Nalini Nadkarni: Life science in prison

翻译人员: 張新永 Davidchang 校对人员: Chaoran Yu

Trees epitomize stasis.

树象征静止

Trees are rooted in the ground in one place

于好几个世代中

for many human generations,

树都植根于同一地区的同一块土地

but if we shift our perspective

但是如果我们将注意力

from the trunk to the twigs,

由树干转移到树枝

trees become very dynamic entities,

树木的活力就显现出来了

moving and growing.

它一直在活动及成长

And I decided to explore this movement

因此我决定开始探索树枝

by turning trees into artists.

我认为树木是位艺术家

I simply tied the end of a paintbrush onto a twig.

为什么呢 我在细枝的末端绑上一枝画笔

I waited for the wind to come up and held up a canvas,

然后静待风起 撑起画布

and that produced art.

一幅艺术品就此完成

The piece of art you see on your left

你现在看到在左边那幅图

is painted by a western red cedar

就是由北美香柏所画的

and that on your right by a Douglas fir,

右边那幅则是花旗松的作品

and what I learned was that different species

我发现不同的树种

have different signatures, like a Picasso versus a Monet.

所留下的图型特征不同 就像毕加索和莫奈的画风不同一样

But I was also interested in the movement of trees

我不仅对树木的活力感兴趣

and how this art might let me capture that and quantify it,

还对将图上的活动轨迹量化也很有兴趣

so to measure the distance that a single vine maple tree --

为测量创作这幅画的藤枫

which produced this painting -- moved in a single year,

一年内所移动的距离

I simply measured and summed

我测量这图上每条线的长度

each of those lines.

而后加总

I multiplied them by the number of twigs per branch

然后乘上每个树枝上细枝数目

and the number of branches per tree

及每棵树有多少树枝数目

and then divided that by the number of minutes per year.

再乘以每年的分钟数

And so I was able to calculate

这样我就可以算出

how far a single tree moved in a single year.

每一株树每年的移动距离

You might have a guess.

你可以猜猜看

The answer is actually 186,540 miles,

答案是186,540英里(约30万公里)

or seven times around the globe.

也就是绕着地球转七圈的长度。

And so simply by shifting our perspective from a single trunk

所以只要将观注的重点由一株树干

to the many dynamic twigs,

转移至许多动态的细枝

we are able to see that trees are not simply static entities,

我们就可以看出树木不只是静止的

but rather extremely dynamic.

它的动作可还大着呢

And I began to think about ways that

接着我想到由

we might consider this lesson of trees,

树木移动所学到的启示

to consider other entities that are also static and stuck,

是不是可以应用在其它呼喊着要改变 要自由的

but which cry for change and dynamicism,

静态或被限制行动的事物上呢

and one of those entities is our prisons.

监狱就是一例

Prisons, of course, are where people who break our laws

监狱当然是为要将作奸犯科者

are stuck, confined behind bars.

困于牢栏之后

And our prison system itself is stuck.

但是我们的监狱体系却自困一角

The United States has over 2.3 million

美国有二百三十万位

incarcerated men and women.

被监禁的男女囚犯

That number is rising.

而且数目还在持续上升

Of the 100 incarcerated people that are released,

在一百个出狱的囚犯里

60 will return to prison.

有六十个会再回笼

Funds for education, for training

但是用在教育训练

and for rehabilitation are declining,

辅导罪犯改过迁善的经费却一直在减少

so this despairing cycle of incarceration continues.

所以整个监禁体系是在令人绝望的循环中不断重复

I decided to ask whether the lesson

我决定去探究是否可以将

I had learned from trees as artists

把树当作艺术家的经验

could be applied to a static institution

运用在像监狱这样静态

such as our prisons,

停滞不前的机构上

and I think the answer is yes.

我发现答案是可行的

In the year 2007,

在2007年

I started a partnership

我开始和

with the Washington State Department of Corrections.

华盛顿州的囚犯矫正部门合作

Working with four prisons, we began bringing science and scientists,

选定四个监狱 引进科学实验及科学家

sustainability and conservation projects

在这四个州立监狱里 进行永续发展

to four state prisons.

我们给这四个监狱的囚犯

We give science lectures,

上科学课程

and the men here are choosing to come to our science lectures

这些人选择来上我们提供的科学课程

instead of watching television or weightlifting.

而不是去看电视或举重

That, I think, is movement.

我认为这才是行动

We partnered with the Nature Conservancy

我们和自然保育局合作

for inmates at Stafford Creek Correctional Center

请史塔佛溪矫正中心的囚犯

to grow endangered prairie plants

种植濒临绝种的草原植物

for restoration of relic prairie areas in Washington state.

用来重建华盛顿州的荒废草原

That, I think, is movement.

这就是我认为的改变

We worked with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife

我们也和华盛顿州的鱼类及野生动物部门

to grow endangered frogs -- the Oregon spotted frog --

合作养殖滨临绝种的奥勒岗州斑蛙

for later release into protected wetlands.

然后放回湿地保护区

That, I think, is movement.

这就是我认为的改变

And just recently, we've begun to work with

最近我们开始和

those men who are segregated

被隔离在戒备最森严的

in what we call Supermax facilities.

牢房里的重刑犯合作

They've incurred violent infractions

他们都曾经与警卫

by becoming violent with guards

或是其他囚犯

and with other prisoners.

有过暴力冲突

They're kept in bare cells like this

他们每天都被关在像这样的

for 23 hours a day.

囚室里 23个小时

When they have meetings with their review boards or mental health professionals,

当他们与审查委员或心理专家会面时

they're placed in immobile booths like this.

他们是被安置在这样一个固定的隔离房间里

For one hour a day

他们每天仅有一小时的时间

they're brought to these bleak and bland exercise yards.

可以在这个单调乏味的运动场放风

Although we can't bring trees and prairie plants

虽然我们不被允许将树草原植物

and frogs into these environments,

或是蛙类带入这样的环境

we are bringing images of nature

但是我们选择将自然的影像

into these exercise yards,

带入运动场

putting them on the walls, so at least they get contact

挂在墙壁上，这样至少他们在视觉上

with visual images of nature.

在视觉上还可以与自然接触

This is Mr. Lopez, who has been in solitary confinement for 18 months,

这位是已经被单独监禁了18个月的Lopez先生

and he's providing input on the types of images

他对这样的图片提供意见表示

that he believes would make him and his fellow inmates

他相信这会使他以及其他囚犯

more serene, more calm,

有较安详镇定的感觉

less apt to violence.

不易诉之暴力

And so what we see, I think,

由前述 我们看到

is that small, collective movements of change

一个微小但是集体性的行动改变

can perhaps move

或许可以推动

an entity such as our own prison system

像监狱体系这样的个体

in a direction of hope.

往看得见希望的方向前进

We know that trees are static entities

我们知道光只看树干的话

when we look at their trunks.

树是静止的

But if trees can create art,

如果让树自由创作

if they can encircle the globe seven times in one year,

如果树一年能够绕地球七次

if prisoners can grow plants and raise frogs,

如果囚犯都可以种植植物 养殖蛙类

then perhaps there are other static entities

那么也许深藏在我们心中

that we hold inside ourselves,

那些顽固的想法

like grief, like addictions,

如哀伤 沉溺

like racism,

种族偏见等等

that can also change.

皆可改变

Thank you very much.

谢谢大家

(Applause)

(掌声)