You are fluent in this language (and don't even know it) | Christoph Niemann

Translator: Héctor Pardo Álvarez Reviewer: Xusto Rodriguez

I'm an artist.

Son artista.

Being an artist is the greatest job there is.

Ser artista é o mellor traballo que hai.

And I really pity each and every one of you

E teño mágoa de todos e cada un de vostedes

who has to spend your days discovering new galaxies

por teren que pasar a vida descubrindo novas galaxias

or saving humanity from global warming.

ou salvando a humanidade do quecemento global.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

But being an artist is also a daunting job.

Mais o de artista tamén é un oficio frustrante

I spend every day, from nine to six, doing this.

Paso tódolos días, de nove a seis, facendo isto

(Laughter)

(Risos)

I even started a side career that consists entirely

Mesmo comecei unha carreira alternativa que consiste única e exclusivamente

of complaining about the difficulty of the creative process.

en laiarse do difícil que resulta o proceso creativo

(Laughter)

(Risos)

But today, I don't want to talk about what makes my life difficult.

Mais hoxe non quero falar do que fai difícil a miña vida,

I want to talk about what makes it easy.

senón do que a fai sinxela.

And that is you --

E son vostedes

and the fact that you are fluent in a language

e o feito de teren fluidez nunha lingua

that you're probably not even aware of.

da que talvez nin sexan conscientes.

You're fluent in the language of reading images.

Vostedes poden ler con fluidez na lingua das imaxes.

Deciphering an image like that

Descifrar unha imaxe coma esa

takes quite a bit of an intellectual effort.

supón certo esforzo intelectual.

But nobody ever taught you how this works,

Mais ninguén lles explicou nunca como facelo,

you just know it.

simplemente saben.

College, shopping, music.

Universidade, compras, música.

What makes a language powerful is that you can take a very complex idea

O poder dunha lingua radica en que un pode coller unha idea moi complexa

and communicate it in a very simple, efficient form.

e comunicala dun xeito simple e eficiente.

These images represent exactly the same ideas.

Estas imaxes representan exactamente as mesmas ideas.

But when you look, for example, at the college hat,

Mais cando ven o barrete, por exemplo,

you know that this doesn't represent the accessory you wear on your head

saben que non representa o complemento que poñen na cabeza

when you're being handed your diploma,

cando lles entregan o diploma,

but rather the whole idea of college.

senón o concepto de Universidade.

Now, what drawings can do is they cannot only communicate images,

Ben, o que pasa coas ilustracións é que non só comunican imaxes,

they can even evoke emotions.

tamén evocan emocións.

Let's say you get to an unfamiliar place and you see this.

Supoñamos que chegan a un lugar descoñecido e ven isto:

You feel happiness and relief.

sentirán ledicia e acougo.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

Or a slight sense of unease or maybe downright panic.

Ou un leve desacougo ou quizais un tremendo pánico.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

Or blissful peace and quiet.

Ou unha gozosa calma e quietude

(Laughter)

(Risos)

But visuals, they're of course more than just graphic icons.

As imaxes, porén, son moito máis que iconas gráficas.

You know, if I want to tell the story of modern-day struggle,

Se quixese contar unha historia de loita da vida moderna,

I would start with the armrest between two airplane seats

empezaría polo separador entre dous asentos de avión

and two sets of elbows fighting.

e un par de cóbados pelexando.

What I love there is this universal law

O que me encanta disto é esta lei universal

that, you know, you have 30 seconds to fight it out

pola que sabes que tes trinta segundos para loitar

and once it's yours, you get to keep it for the rest of the flight.

e, unha vez é teu, gañas o dereito a mantelo para o resto do voo.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

Now, commercial flight is full of these images.

Ben, os voos comerciais están cheos de imaxes coma estas.

If I want to illustrate the idea of discomfort,

Se quixer ilustrar a idea de incomodidade,

nothing better than these neck pillows.

as almofadas para o pescozo.

They're designed to make you more comfortable --

Están deseñadas para estar máis cómodo.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

except they don't.

Só que non o estás.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

So I never sleep on airplanes.

Así que nunca durmo no avión.

What I do occasionally is I fall into a sort of painful coma.

O que fago de cando en vez é caer nunha especie de desagradable coma.

And when I wake up from that,

E cando acordo,

I have the most terrible taste in my mouth.

fágoo un terrible sabor de boca.

It's a taste that's so bad, it cannot be described with words,

É tan malo que non se pode describir con palabras,

but it can be drawn.

mais pódese debuxar.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

The thing is, you know, I love sleeping.

A cuestión é que me encanta durmir.

And when I sleep, I really prefer to do it while spooning.

E, cando durmo, prefiro claramente facelo en posición de culler.

I've been spooning on almost a pro level for close to 20 years,

Levo a durmir facendo a culler a nivel experto case vinte anos,

but in all this time, I've never figured out

pero, en todo este tempo, non dei coa resposta

what to do with that bottom arm.

de que facer co brazo de abaixo.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

And the only thing --

E o único,

the only thing that makes sleeping even more complicated

o único que fai que durmir sexa incluso máis complicado

than trying to do it on an airplane

que tentar facelo nun avión

is when you have small children.

é ter nenos pequenos.

They show up at your bed at around 4am

Preséntanse no teu cuarto ás catro da mañá

with some bogus excuse of, "I had a bad dream."

con algunha falsa escusa do tipo "tiven un pesadelo"

(Laughter)

(Risos)

And then, of course you feel sorry for them, they're your kids,

E, claro, sentes mágoa por eles, son os teus fillos,

so you let them into your bed.

así que lles deixas meterse.

And I have to admit, at the beginning, they're really cute and warm and snugly.

E teño que admitilo; ao principio, son moi lindos, doces e aloumiñeiros.

The minute you fall back asleep, they inexplicably --

Pero en canto adormeces, inexplicablemente,

(Laughter)

(Risos)

start rotating.

comezan a arrolar.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

We like to call this the helicopter mode.

Gústanos chamarlle "modo helicóptero".

(Laughter)

(Risos)

Now, the deeper something is etched into your consciousness,

Ben, canto máis profundo estea gravado algo na consciencia,

the fewer details we need to have an emotional reaction.

menos detalles se precisan para suscitar unha reacción emocional.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

So why does an image like this work?

Por que funcionan imaxes coma esta?

It works, because we as readers

Porque, como lectores,

are incredibly good at filling in the blanks.

somos tremendamente bos enchendo ocos.

Now, when you draw, there's this concept of negative space.

Ao debuxarmos, existe un concepto chamado "espazo negativo"

And the idea is, that instead of drawing the actual object,

Que consiste en que no canto de debuxar o obxecto real

you draw the space around it.

debuxamos o espazo que o rodea.

So the bowls in this drawing are empty.

As cuncas desta ilustración están baleiras.

But the black ink prompts your brain to project food into a void.

Pero a tinta negra impele o noso cerebro a encher o oco con comida.

What we see here is not a owl flying.

O que aquí vemos non é un moucho voando.

What we actually see is a pair of AA batteries

Realmente son un par de pilas AA

standing on a nonsensical drawing,

chantadas nun debuxo sen sentido,

and I animate the scene by moving my desk lamp up and down.

e animo a escena movendo a miña lámpada de escritorio arriba e abaixo.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

The image really only exists in your mind.

En realidade, a imaxe só existe nas súas cabezas

So, how much information do we need to trigger such an image?

Canta información precisamos para crear esta imaxe?

My goal as an artist is to use the smallest amount possible.

O meu obxectivo como artista é empregar a menor cantidade posible.

I try to achieve a level of simplicity

Tento acadar un nivel de simplicidade tal

where, if you were to take away one more element,

que se retirásemos un só elemento máis

the whole concept would just collapse.

todo o concepto se esfumaría.

And that's why my personal favorite tool as an artist is abstraction.

E por iso, a miña ferramenta favorita como artista é a abstracción.

I've come up with this system which I call the abstract-o-meter,

Inventei este sistema ao que lle chamo o abstractómetro,

and this is how it works.

e así é como funciona:

So you take a symbol, any symbol, for example the heart and the arrow,

Collemos un símbolo, calquera, por exemplo o corazón e mais a frecha,

which most of us would read as the symbol for love,

que a meirande parte de nós lería como o símbolo do amor,

and I'm an artist, so I can draw this

e, como artista que son, debúxoo

in any given degree of realism or abstraction.

cun determinado grao de realismo ou abstracción.

Now, if I go too realistic on it, it just grosses everybody out.

Se o fago demasiado realista, anoxaría a todo o mundo.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

If I go too far on the other side and do very abstract,

Se me paso no outro senso e o fago moi abstracto

nobody has any idea what they're looking at.

ninguén terá nin idea de que está a ver.

So I have to find the perfect place on that scale,

Así que teño que achar o punto axeitado na escala,

in this case it's somewhere in the middle.

que neste caso está nalgures polo medio.

Now, once we have reduced an image to a more simple form,

Unha vez que teñamos reducida a imaxe a unha forma máis simple,

all sorts of new connections become possible.

poden emerxer todo tipo de novas conexións.

And that allows for totally new angles in storytelling.

E iso abre un abano de posibilidades totalmente novo á hora de contar historias

(Laughter)

(Risos)

And so, what I like to do is,

Entón, o que me gusta

I like to take images from really remote cultural areas and bring them together.

é tomar imaxes procedentes de áreas culturais dispares e combinalas.

Now, with more daring references --

Claro, con referencias atrevidas,

(Laughter)

(Risos)

I can have more fun.

pásoo mellor.

But of course, I know that eventually things become so obscure

Pero sei que ás veces as referencias tórnanse tan escuras

that I start losing some of you.

que empezo a perdervos a algúns.

So as a designer, it's absolutely key to have a good understanding

Así que como deseñador é crucial entender ben

of the visual and cultural vocabulary of your audience.

o vocabulario visual e cultural da audiencia.

With this image here, a comment on the Olympics in Athens,

Con esta imaxe, concibida para ilustrar os Xogos Olímpicos de Atenas,

I assumed that the reader of the "New Yorker"

asumín que o lector do New Yorker

would have some rudimentary idea of Greek art.

tería certa idea rudimentaria da arte grega.

If you don't, the image doesn't work.

Se non a ten, a imaxe non funciona.

But if you do, you might even appreciate the small detail,

Mais se a ten, se cadra aprecia os pequenos detalles,

like the beer-can pattern here on the bottom of the vase.

coma o patrón de latas de cervexa da base do xerro.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

A recurring discussion I have with magazine editors,

Unha discusión recorrente que teño con editores de revistas,

who are usually word people,

que adoitan ser xente máis de "palabras",

is that their audience, you,

é que o público, vostedes,

are much better at making radical leaps with images

acepta os saltos radicais nas imaxes con moita máis facilidade

than they're being given credit for.

do que eles pensan.

And the only thing I find frustrating is that they often seem to push me

E o único que me resulta frustrante é que, adoito, semellan empurrarme

towards a small set of really tired visual clichés

contra un conxunto de clixés visuais xa moi esgotados

that are considered safe.

considerados seguros.

You know, it's the businessman climbing up a ladder,

Xa saben, o empresario subindo unha escada

and then the ladder moves, morphs into a stock market graph,

que logo se move e se muda nun gráfico da bolsa de valores

and anything with dollar signs; that's always good.

e algo co símbolo do dólar, iso sempre está ben.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

If there are editorial decision makers here in the audience,

Se houber persoas na sala que toman decisións editoriais,

I want to give you a piece of advice.

quero darlles un consello.

Every time a drawing like this is published,

Cada vez que se publica unha ilustración coma esta,

a baby panda will die.

un bebé panda morre.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

Literally.

Literalmente.

(Laughter)

(Risos)

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

When is a visual cliché good or bad?

Cando é bo ou malo un clixé visual?

It's a fine line.

Hai unha fina liña.

And it really depends on the story.

E a verdade é que depende da historia.

In 2011, during the earthquake and the tsunami in Japan,

En 2011, durante o terremoto e o tsunami de Xapón,

I was thinking of a cover.

estaba a matinar nunha portada.

And I went through the classic symbols:

E fun pasando polos típicos símbolos:

the Japanese flag,

a bandeira xaponesa,

"The Great Wave" by Hokusai, one of the greatest drawings ever.

"A grande onda" de Hokusai, un dos mellores debuxos da Historia.

And then the story changed

E logo todo cambiou

when the situation at the power plant in Fukushima got out of hand.

cando se perdeu o control da situación na central de Fukushima.

And I remember these TV images of the workers in hazmat suits,

E lembro ver na tele as imaxes dos traballadores con traxes hazmat,

just walking through the site,

andando cara a alí,

and what struck me was how quiet and serene it was.

e o que me impactou foi o sosego e a quietude da situación.

And so I wanted to create an image of a silent catastrophe.

Entón, quixen crear o retrato dunha catástrofe silenciosa.

And that's the image I came up with.

E isto foi o que se me ocorreu.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

What I want to do is create an aha moment, for you, for the reader.

O que quero facer é provocar un momento Eureka! entre vostedes os lectores.

And unfortunately, that does not mean

E por desgraza, iso non significa

that I have an aha moment when I create these images.

que eu sinta ese Eureka! cando creo esas imaxes.

I never sit at my desk

Cando sento ao escritorio

with the proverbial light bulb going off in my head.

non me aparece de súpeto a mítica lámpada luminosa na cabeza.

What it takes is actually a very slow,

O que ten lugar realmente é un lento

unsexy process of minimal design decisions

e pouco atractivo proceso de toma de exiguas decisións estéticas

that then, when I'm lucky, lead to a good idea.

que, se teño sorte, conducen a unha boa idea.

So one day, I'm on a train, and I'm trying to decode

Así que, un día estaba nun tren tentando descifrar

the graphic rules for drops on a window.

que regras rexen a configuración das pingas nunha fiestra.

And eventually I realize,

E decateime.

"Oh, it's the background blurry upside-down,

"Oh, é o fondo borroso e do revés,

contained in a sharp image."

contido nunha imaxe nítida".

And I thought, wow, that's really cool,

E pensei que a idea era moi chula,

and I have absolutely no idea what to do with that.

mais non tiña nin idea de que facer con ela.

A while later, I'm back in New York,

Tempo despois, de volta a Nova York

and I draw this image of being stuck on the Brooklyn bridge in a traffic jam.

representei neste debuxo a idea de quedar atoado nun atasco na ponte de Brooklyn.

It's really annoying, but also kind of poetic.

É moi molesto mais dalgún xeito tamén poético.

And only later I realized,

E só máis tarde me decatei

I can take both of these ideas and put them together in this idea.

de que podía coller esas dúas ideas e xuntalas nestoutra.

And what I want to do is not show a realistic scene.

E o que quero non é amosar unha escena realista,

But, maybe like poetry,

senón, se cadra como a poesía,

make you aware that you already had this image with you,

facerlles tomar consciencia de que xa tiñan consigo esa imaxe,

but only now I've unearthed it

pero que só agora a saco á superficie

and made you realize that you were carrying it with you all along.

e fago que se decaten de que levan con ela dentro todo este tempo.

But like poetry, this is a very delicate process

Porén, como a poesía, este é un proceso moi delicado

that is neither efficient nor scalable, I think.

que coido que non se pode medir en termos de eficiencia nin tratar de amplificar.

And maybe the most important skill for an artist

Se cadra a capacidade máis importante dun artista

is really empathy.

realmente é a empatía.

You need craft and you need --

Precísase ter arte,

(Laughter)

(Risos)

you need creativity --

precísase creatividade,

(Laughter)

(Risos)

thank you --

grazas,

to come up with an image like that.

para idear unha imaxe así.

But then you need to step back

Mais despois precísase tamén dar un paso atrás

and look at what you've done from the perspective of the reader.

e observar a túa obra dende a perspectiva do lector.

I've tried to become a better artist by becoming a better observer of images.

Tratei de converterme nun artista mellor volvéndome un mellor observador de imaxes.

And for that, I started an exercise for myself

Para iso, comecei un exercicio persoal

which I call Sunday sketching,

ao que lle chamo bosquexos de domingo,

which meant, on a Sunday, I would take a random object I found around the house

e que consiste en coller cada domingo un obxecto aleatorio que atope pola casa

and try to see if that object could trigger an idea

e ver se este dá desencadeado unha idea

that had nothing to do with the original purpose of that item.

que non teña nada que ver co seu propósito orixinal.

And it usually just means I'm blank for a long while.

Adoito, isto implica quedar en branco un bo anaco.

And the only trick that eventually works is if I open my mind

O único truco que ás veces funciona é abrir a mente

and run through every image I have stored up there,

e percorrer tódalas imaxes que teño alí almacenadas,

and see if something clicks.

para ver se algo fai "clic".

And if it does, just add a few lines of ink to connect --

E se o fai, engádolle algunhas liñas de tinta para conectar,

to preserve this very short moment of inspiration.

para evitar que eslúa ese curto intre de inspiración.

And the great lesson there

E a gran lección é

was that the real magic doesn't happen on paper.

que en realidade a maxia non acontece no papel,

It happens in the mind of the viewer.

senón na mente do espectador.

When your expectations and your knowledge clash with my artistic intentions.

Cando as súas expectativas e coñecementos se atopan coa miña intención artística.

Your interaction with an image,

A súa interacción cunha imaxe,

your ability to read, question, be bothered or bored or inspired

a súa capacidade para ler, preguntar, anoxarse, aburrirse ou inspirarse

by an image

por mor dunha imaxe

is as important as my artistic contribution.

é tan importante como a miña achega artística.

Because that's what turns an artistic statement

Porque iso é o que realmente muda unha manifestación artística

really, into a creative dialogue.

nun diálogo creativo.

And so, your skill at reading images

E, polo tanto, a súa capacidade para ler imaxes

is not only amazing,

non só é abraiante,

it is what makes my art possible.

tamén é o que fai a miña arte posible.

And for that, I thank you very much.

E por iso, doulles as grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

(Cheers)

(Aclamacións)

Thank you.

Grazas

(Applause)

(Aplausos)