rea（l 虚实）" and "existence and non existence（有无）", seemingly reinforcing opposition, but actually seeking balance in the symbiotic relationship between the edge and the centre. This exploration is like building a bridge between the "central continent" of theoretical literature and the "peripheral islands" of dance practice, allowing academic thinking to move from the centre of classics to a broader field of existence.

四、跨艺现场的哲学顿悟：在边缘拓展中体认中心的流动性

Philosophical Insight from Cross Art Scene: Recognizing the Liquidity of the centre in Edge Expansion

置身2025“跨艺・舞动无界” 的现场，中国文化“心斋坐忘” 的智慧被赋予当代诠释：艺术探索与文化交流的真谛，正在于以“虚其心”的态度接纳边缘的无限延伸。当AI 舞蹈、肢体装置、跨文化编舞在同一场域对话时，“中心” 不再是固定的范围，而成为边缘拓展过程中自然形成的动态呈现—— 每一次对边界的触碰，都是对中心内涵的重新定义。

Standing at the scene of "Cross Art and Dance Without Borders" in 2025, the wisdom of Chinese culture's "Heart Study Sitting and Forgetting" is given contemporary interpretation: the essence of artistic exploration and cultural exchange lies in accepting the infinite extension of the edge with an empty cup of heart. When AI dance, body devices, and cross-cultural choreography are conversing in the same field, the "centre" is no longer a fixed range, but a dynamic presentation naturally formed in the process of edge expansion — every touch on the boundary is a redefinition of the central connotation

边缘的拓展与中心的深化并非对立，而是相辅相成的共生过程。在舞蹈艺术的历史长河中，正是无数次对 边缘的勇敢发掘，让“舞蹈” 的中心概念从肢体技艺升华为跨媒介的生命表达，最终在“中心” 与“边缘” 的永恒互动中，实现舞蹈意涵的无限生长。

The expansion of the periphery and the deepening of the centre are not in opposition, but rather a symbiotic process that complements each other. In the long history of dance art, it is countless brave explorations of the edges that elevate the central concept of "dance" from physical skills to cross media expression of life, ultimately achieving infinite growth of dance meaning in the eternal interaction between "centre" and "edge".

从思维图谱到艺术实践，从文化体验到学术探索，“边缘” 与“中心” 的叙事始终指向同一个哲学内核：所谓“边界”，不过是认知暂未抵达或被遮蔽的范围；所谓“中心”，乃是在流动中不断丰富的意义。唯有超越对“中心” 的执念与“边缘” 的忽视，方能在动态的认知拓展中，体认世界作为整体的圆融与自洽——这既是思想的终极追求，亦是艺术永恒的实践方向。

From the mind map to artistic practice, from cultural experience to academic exploration, the narratives of "edge" and "centre" always point to the same philosophical core: the so-called boundary is just the range that cognition has not yet reached or been obscured; The so-called centre refers to the constantly enriching meaning in the flow. Only by transcending the obsession with the "centre" and the neglect of the "edges" can we recognize the harmony and self consistency of the world as a whole in dynamic cognitive expansion — this is not only the ultimate pursuit of thought, but also the eternal practical direction of art.