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

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

I'm an artist.

Ja sam umetnik.

Being an artist is the greatest job there is.

Biti umetnik je najbolji mogući posao.

And I really pity each and every one of you

I zaista mi je žao svih vas

who has to spend your days discovering new galaxies

koji morate da provodite dane otkrivajući nove galaksije

or saving humanity from global warming.

ili spašavajući čovečanstvo od globalnog zagrevanja.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

But being an artist is also a daunting job.

Međutim, biti umetnik je i obeshrabrujući posao.

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

Provodim svaki dan od devet do šest sati, radeći sledeće.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

I even started a side career that consists entirely

Čak sam i započeo dodatnu karijeru koja se u potpunosti sastoji

of complaining about the difficulty of the creative process.

od negodovanja zbog težine kreativnog procesa.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

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

Međutim, danas ne želim da govorim o tome šta moj život čini teškim.

I want to talk about what makes it easy.

Želim da govorim o tome šta ga čini lakim.

And that is you --

A to ste vi

and the fact that you are fluent in a language

i činjenica da tečno govorite jezik

that you're probably not even aware of.

koga verovatno niste ni svesni.

You're fluent in the language of reading images.

Tečno govorite jezik tumačenja slika.

Deciphering an image like that

Dešifrovanje ovakve slike

takes quite a bit of an intellectual effort.

zahteva poprilično intelektualnog napora.

But nobody ever taught you how this works,

Međutim, niko vas nikad nije podučavao ovome,

you just know it.

prosto to znate.

College, shopping, music.

Fakultet, kupovina, muzika.

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

Jezik je moćan iz razloga što možete da uzmete krajnje složenu ideju

and communicate it in a very simple, efficient form.

i da je saopštite u veoma prostom, efikasnom obliku.

These images represent exactly the same ideas.

Ove slike predstavljaju potpuno iste ideje.

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

No kad pogledate, na primer, fakultetsku kapu,

znate da ovo ne predstavlja modni dodatak koji nosite na glavi

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

kada vam uručuju diplomu,

when you're being handed your diploma,

već se radi o celokupnoj ideji fakulteta.

but rather the whole idea of college.

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

Sad, crteži ne samo da mogu da saopštavaju prizore,

they can even evoke emotions.

mogu čak i da probude emocije.

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

Recimo da ste došli na nepoznato mesto i vidite ovo.

You feel happiness and relief.

Osetićete sreću i olakšanje.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Or a slight sense of unease or maybe downright panic.

Ili blagi osećaj nespokoja ili čak čistu paniku.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Or blissful peace and quiet.

Ili blaženstvo mira i tišine.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

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

Međutim, vizualizacije su, naravno, više od prostih grafičkih ikona.

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

Znate, ako bih želeo da ispričam priču o savremenim mukama,

I would start with the armrest between two airplane seats

započeo bih naslonima za ruke između dva sedišta u avionu

and two sets of elbows fighting.

i dva para lakata koji se bore.

What I love there is this universal law

Sviđa mi se što postoji univerzalni zakon,

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

znate, da imate 30 sekundi da se izborite

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

i čim osvojite naslon, možete da ga zadržite do kraja leta.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Now, commercial flight is full of these images.

Sad, komercijalni letovi su puni sličnih prizora.

If I want to illustrate the idea of discomfort,

Ako bih želeo da ilustrujem ideju neudobnosti,

nothing better than these neck pillows.

jastuci za vrat bi pobedili.

They're designed to make you more comfortable --

Dizajnirani su da vam obezbede veću udobnost -

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

except they don't.

samo što to ne postižu.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

So I never sleep on airplanes.

Zato ja nikad ne spavam u avionima.

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

Povremeno mi se desi da padnem u nekakvu bolnu komu.

And when I wake up from that,

A kada se probudim iz nje,

I have the most terrible taste in my mouth.

imam najodvratniji ukus u ustima.

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

To je toliko loš ukus da se ne može opisati rečima,

but it can be drawn.

ali može da se nacrta.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

The thing is, you know, I love sleeping.

Radi se, znate, o tome da ja volim da spavam.

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

A kada spavam, najviše volim da nekog grlim.

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

Grlim skoro na profesionalnom nivou već skoro 20 godina,

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

ali za sve ovo vreme, nikad nisam otkrio

what to do with that bottom arm.

šta da radim sa donjom rukom.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

And the only thing --

A jedina stvar -

the only thing that makes sleeping even more complicated

jedina stvar koja spavanje čini još komplikovanijim

than trying to do it on an airplane

od pokušaja da zaspite u avionu

is when you have small children.

je kada imate malu decu.

They show up at your bed at around 4am

Pojave se u vašem krevetu oko četiri ujutru

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

s nekakvim šupljim izgovorom tipa „sanjao sam nešto ružno”.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

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

I onda, naravno, žao vam ih je, ipak su vam to deca,

so you let them into your bed.

pa ih pustite u vaš krevet.

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

I moram da priznam da su u početku zaista slatki i topli i mazni.

The minute you fall back asleep, they inexplicably --

Onog momenta kad ponovo zaspite, oni neobjašnjivo -

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

start rotating.

počinju da se rotiraju.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

We like to call this the helicopter mode.

Volimo da ovo nazivamo helikopterskim programom.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Now, the deeper something is etched into your consciousness,

Sad, što je nešto dublje urezano u vašu podsvest,

the fewer details we need to have an emotional reaction.

to nam je potrebno manje detalja da imamo emocionalnu reakciju.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

So why does an image like this work?

Dakle, zašto slika nalik ovoj deluje?

It works, because we as readers

Deluje jer smo mi kao čitaoci

are incredibly good at filling in the blanks.

neverovatno dobri u popunjavanju praznina.

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

Sad, kad crtate, postoji koncept negativnog prostora.

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

A zamisao je da, umesto crtanja stvarnog objekta,

you draw the space around it.

iscrtate prostor oko njega.

So the bowls in this drawing are empty.

Dakle, činije na ovom crtežu su prazne.

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

Međutim, crno mastilo navodi vaš mozak da projektuje hranu u praznini.

What we see here is not a owl flying.

Ovde ne vidimo sovu u letu.

What we actually see is a pair of AA batteries

Zapravo vidimo par AA baterija

standing on a nonsensical drawing,

koje stoje na besmislenom crtežu,

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

a ja animiram scenu tako što stonu lampu pokrećem gore i dole.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

The image really only exists in your mind.

Slika zaista postoji samo u vašem umu.

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

Dakle, koliko nam je informacija potrebno da prizovemo sličan prizor?

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

Moj cilj kao umetnika je da koristim najmanju moguću količinu.

I try to achieve a level of simplicity

Pokušavam da postignem nivo jednostavnosti

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

gde bi se, ako biste oduzeli još jedan element,

the whole concept would just collapse.

čitav koncept prosto urušio.

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

I zato mi je lično omiljeno umetničko oruđe apstrakcija.

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

Osmislio sam sistem koji nazivam „apstraktometrom”,

and this is how it works.

a on ovako funkcioniše.

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

Dakle, uzmete simbol, bilo koji simbol, na primer, srce i strelu,

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

koje bi većina nas protumačila kao simbol ljubavi,

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

a ja sam umetnik, pa mogu da nacrtam ovo

in any given degree of realism or abstraction.

u bilom kom stepenu realizma ili apstrakcije.

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

Sad, ako krenem suviše realistički s tim, to se prosto svakome smuči.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

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

Ako odem suviše daleko na drugu stranu i učinim ga suviše apstraktnim,

nobody has any idea what they're looking at.

niko pojma nema u šta gleda.

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

Pa moram da pronađem savršeno mesto na lestvici,

in this case it's somewhere in the middle.

u ovom slučaju je to negde u sredini.

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

Sad, čim smo sliku sveli na jednostavniji oblik,

all sorts of new connections become possible.

razne nove veze postaju moguće.

And that allows for totally new angles in storytelling.

A to omogućuje potpuno nove uglove pripovedanja.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

And so, what I like to do is,

Pa, volim da radim sledeće,

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

volim da uzmem slike iz veoma udaljenih oblasti kulture i da ih spojim.

Now, with more daring references --

Sad, uz odvažnije reference -

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

I can have more fun.

mogu više da se zabavljam.

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

Međutim, naravno, znam da vremenom stvari postanu toliko nejasne

that I start losing some of you.

da počnem da gubim neke od vas.

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

Pa je za dizajnera apsolutno ključno da ima dobro razumevanje

of the visual and cultural vocabulary of your audience.

vizuelnog i kulturološkog rečnika svoje publike.

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

Ovom slikom ovde, komentarom na olimpijadu u Atini,

I assumed that the reader of the "New Yorker"

pretpostavio sam da „Njujorkerov” čitalac

would have some rudimentary idea of Greek art.

ima nekakvu osnovnu ideju o grčkoj umetnosti.

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

Ako nemate, slika ne funkcioniše.

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

Ali ako imate, možda ćete čak i da cenite sitne detalje

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

poput šare u vidu limenke piva na podnožju vaze.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

A recurring discussion I have with magazine editors,

Konstantno raspravljam sa urednicima časopisa,

who are usually word people,

koji su obično jezički tipovi,

is that their audience, you,

o tome kako je njihova publika, vi,

are much better at making radical leaps with images

mnogo bolja u pravljenju radikalnih iskoraka sa slikama

than they're being given credit for.

nego što im se to pripisuje.

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

A jedina stvar koja me nervira je to što izgleda da me guraju

towards a small set of really tired visual clichés

ka malom skupu zaista izanđalih vizuelnih klišea

that are considered safe.

koji se smatraju bezbednim.

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

Znate, biznismen koji se penje uz merdevine

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

a onda se merdevine pomeraju, pretvaraju u grafikon tržišne berze,

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

kao i bilo šta sa znakom dolara; to je uvek dobro.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

If there are editorial decision makers here in the audience,

Ako u publici ima ljudi koji donose uređivačke odluke,

I want to give you a piece of advice.

želim da vam dam savet.

Every time a drawing like this is published,

Svaki put kad se sličan crtež objavi,

a baby panda will die.

beba pande će da umre.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Literally.

Bukvalno.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

When is a visual cliché good or bad?

Kada je vizuelni kliše dobar ili loš?

It's a fine line.

Postoji fina granica.

And it really depends on the story.

I zaista zavisi od priče.

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

Godine 2011, tokom zemljotresa i cunamija u Japanu,

I was thinking of a cover.

razmišljao sam o naslovnoj strani.

And I went through the classic symbols:

I prelistavao sam klasične simbole:

the Japanese flag,

japansku zastavu,

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

„Veliki talas” od Hokusaija, jedan od najsjajnijih crteža uopšte.

And then the story changed

A onda se priča izmenila

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

kada se situacija u nuklearnoj elektrani u Fukušimi otrgnula kontroli.

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

I sećam se prizora na televiziji, radnika u zaštitnim odelima

just walking through the site,

kako samo šetaju mestom,

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

a iznenadilo me je to koliko je tiho i spokojno bilo.

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

Pa sam želeo da napravim sliku tihe katastrofe.

And that's the image I came up with.

A ovo je slika koju sam smislio.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

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

Želim da stvorim „aha” trenutak za vas, za čitaoca.

And unfortunately, that does not mean

A nažalost, to ne znači

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

da ja imam aha momenat kada stvaram ove slike.

I never sit at my desk

Nikad ne sedim za stolom

with the proverbial light bulb going off in my head.

sa poslovičnom sijalicom koja se pali u mojoj glavi.

What it takes is actually a very slow,

Ono što je potrebno je zapravo veoma spor,

unsexy process of minimal design decisions

neprivlačan proces minimalnih dizajnerskih odluka

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

koje će onda, ako imam sreće, dovesti do dobre ideje.

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

Pa sam jednog dana u vozu pokušavao da dešifrujem

the graphic rules for drops on a window.

grafičku zakonitost kapi na prozoru.

And eventually I realize,

I konačno sam uvideo:

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

„Ah, radi se o izvrnutoj, zamagljenoj pozadini

koja je sadržana u izoštrenoj slici.”

contained in a sharp image."

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

I pomislio sam, ala je to strava,

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

i da nemam ni blagu ideju šta da uradim s tim.

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

Nešto kasnije, ponovo sam u Njujorku

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

i nacrtao sam ovu sliku o zaglavljenosti na bruklinskom mostu tokom špica.

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

Zaista je dosadno, ali je opet nekako i poetično.

And only later I realized,

A tek sam kasnije shvatio

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

da mogu da uzmem obe ove ideje i da ih sastavim u ovoj ideji.

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

A ja ne želim da prikažem relističan prizor.

But, maybe like poetry,

Već da vas, možda nalik poeziji,

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

navedem na pomisao da ste već imali ovu sliku u sebi,

but only now I've unearthed it

ali da ste je sad iskopali

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

i da zbog mene shvatite da ste je nosili sa sobom sve vreme.

But like poetry, this is a very delicate process

Međutim, poput poezije, ovo je veoma delikatan proces

that is neither efficient nor scalable, I think.

koji niti je efikasan, niti izmerljiv, mislim.

And maybe the most important skill for an artist

A možda najvažnija veština za umetnika

is really empathy.

usitinu je empatija.

You need craft and you need --

Potreban vam je zanat i potrebna vam je -

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

you need creativity --

potrebna vam je kreativnost -

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

thank you --

hvala vam -

to come up with an image like that.

da smislite sličnu sliku.

But then you need to step back

Ali onda morate da se udaljite

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

i da pogledate šta ste napravili iz ugla čitaoca.

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

Pokušavao sam da postanem bolji umetnik tako što sam bio bolji posmatrač slika.

And for that, I started an exercise for myself

I zbog toga sam sebi zadao vežbu

which I call Sunday sketching,

koju nazivam nedeljnim skiciranjem,

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

a to znači da u nedelju uzmem nasumičan predmet koji nađem u kući

and try to see if that object could trigger an idea

i pokušavam da otkrijem da li taj predmet može da izazove ideju

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

koja nema ništa sa prvobitnom namenom tog predmeta.

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

A to obično znači da sam dugo vremena bez ideje.

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

A jedini trik koji na kraju deluje je ako oslobodim um

and run through every image I have stored up there,

i prelistam sve slike koje sam u njemu uskladištio

and see if something clicks.

i vidim da li se nešto uklapa.

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

A ako se uklapa, samo dodam nekoliko linija tušem da povežem -

to preserve this very short moment of inspiration.

da sačuvam ovaj veoma kratak trenutak inspiracije.

And the great lesson there

A najveća lekcija ovde

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

je ta da se stvarna čarolija ne dešava na papiru.

It happens in the mind of the viewer.

Dešava se u umu gledaoca.

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

Kada se vaša očekivanja i znanje sudare s mojim umetničkim namerama.

Your interaction with an image,

Vaša interakcija sa slikom,

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

vaša sposobnost da čitate, propitujete, budete uznemireni, smoreni ili inspirisani

by an image

slikom

is as important as my artistic contribution.

jednako je važna koliko i moj umetnički doprinos.

Because that's what turns an artistic statement

Jer je to ono što pretvara umetnički iskaz

really, into a creative dialogue.

u kreativni dijalog.

And so, your skill at reading images

Stoga, vaša veština čitanja slika

is not only amazing,

ne samo da je neverovatna,

it is what makes my art possible.

već je zbog nje moja umetnost moguća.

And for that, I thank you very much.

I zato sam vam veoma zahvalan.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

(Cheers)

(Ovacije)

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)