Making art of New York's urban ruins | Miru Kim

Prevodilac: Mirna Radin-Sabadoš Lektor: Radica Stojanović

I was raised in Seoul, Korea,

Odrasla sam u Seulu u Južnoj Koreji,

and moved to New York City in 1999 to attend college.

a u Njujork sam se doselila 1999. na studije.

I was pre-med at the time,

Tada sam odabrala usmerenje koje je priprema za studije medicine

and I thought I would become a surgeon

i mislila sam da ću postati hirurg

because I was interested in anatomy

zato što me je interesovala anatomija

and dissecting animals really piqued my curiosity.

a seciranje životinja mi je zaista zagolicalo maštu.

At the same time, I fell in love with New York City.

Istovremeno, Njujork me je potpuno osvojio.

I started to realize that I could look at the whole city

Shvatila sam da ceo grad mogu da posmatram

as a living organism.

kao da je živi organizam.

I wanted to dissect it

I poželela sam da ga seciram

and look into its unseen layers.

i da se zagledam u njegove još neviđene slojeve.

And the way to it, for me,

A način da to uradim je bio

was through artistic means.

kroz umetničko izražavanje.

So, eventually I decided to pursue an MFA instead of an M.D.

Pa sam se tako posle nekog vremena umesto za medicinu odlučila za usavršavanje na akademiji umetnosti.

and in grad school I became interested

a na postdiplomskim studijama sam se zainteresovala

in creatures that dwell in the hidden corners of the city.

za stvorenja koja obitavaju u skrivenim budžacima grada.

In New York City, rats are part of commuters' daily lives.

U Njujorku, pacovi su deo svakodnevice putnika u gradskom prevozu.

Most people ignore them or are frightened of them.

Većina ljudi ih ignoriše ili ih se plaši.

But I took a liking to them

No, meni su počeli da se dopadaju,

because they dwell on the fringes of society.

jer pripadaju životu na rubovima društva.

And even though they're used in labs to promote human lives,

I uprkos tome što ih koriste u laboratorijama da bi unapredili živote ljudi

they're also considered pests.

takođe ih smatraju štetočinama.

I also started looking around in the city

Krenula sam da ih tražim po gradu

and trying to photograph them.

i pokušavala sam da ih fotografišem.

One day, in the subway, I was snapping pictures of the tracks

Jednoga dana, u podzemnoj železnici, snimala sam fotografije šina

hoping to catch a rat or two,

nadajući se da ću uhvatiti pokojeg pacova u kadar,

and a man came up to me and said,

i tada mi je prišao čovek i rekao mi

"You can't take photographs here.

"Ovde ne možeš da fotografišeš.

The MTA will confiscate your camera."

Gradsko saobraćajno preduzeće će ti oduzeti fotoaparat".

I was quite shocked by that,

To me je potpuno šokiralo,

and thought to myself, "Well, OK then.

i u sebi sam pomislila, "Pa, dobro ako je tako.

I'll follow the rats."

Slediću pacove".

Then I started going into the tunnels,

Tada sam krenula u tunele,

which made me realize that there's a whole new dimension to the city

i tamo sam shvatila da grad ima još jednu meni sasvim nepoznatu dimenziju

that I never saw before and most people don't get to see.

koju većina ljudi nikada i ne upozna.

Around the same time, I met like-minded individuals

Otprilike u isto vreme sam upoznala druge ljude koji su delili moje stavove

who call themselves urban explorers, adventurers, spelunkers,

i koji su sebe nazivali urbanim istraživačima, avanturistima, istraživačima pećina

guerrilla historians, etc.

gerilskim istoričarima i slično.

I was welcomed into this loose, Internet-based network

Primili su me u svoju otvorenu onlajn mrežu

of people who regularly explore urban ruins

različitih ljudi koji se bave istraživanjem urbanih ruševina

such as abandoned subway stations,

kao što su napuštene stanice podzemne železnice,

tunnels, sewers, aqueducts,

tuneli, kanalizacioni kolektori, cevovodi,

factories, hospitals, shipyards and so on.

fabrike, bolnice, brodogradilišta i drugo.

When I took photographs in these locations,

Kada sam fotografisala na tim mestima,

I felt there was something missing in the pictures.

učinilo mi se da na slikama nešto nedostaje.

Simply documenting these soon-to-be-demolished structures

Prosto dokumentovanje ovih objekata koji će uskoro biti porušeni

wasn't enough for me.

meni nije bilo dovoljno.

So I wanted to create a fictional character

Tako sam poželela da stvorim fiktivni lik

or an animal that dwells in these underground spaces,

ili životinju koja prebiva u tim podzemnim prostorima,

and the simplest way to do it, at the time,

i najjednostavniji način da to uradim, u to vreme,

was to model myself.

bio je da sama postanem svoj model.

I decided against clothing

Odlučila sam se za akt

because I wanted the figure to be without any cultural implications

jer nisam želela da figura unese bilo kakve kulturne pretpostavke

or time-specific elements.

ili elemente koji bi bili obeležja vremena.

I wanted a simple way to represent a living body

Tražila sam jednostavan način da predstavim živi organizam

inhabiting these decaying, derelict spaces.

koji naseljava ta opustošena i devastirana mesta.

This was taken in the Riviera Sugar Factory in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Ovo je snimljeno u šečerani Rivijera u Red Huku u Bruklinu.

It's now an empty, six-acre lot

Sada je to neiskorišćeno zemljište od dva i po hektara

waiting for a shopping mall right across from the new Ikea.

preko puta nove Ikeine robne kuće koje iščekuje novi tržni centar

I was very fond of this space

Bila sam veoma vezana za to mesto

because it's the first massive industrial complex I found on my own

jer je to bio prvi industrijski kompleks koji sam sama pronašla

that is abandoned.

koji je bio napušten.

When I first went in, I was scared,

Kada sam tamo ušla prvi put, bila sam preplašena,

because I heard dogs barking and I thought they were guard dogs.

jer sam čula lavež pasa i pomislila sam da su to psi čuvari.

But they happened to be wild dogs living there,

Ali ispostavilo se da su to divlji psi koji su tamo živeli

and it was right by the water,

a mesto je bilo tik uz vodu

so there were swans and ducks swimming around

pa je na vodi bilo labudova i pataka

and trees growing everywhere

i odasvud je raslo drveće

and bees nesting in the sugar barrels.

i pčele su se gnezdile u bačvama od šećera.

The nature had really reclaimed the whole complex.

Priroda je ponovo preuzela ceo kompleks.

And, in a way, I wanted the human figure in the picture

A ja sam, nekako želela ljudski lik u celoj slici

to become a part of that nature.

koji bi u istoj meri pripadao toj prirodi.

When I got comfortable in the space,

Kada sam se u tom prostoru počela osećati sigurno,

it also felt like a big playground.

činilo mi se da je to neko veliko igralište.

I would climb up the tanks and hop across exposed beams

Penjala sam se na rezervoare i skakutala po ogoljenim gredama

as if I went back in time and became a child again.

kao da sam se vratila kroz vreme i ponovo postala dete.

This was taken in the old Croton Aqueduct,

Ovo je snimljeno u starom akvaduktu sa reke Kroton

which supplied fresh water to New York City for the first time.

preko kojeg se prvi put dovodila voda u Njujork.

The construction began in 1837.

Gradnja je otpočeta 1837. godine

It lasted about five years.

Trajala je oko pet godina.

It got abandoned when the new Croton Aqueducts opened in 1890.

Napušten je kada je otvoren novi akvadukt sa reke Kroton 1890.

When you go into spaces like this,

Kad ulazite u ovakve prostore,

you're directly accessing the past,

neposredno pristupate prošlosti

because they sit untouched for decades.

jer ti prostori desetlećima stoje netaknuti.

I love feeling the aura of a space that has so much history.

Volim da osetim auru mesta u kome je prisutno tako mnogo istorije.

Instead of looking at reproductions of it at home,

Umesto da gledate reprodukcije kod kuće,

you're actually feeling the hand-laid bricks

ovde zaista osećate svaku ručno obrađenu opeku

and shimmying up and down narrow cracks

i provlačite se kroz uske procepe i

and getting wet and muddy

budete mokri i blatnjavi

and walking in a dark tunnel with a flashlight.

i hodate niz mračni tunel sa baterijskom lampom u ruci.

This is a tunnel underneath Riverside Park.

Ovo je tunel ispod Riversajd parka.

It was built in the 1930s by Robert Moses.

Sagradio ga je tridesetih godina prošlog veka Robert Mozes.

The murals were done by a graffiti artist

Murale su uradili grafiti umetnici

to commemorate the hundreds of homeless people

da ovekoveče sudbine stotine beskućnika

that got relocated from the tunnel in 1991

koji su raseljeni iz tunela 1991.

when the tunnel reopened for trains.

kada je tunel ponovo otvoren za železnički saobraćaj.

Walking in this tunnel is very peaceful.

Dok hodate ovim tunelom, sve je veoma mirno.

There's nobody around you,

Nema nikoga oko vas,

and you hear the kids playing in the park above you,

a čujete kako se u parku iznad igraju deca,

completely unaware of what's underneath.

potpuno nesvesna da je sve ovo ispod njih.

When I was going out a lot to these places,

Kada sam često odlazila na takva mesta

I was feeling a lot of anxiety and isolation

obuzimao me je osećaj teskobe i izolovanosti

because I was in a solitary phase in my life,

jer sam prolazila kroz usamljeničku fazu u životu

and I decided to title my series "Naked City Spleen,"

i odlučila sam da svoju seriju nazovem "Zlovolja ogoljenog grada"

which references Charles Baudelaire.

što je omaž Šarlu Bodleru.

"Naked City" is a nickname for New York,

"Ogoljeni grad" je jedno od imena Njujojrka

and "Spleen" embodies the melancholia and inertia

a "zlovolja" otelovljuje melanholiju i inertnost

that come from feeling alienated in an urban environment.

koji proizlaze iz osećaja otuđenosti u urbanom okruženju.

This is the same tunnel.

Ovo je taj isti tunel.

You see the sunbeams coming from the ventilation ducts

Vidite sunčeve zrake kako se probijaju kroz ventilacione šahtove

and the train approaching.

i voz koji se približava.

This is a tunnel that's abandoned in Hell's Kitchen.

Ovo je napušteni tunel u Helz Kičenu.

I was there alone, setting up,

Bila sam tamo sama, pripremala sam snimanje,

and a homeless man approached.

kad mi je prišao jedan beskućnik.

I was basically intruding in his living space.

Ja sam u suštini bila uljez u njegovom životnom prostoru.

I was really frightened at first,

Isprva sam se baš uplašila,

but I calmly explained to him that I was working on an art project

ali sam mu smireno objasnila da radim na jednom umetničkom projektu

and he didn't seem to mind

i izgleda da se on sa time saglasio

and so I went ahead and put my camera on self-timer

pa sam tako nastavila da postavljam kameru na automatski tajmer

and ran back and forth.

i da trčim tamo amo.

And when I was done, he actually offered me his shirt

I kad sam završila, on mi je prišao i ponudio mi svoju košulju

to wipe off my feet

da obrišem noge

and kindly walked me out.

i ljubazno me je ispratio do izlaza.

It must have been a very unusual day for him.

Mora da je to bio veoma neobičan dan u njegovom životu.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

One thing that struck me, after this incident,

Taj je događaj na mene ostavio utisak, jer sam shvatila

was that a space like that holds so many deleted memories of the city.

da taj prostor sadrži tako mnogo izbrisanih sećanja grada.

That homeless man, to me, really represented

Taj je beskućnik, za mene, zaista predstavljao

an element of the unconscious of the city.

elemenat podsvesti grada.

He told me that he was abused above ground

Ispričao mi je da su ga nad zemljom zlostavljali,

and was once in Riker's Island,

i da je neko vreme proveo i u zatvoru na Rajkers Ajlendu

and at last he found peace and quiet in that space.

i da je konačno u ovom prostoru pronašao svoj mir.

The tunnel was once built for the prosperity of the city,

Tunel su svojevremeno sagradili da bi pospešili razvoj grada,

but is now a sanctuary for outcasts,

a danas je to skrovište za odbačene,

who are completely forgotten in the average urban dweller's everyday life.

za one kojih se prosečni stanovnik grada nikada niti ne seti u svojim svakodnevnim aktivnostima.

This is underneath my alma mater, Columbia University.

Ovo se nalazi ispod mog matičnog univerziteta, Univerziteta Kolumbija.

The tunnels are famous for having been used

Tuneli su čuveni po tome što su bili korišćeni

during the development of the Manhattan Project.

za vreme rada na projektu Menhetn.

This particular tunnel is interesting

Baš ovaj tunel je zanimljiv

because it shows the original foundations of Bloomingdale Insane Asylum,

jer se u njemu vide originalni temelji duševne bolnice Blumingdejl

which was demolished in 1890

koja je srušena 1890. godine

when Columbia moved in.

kada se univerzitet uselio.

This is the New York City Farm Colony,

Ovo je imanje kolonije grada Njujorka

which was a poorhouse in Staten Island

što je zapravo bila ubožnica na Steten Ajlendu

from the 1890s to the 1930s.

od 1890. do tridesetih godina dvadesetog veka.

Most of my photos are set in places

Najveći broj mojih fotografija snimljen je na mestima

that have been abandoned for decades,

koja su napuštena već nekoliko desetleća

but this is an exception.

ali ovo mesto je izuzetak.

This children's hospital was closed in 1997;

Dečija bolnica je zatvorena 1997. godine

it's located in Newark.

nalazi se u Njuarku.

When I was there three years ago,

Kada sam otišla tamo pre tri godine,

the windows were broken and the walls were peeling,

prozori su bili porazbijani i boja je otpadala sa zidova,

but everything was left there as it was.

ali sve ostalo je ostalo netaknuto.

You see the autopsy table, morgue trays, x-ray machines

Ovde vidite sto za autopsije, ležišta u mrtvačnici, rentgen aparate

and even used utensils,

čak i upotrebljene instrumente

which you see on the autopsy table.

koji su na stolu za autopsiju.

After exploring recently-abandoned buildings,

Nakon što sam prošla kroz nedavno napuštene objekte

I felt that everything could fall into ruins very fast:

učinilo mi se da sve može otići u propast veoma brzo:

your home, your office, a shopping mall, a church --

kuća, kancelarija, tržni centar ili crkva...

any man-made structures around you.

bilo šta što čovek podigne.

I was reminded of how fragile our sense of security is

To me je podsetilo da je ljudski osećaj sigurnosti lako poljuljati

and how vulnerable people truly are.

i da su ljudi zapravo veoma ranjivi.

I love to travel,

Volim da putujem,

and Berlin has become one of my favorite cities.

a Berlin je jedan od mojih omiljenih gradova.

It's full of history,

U njemu ima mnogo istorije,

and also full of underground bunkers

a takođe, ima i mnogo podzemnih bunkera

and ruins from the war.

i ruševina zaostalih iza rata.

This was taken under a homeless asylum

Ovo je snimljeno ispod utočišta za beskućnike

built in 1885 to house 1,100 people.

koje je sagrađeno 1885. i primalo je 1100 ljudi.

I saw the structure while I was on the train,

Videla sam građevinu iz voza,

and I got off at the next station and met people there

i sišla sam na sledećoj stanici i tamo sam srela ljude

that gave me access to their catacomb-like basement,

koji su mi omogućili pristup svom podrumu nalik na katakombe

which was used for ammunition storage during the war

koji je za vreme rata služio kao skladišta za municiju

and also, at some point, to hide groups of Jewish refugees.

a takođe je, u jednom trenutku bio skrovište za izbegle Jevreje.

This is the actual catacombs in Paris.

Ovo su originalne katakombe u Parizu.

I explored there extensively

Tamo sam dosta toga istraživala

in the off-limits areas

u područjima koja inače nisu dostupna

and fell in love right away.

i istog časa sam bila opčinjena tim prostorom.

There are more than 185 miles of tunnels,

Tuneli se protežu na preko 300 kilometara

and only about a mile is open to the public as a museum.

a samo je oko kilometar i po otvoren za javnost kao muzej.

The first tunnels date back to 60 B.C.

Smatra se da su prvi tuneli sagrađeni oko 60. godine p.n.e.

They were consistently dug as limestone quarries

Kopani su sistemski i služili su kao kamenolomi

and by the 18th century,

i do 18. veka

the caving-in of some of these quarries posed safety threats,

urušavanje ovih struktura je predstavljalo pretnju po sigurnost

so the government ordered reinforcing of the existing quarries

pa je vlada naredila podupiranje postojećih kamenoloma

and dug new observation tunnels

i kopanje novih tunela za nadzor

in order to monitor and map the whole place.

da bi se cela oblast unela u karte i nadgledala.

As you can see, the system is very complex and vast.

Kao što vidite, sistem je veoma složen i nepregledan.

It's very dangerous to get lost in there.

Bilo bi veoma opasno izgubiti se u tim tunelima.

And at the same time,

Ali, istovremeno,

there was a problem in the city with overflowing cemeteries.

u gradu je postojao problem sa prepunim grobljima.

So the bones were moved from the cemeteries into the quarries,

Pa su tako kosti prenete iz groblja u kamenolome,

making them into the catacombs.

čineći ih jednom vrstom katakombi.

The remains of over six million people are housed in there,

Ovde se nalaze ostaci više od šest miliona ljudi

some over 1,300 years old.

neki stari i oko 1300 godina.

This was taken under the Montparnasse Cemetery

Ovo je snimljeno ispod groblja na Montparnasu

where most of the ossuaries are located.

gde se i nalazi većina kosturnica.

There are also phone cables that were used in the '50s

Tu se nalaze i telefonski kablovi iz pedesetih godina

and many bunkers from the World War II era.

i mnoštvo bunkera iz vremena drugog svetskog rata

This is a German bunker.

Ovo je nemački bunker.

Nearby there's a French bunker,

U blizini je francuski bunker,

and the whole tunnel system is so complex

a ceo sistem tunela je toliko složen

that the two parties never met.

da se suprotstavljene strane nikada nisu susrele.

The tunnels are famous for having been used by the Resistance,

Tuneli su čuveni i po tome što su ih koristili pripadnici pokreta otpora,

which Victor Hugo wrote about in "Les Miserables."

a o tunelima piše i Viktor Igo u romanu Jadnici.

And I saw a lot of graffiti from the 1800s, like this one.

Videla sam mnogo grafita iz devetnaestog veka, poput ovog.

After exploring the underground of Paris,

Nakon istraživanja podzemlja Pariza,

I decided to climb up,

odlučila sam da se popnem visoko

and I climbed a Gothic monument

pa sam se ispela na gotički spomenik

that's right in the middle of Paris.

koji se nalazi u samom središtu Pariza.

This is the Tower of Saint Jacques.

ovo je kula Sen Žak.

It was built in the early 1500s.

Sagrađena je početkom šesnaestog veka.

I don't recommend sitting on a gargoyle in the middle of January, naked.

Ne preporučujem sedenje na gargojlu usred januara, bez odeće.

It was not very comfortable. (Laughter)

Bilo je veoma neprijatno.

And all this time,

I sve to vreme,

I never saw a single rat in any of these places,

nisam videla nijednog pacova ni na jednom od ovih mesta,

until recently, when I was in the London sewers.

sve do nedavno, kada sam se spustila u drenažni sistem Londona.

This was probably the toughest place to explore.

Na tom mestu mi je istraživanje možda bilo najteže

I had to wear a gas mask because of the toxic fumes --

Morala sam da nosim gas masku, zbog otrovnih isparenja,

I guess, except for in this picture.

Pretpostavljam svuda osim na ovoj fotogafiji.

And when the tides of waste matter come in

I onda kada nailazi talas otpadnih voda

it sounds as if a whole storm is approaching you.

sve grmi kao pred oluju.

This is a still from a film I worked on recently, called "Blind Door."

Ovo je kadar iz filma na kome sam nedavno radila, zove se Slepa vrata.

I've become more interested in capturing movement and texture.

Pažnju sam usmerila na to da uhvatim pokret i teksturu.

And the 16mm black-and-white film gave a different feel to it.

A crno-beli 16-milimetarski film je sve to predstavio na neki drugačiji način.

And this is the first theater project I worked on.

A ovo je prvi pozorišni projekat na kome sam radila.

I adapted and produced "A Dream Play" by August Strindberg.

Uradila sam adaptaciju i produkciju komada "San" Augusta Strindberga

It was performed last September one time only

koji je izveden samo jednom prošle godine u septembru

in the Atlantic Avenue tunnel in Brooklyn,

u tunelu ispod avenije Atlantik u Bruklinu,

which is considered to be the oldest underground train tunnel in the world,

to je tunel koji se smatra najstarijim tunelom podzemne železnice na svetu,

built in 1844.

sagrađen je 1844. godine

I've been leaning towards more collaborative projects like these, lately.

U poslednje vreme više se bavim ovakvim zajedničkim projektima.

But whenever I get a chance I still work on my series.

Ali kad god sam u prilici, radim na svojim serijama.

The last place I visited

Poslednje mesto na kome sam bila

was the Mayan ruins of Copan, Honduras.

su ruševine Maja u Kopanu u Hondurasu.

This was taken inside an archaeological tunnel in the main temple.

Ovo je snimljeno unutar arheološkog tunela u glavnom hramu.

I like doing more than just exploring these spaces.

Dopada mi se da učinim još nešto pored istraživanja ovakvih mesta.

I feel an obligation to animate and humanize these spaces continually

Osećam obavezu da te prostore iznova oživljavam i da im dajem ljudsku dimenziju

in order to preserve their memories in a creative way --

da bih u kreativnom činu sačuvala njihova sećanja

before they're lost forever.

pre nego što budu zauvek izgubljena.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.