Marian Bantjes: Intricate beauty by design

翻译人员: Ying Zhang 校对人员: Zhu Jie

I'm going to begin by reciting a poem.

我将要朗诵一首诗

"Oh beloved dentist:

“哦 我亲爱的牙医

Your rubber fingers in my mouth ...

你的橡胶手指在我口中

your voice so soft and muffled ...

你的声音如此温柔而低沉

Lower the mask, dear dentist,

请拉下面罩 亲爱的牙医

lower the mask."

请拉下面罩

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Okay, in this presentation,

好的，在这个演讲中

I'm going to be putting the right side of your brains

我将严苛的考验

through a fairly serious workout.

你的右脑

You're going to see a lot of imagery,

你们将要看到许多的影像

and it's not always connected to what I'm talking about,

而这些影像并不全跟我的演讲有关

so I need you to kind of split your brains in half

所以 我需要你把自己的大脑分成两半

and let the images flow over one side

用一半去感受影像

and listen to me on the other.

而另一半听我演讲

So I am one of those people

我是属于那种

with a transformative personal story.

那些生命中发生变革的人群

Six years ago,

6年前

after 20 years in graphic design and typography,

在我为平面设计和印刷业工作了20年之后

I changed the way I was working

我改变了我的工作方式

and the way most graphic designers work

我从遵循大多数平面设计师的工作方式

to pursue a more personal approach to my work,

改变为追求一种更个人的工作方式

with only the humble attempt

我低调的追求

to simply make a living doing something that I loved.

能够做我喜爱的工作谋生

But something weird happened.

但是奇怪的事发生了

I became bizarrely

我变得

popular.

异常的受欢迎

My current work

我现在的作品

seems to resonate with people

不可思议的

in a way that has so taken me by surprise

令人感到共鸣

that I still frequently wonder

我至今依然常常思考

what in the hell is going on.

到底是为什么

And I'm slowly coming to understand

我渐渐的明白

that the appeal of what I do

我作品的吸引力

may be connected to why I do it.

也许是源自我的做法

These days, I call myself a graphic artist.

现在，我称自己为平面艺术家

So where my work as a graphic designer

当我作为平面设计师的时候

was to follow strategy,

我遵循商业战略

my work now

我现在的作品

follows my heart

遵循我的内心

and my interests

和我的喜好

with the guidance of my ego

在自我意志的引导下

to create work that is mutually beneficial to myself and a client.

我创造了能使我和客户共同收益的作品

Now, this is heresy

现在，在设计界

in the design world.

这是异端邪说

The ego is not supposed

自我并不应该

to be involved in graphic design.

包含在平面设计作品中

But I find that for myself,

但是我在自己的作品中找到了自我

without exception,

没有一次例外

the more I deal with the work

我越加努力的完成这个作品

as something of my own,

作品里就包含着更多的自我意识

as something that is personal,

并且越自我的作品

the more successful it is

就越加的成功

as something that's compelling,

越加的吸引人

interesting and sustaining.

越加的有趣和隽永

So I exist somewhat outside of the mainstream

所以我创造了非主流的

of design thinking.

设计思维

Where others might look at measurable results,

当别人追求可衡量的结果时

I tend to be interested in more ethereal qualities,

我追求一些更加虚幻的品质

like "Does it bring joy?"

比如，这作品带来欢乐么？

"Is there a sense of wonder?"

它会带来惊奇的感觉么？

and "Does it invoke curiosity?"

它会激发好奇心么？

This is a scientific diagram, by the way.

顺便一提，有一个科学图表

I don't have time to explain it,

我没有时间解释

but it has to do with DNA and RNA.

但是它跟DNA和RNA有关

So I have a particular imaginative approach to visual work.

所以我有一个特别的想象方法去完成视觉作品

The things that interest me when I'm working

我在工作中感兴趣的是

are visual structure,

视觉结构

surprise

惊奇

and anything that requires figuring things out.

和任何需要动脑解决的事

So for this reason, I'm particularly drawn

因为这个原因，我对系统和样式

to systems and patterns.

感到十分疲惫

I'm going to give you a couple of examples of how my brain works.

我将向你举例展示我的大脑是怎样工作的

This is a piece that I did for

这是我为英国卫报

The Guardian newspaper in the U.K.

做的一个作品

They have a magazine that they call G2.

他们旗下有一个杂志叫做G2

And this is for their puzzle special

这个作品是为

in 2007.

2007年的解谜特别版所作

And puzzling it is.

为了设计谜题

I started by creating a series of tiling units.

我开始创造一系列小方块

And these tiling units, I designed

我特别设计这些小方块

specifically so that they would contain

使这些小方块的形状包含了

parts of letterforms within their shapes

字母的形状

so that I could then

然后我就能

join those pieces together

把这些小方块组合起来

to create letters and then words

造出字母和单词

within the abstract patterning.

并使他们呈现出抽象的图案

But then as well, I was able to

然后我就能够

just flip them, rotate them

移动它们，旋转它们

and combine them in different ways

然后用不同的方式组合它们

to create either regular patterns

造出它们的正常形状

or abstract patterns.

或者抽象的形状

So here's the word puzzle again.

所以，这是文字谜题

And here it is with the abstract surrounding.

然后周围是一些抽象图案

And as you can see, it's extremely difficult to read.

你可以看到，这很难阅读

But all I have to do is

但是我所要做的只是

fill certain areas of those letterforms

将字母的部分涂上颜色

and I can bring those words out of

然后我就能把这些词

the background pattern.

从背景图案中突出出来

But maybe that's a little too obvious.

但是这样也许太明显了

So then I can add some color in with the background

所以我在背景中再添加一些颜色

and add a bit more color in with the words themselves,

然后在单词中也添加更多的颜色

and this way, working with the art director,

用这种方法，并且同艺术指导合作

I'm able to bring it to just the right point

我就能够达到完美的一点

that it's puzzling for the audience --

那就是对观众来说这是个谜题

they can figure out that there's something they have to read --

他们能够感到这里有些东西他们需要去读

but it's not impossible for them to read.

但并不是不可能读懂

I'm also interested in working with

我还对运用

unusual materials

不寻常的材料感兴趣

and common materials in unusual ways.

或者是把平常的材料用出不同的用法

So this requires figuring out how to

这需要知道如何

get the most out of something's innate properties

物尽其用

and also how to bend it to my will.

如何使材料服从我

So ultimately,

最后的结果是

my goal is to create something unexpected.

我的目标是创造一些意料之外的东西

To this end, I have worked in sugar

为此，当我为一个曾经在TED做了3次演讲

for Stefan Sagmeister,

的设计师Stefan Sagmeister

three-time TED speaker.

工作的时候，我用糖作画。

And this project began essentially

而这个项目原本

on my kitchen table.

是从我的餐桌上发起的

I've been eating cereal for breakfast

在我的一生中

all of my life.

我一直吃麦片作早餐

And for that same amount of time,

有些时候

I've been spilling sugar on the table

我把糖洒在桌子上

and just kind of playing with it with my fingers.

然后用我的手指头画来玩

And eventually I used this technique

最后我用这一技巧

to create a piece of artwork.

做了一副作品

And then I used it again to create

然后我用这一技巧为

six pieces for Stefan's book,

Stefen的书做了6个作品

"Things in My Life I've Learned So Far."

作品的名字叫做“至今为止，我从我的生命中所学到的”

And these were created

这些作品

without sketches, just freehand,

没有底稿，全部徒手制作

by putting the sugar down on a white surface

我把糖倒在一个白色的表面上

and then manipulating it to get

然后熟练的描绘

the words and designs out of it.

创造出字体和设计

Recently, I've also made some

最近，我还用

rather highbrow baroque borders

用廉价的意大利面

out of lowbrow pasta.

做出了很有巴洛克风格的作品

And this is for a chapter that I'm doing in a book,

这个作品是我为这本书做的一个章节

and the chapter is on honor.

而这个章节受到了好评

So it's a little bit unexpected,

这是有一点出人意料的

but, in a way, it refers

但是，用这种方式

to the macaroni art

这种意大利面艺术

that children make for their parents

就像小孩为他们的父母做的

or they make in school and give to their parents,

或者小孩们在学校做好，带给他们父母

which is in itself a form of honor.

这种艺术模式本很就是一种敬意

This is what you can do with some household tinfoil.

你可以用家用锡箔体现艺术

Okay, well, it's what I can do with some household tinfoil.

好的，这是我用家用锡箔作出的作品

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I'm very interested in wonder,

我对惊奇很感兴趣

in design as an impetus to inquiring.

在设计中推动人们去探寻

To say I wonder is to say

我所说的惊奇的意思是

I question, I ask.

我质疑，我询问

And to experience wonder is to experience awe.

体验惊奇就是体验敬畏

So I'm currently working on a book,

我最近在写一本书

which plays with both senses of the word,

这本书是关于文字的意义

as I explore some of my own ideas

我探究了一些我自己的想法

and inquiries

和闻讯

in a visual display of rather

这本书的视觉传达

peacock-like grandeur.

像孔雀开屏般绚丽

The world is full of wonder.

世界充满了惊奇

But the world of graphic design,

但是平面设计的世界

for the most part, is not.

在大部分的情况下，并不是这样

So I'm using my own writings

所以我用自己的写作

as a kind of testing ground for a book that has

作为一个试验场

an interdependency between word and image

使文字和图像相互依存

as a kind of seductive force.

使之成为一个富有诱惑力的力量

I think that one of the things

我想宗教所

that religions got right

做对的一点就是

was the use of visual wonder

应用视觉奇观

to deliver a message.

去传达一个主题思想

I think this true marriage of art and information

我想这就是艺术和信息的最好结合。

is woefully underused in adult literature,

但令人遗憾的没有应用在成人文学中

and I'm mystified as to

我困惑于

why visual wealth is not more commonly used

为什么视觉财富没有得到更广泛的应用

to enhance intellectual wealth.

为了曾强理智的财富

When we look at works like this,

当我们看到像这样的作品时

we tend to associate them with children's literature.

我们倾向于把他和儿童作品联想起来

There's an implication that ornamental graphics

人们总是认为装饰性的图片

detract from the seriousness of the content.

降低了内容的严肃性

But I really hope to have the opportunity

但是我真心希望

to change that perception.

自己能有机会改变人们的这种感觉

This book is taking rather a long time,

这本书花了我很长时间

but I'm nearly done.

但是我就快达到那种境界

For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea

犹豫一些原因 我想现在

to put an intermission

稍微暂停一下

in my talk.

我的演讲

And this is it -- just to give you and me a moment to catch up.

只为给你一点时间去跟上我的思路

(Laughter)

（笑声）

So I do these valentines.

所以我做这些情人节卡片

I've been sending out valentines

从2005年起，

on a fairly large scale since 2005.

我开始制作大量的情人节卡片

These are my valentines

这些就是我在2005到2006年间

from 2005 and 2006.

做的情人节卡片

And I started by

我从做一个

doing just a single image like this

像这样简单的图片开始

and sending them out to each person.

把这些卡片送给每个人

But in 2007,

但是在2007年

I got the cockamamie idea

我有了手制情人节卡片

to hand-draw each valentine

这个难以置信的想法

for everyone on my mailing list.

每一个在我邮寄名单上的人

I reduced my mailing list to 150 people.

我将名单上的人数减少到150人

And I drew each person

然后为每个人画一张

their own unique valentine

他们独有的情人节卡片

and put their name on it

把他们的名字放在贺卡上

and numbered it and signed it and sent it out.

并签上日期和姓名寄出

Believe it or not, I devised this

不论你相不相信，

as a timesaving method.

我把这作为一种节约时间的方法

I was very busy in the beginning of that year,

在那年初我十分的忙

and I didn't know when I was going to find time

我不知到什么时候能够抽出时间

to design and print a single valentine.

去设计和打印出单张的情人节卡片

And I thought that I could kind of do this piecemeal

我想我可以把用在交通中的

as I was traveling.

零碎时间利用起来做这些作品

It didn't exactly work out that way.

但事实上没有那么顺利

There's a longer story to this,

这种方法花了我更长的时间

but I did get them all done in time,

但是我仍然在时限内完成了

and they were extremely well received.

并且得到了极好的反响

I got an almost 100 percent response rate.

我得到了几乎百分之百的回复率

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And those who didn't respond

那些不过回复的人

will never receive anything from me ever again.

让永远从我这里得不到任何东西

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Last year,

去年

I took a more conceptual approach to the valentine.

我用更概念化的做法设计了情人节贺卡

I had this idea that I wanted people

我有这个想法让人们

to receive a kind of

接受到一种

mysterious love letter,

神秘的情书

like a found fragment in their mailbox.

就好像在邮箱里找到一个纸片

I wanted it to be something

我希望这个纸片

that was not addressed to them

没有署名也

or signed by me,

也没有寄信人

something that caused them to wonder

这张纸片是他们疑惑

what on Earth this thing was.

这到底是什么东西？

And I specifically wrote

我特意写了

four pages that don't connect.

没有关联的四页纸

There were four different versions of this.

这有四个版本

And I wrote them

我使这些版本

so that they begin in the middle of a sentence,

从一句话之中开始

end in the middle of a sentence.

从一句话之中结束

And they're on the one hand, universal,

从另一种角度来说，他们能无限组合

so I avoid specific names or places,

所以我避免了一些名字或地点

but on the other hand, they're personal.

但是从另一个角度来说，他们是独特的。

So I wanted people to really get the sense that

所以，我希望人们能感到

they had received something that could have been

他们收到了一封

a love letter to them.

属于他的情书

And I'm just going to read one of them to you.

我来给你读一段

"You've never really been sure of this,

你从没有确信

but I can assure you that this quirk

但是我可以担保

you're so self-conscious of

你的自我意识

is intensely endearing.

是这样的美好

Just please accept that this piece of you

请收下这部分的你

escapes with your smile,

尤其是带着你的笑容

and those of us who notice

我们这些注意到这一点的人

are happy to catch it in passing.

很高兴接受并传达这一点

Time spent with you is like chasing and catching small birds,

和你在一起的时间就像同小鸟嬉戏

but without the scratches and bird shit."

但是没有那些抓伤和鸟屎

(Laughter)

（笑声）

"That is to say,

这就是说

your thoughts and words flit and dart,

你的思想和语言是不定的

disconcertedly elusive at times,

有时不安的让人难以琢磨

but when caught and examined --

但是当思想被抓住，被审查

ahh, such a wonder,

啊 真令人惊奇

such a delightful reward.

有这样一个令人愉快的回报

There's no passing time with you,

与你在一起的每一刻

only collecting --

都不仅仅是度过，而是我的珍藏

the collecting of moments with the hope for preservation

我希望珍藏这些时刻

and at the same time release.

同时也回味这些时刻

Impossible? I don't think so.

不可能？我不这样想

I know this makes you embarrassed.

我知道这令你尴尬

I'm certain I can see you blushing.

我确信我可以看到你在脸红

But I just have to tell you because

但是我必须告诉你

sometimes I hear your self-doubt,

因为有时候我听说你感到不自信

and it's so crushing to think

这真是一种悲伤的想法

that you may not know how truly wonderful you are,

因为你自己不知到你是多么美好的一个人

how inspiring and delightful

你是那样的给人以灵感和欢乐

and really, truly the most completely ..."

真的，你是最完美的

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（掌声）

So Valentine's Day

再过几天就是

is coming up in a couple of days,

情人节了

and these are currently arriving

这些贺卡将要

in mailboxes all around the world.

到达世界各地的信箱

This year, I got, what I really have to say

我必须讲讲我今年想出的

is a rather brilliant idea,

非常好的主意

to laser cut

用激光刀

my valentines

用激光刀从用过的圣诞节卡片中

out of used Christmas cards.

雕刻出新的卡片

So I solicited friends

所以我请求我的朋友

to send me their used Christmas cards,

讲他们过去的圣诞节卡片寄给我

and I made 500 of these.

我收到了500张卡片

Each one of them is completely different.

每个卡片都完全不同

I'm just really, really thrilled with them.

看到这些卡片我感到非常激动

I don't have that much else to say,

我没有什么别的语言形容

but they turned out really well.

但是做出来的结果十分好

I do spend a lot of time on my work.

我花了好多时间在制作上

And one of the things that I've been thinking about recently

我最近想的一件事

is what is worth while.

十分有价值

What is it that's worth spending my time on

这种形式的创作值得我投入时间

and my life on in this way?

甚至投入我的创作生涯么？

Working in the commercial world,

我要挣扎的工作在

this is something that I do have to struggle with at times.

商业世界中

And yes, sometimes I'm swayed by money.

对，有时候我为钱而动摇

But ultimately, I don't consider that a worthy goal.

但是我终究不认为钱是一个有价值的目标

What makes something worthwhile for me

让我的工作变的有价值的

is the people I work for or with,

是我为之工作的人，是同我一起工作的人

the conditions I work under

是我工作的环境

and the audience that I'm able to reach.

是我作品能够传达到的观众

So I might ask: "Who is it for?"

所以我问我自己，这作品是为谁而做？

"What does it say?"

这个作品

and "What does it do?"

这作品有什么用？

You know, I have to tell you, it's really difficult

我必须告诉你，像我这样的人

for someone like me to come up on stage

上到这样一个台面

at this conference

是很困难的

with these unbelievably brilliant minds,

面对的都是让人难以置信的奇思妙想，

who are thinking these

大家想的都是

really big-picture,

真正的大画面

world-changing, life-changing

来到这个舞台，这个会场

ideas and technologies.

主意和技术

And it's very, very common

设计师和

for designers and people in the visual arts

视觉艺术工作者

to feel that we're

常常感到自己

not contributing enough,

并没有做出足够的贡献

or worse, that all we're doing is

或者更糟，

contributing to landfill.

我们感到自己在制造垃圾

Here I am; I'm showing you

但我在这里向你们展示

some pretty visuals

一些漂亮图像

and talking about aesthetics.

然后讲述美学

But I've come to believe that

但是我开始相信

truly imaginative visual work

真正富有想象力的视觉作品

is extremely important in society.

对我们的社会是十分重要的

Just in the way that I'm inspired

就像我被

by books

书本、

and magazines of all kinds,

各种杂志

conversations I have, movies,

与他人的对话或电影启发的方式

so I also think,

所以我想

when I put visual work out there into the mass media,

当我把有趣的

work that is interesting, unusual,

不同寻常的

intriguing,

吸引人的

work that maybe opens up that sense

能够在脑中引起思索

of inquiry in the mind,

的作品放入大众媒体时

that I'm seeding the imagination of the populace.

我找寻民众的想像力

And you just never know who

你永远不知道

is going to take something from that

谁会从你的作品中获益

and turn it into something else,

用你的作品进行再创造

because inspiration

因为灵感的传播

is cross-pollinating.

类似花粉的传播

So a piece of mine

就像我的一部分

may inspire a playwright

会给一个剧作家

or a novelist or a scientist,

或者小说家，科学家以灵感

and that in turn may be the seed

然后这种灵感又变成一个种子

that inspires a doctor

来启发一个医生

or a philanthropist

或者一个慈善家

or a babysitter.

又或者一个保姆

And this isn't something that you can quantify

灵感不是一种你可以

or track or measure,

量化，追踪或者测量的东西

and we tend to undervalue things in society

我们倾向于低估

that we can't measure.

那些不可测量的事物的价值

But I really believe

但是我真的相信

that a fully operating, rich society

一个成熟并丰饶的社会

needs these seeds coming from all directions

需要各方面各文化背景

and all disciplines

带来的启发

in order to keep the gears of inspiration

去保持整个社会的

and imagination

灵感和想象力

flowing and cycling and growing.

不断循环般地的被激发

So that's why I do what I do,

这就是我做我想做的事情的原因

and why I spend so much time and effort on it,

也是我投入大量时间于其中的原因

and why I work in the commercial, public sphere,

这也是为什么我在商务和公共领域工作

as opposed to the isolated, private sphere

而不是单独的，自我的

of fine art:

创造艺术作品

because I want as many people as possible

因为我想让更多的人

to see my work, notice it, be drawn into it,

看到，注意到，和参与到我的作品种

and be able to take something from it.

并且从这一过程种获得一些东西

And I actually really feel that it's worthwhile

事实上我真的感到

to spend my valuable

像这样把我宝贵的

and limited time on this Earth

有限的存活在地球上的时间

in this way.

投入到这项事业中来 是有价值的

And I thank you for allowing me to show it to you.

感谢你们允许我将这一切展示给你

(Applause)

（鼓掌）