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

翻译人员: Qing Zhang 校对人员: Chunlei Chang

I was raised in Seoul, Korea,

我在韩国首尔长大

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

1999年来到纽约上大学

I was pre-med at the time,

那个时候我还是一名医学预科生

and I thought I would become a surgeon

我以为自己会成为外科医生

because I was interested in anatomy

因为我一直对解剖着迷

and dissecting animals really piqued my curiosity.

肢解动物总能激发我的好奇心。

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

同时，我彻底爱上了纽约。

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

我渐渐地发现自己可以将这座城市

as a living organism.

看作一个活生生的有机体。

I wanted to dissect it

我想要解剖它，

and look into its unseen layers.

看看里面不为所知的切面，

And the way to it, for me,

而对于我来说，想要达到这样的目的，

was through artistic means.

就要通过艺术途径。

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

所以最终我决定念艺术硕士，放弃了医学。

and in grad school I became interested

读研究生的时候我开始对

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

那些藏在城市隐秘角落里的生物感兴趣。

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

在纽约，老鼠几乎已经成了每日进出地铁站的人们的生活的一部人。

Most people ignore them or are frightened of them.

大多数人都无视它们，有些人害怕它们。

But I took a liking to them

我倒挺喜欢它们的，

because they dwell on the fringes of society.

因为它们处于社会边缘，

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

尽管它们在实验室里是发展人类生活的道具，

they're also considered pests.

但也时常被当作害虫。

I also started looking around in the city

我开始关心城市里的各个角落，

and trying to photograph them.

试着给它们留影。

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

有一天，我在地铁里拍摄铁轨，

hoping to catch a rat or two,

希望能在镜头里捕捉到一两只老鼠，

and a man came up to me and said,

一个男人走过来说，

"You can't take photographs here.

“你不能在这儿拍照，

The MTA will confiscate your camera."

捷运局会没收你的相机。”

I was quite shocked by that,

我吓了一跳，

and thought to myself, "Well, OK then.

只能对自己说，“哎，好吧。

I'll follow the rats."

我跟着老鼠走好了。”

Then I started going into the tunnels,

随后我就开始了自己的管道之旅，

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

一个全新的城市第一次展现在我的面前：

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

一个我从没见过，大部分人也不会见到的城市。

Around the same time, I met like-minded individuals

当然，也有和我想法相似的人。

who call themselves urban explorers, adventurers, spelunkers,

他们把自己称为城市探险者，冒险家，洞穴勘探者，

guerrilla historians, etc.

游击历史家等等。

I was welcomed into this loose, Internet-based network

在这个松散的，给予互联网的小团体里，我受到了人们的欢迎。

of people who regularly explore urban ruins

他们定期勘探城市废墟，

such as abandoned subway stations,

如废弃的地铁站，

tunnels, sewers, aqueducts,

地下管道，下水道，水渠，

factories, hospitals, shipyards and so on.

工厂，医院，造船厂等等。

When I took photographs in these locations,

我在这些地方拍照的时候

I felt there was something missing in the pictures.

总觉得照片里缺了点什么。

Simply documenting these soon-to-be-demolished structures

仅仅简单地纪录这些将要被推倒的结构，

wasn't enough for me.

是不够的。

So I wanted to create a fictional character

所以我想到创造一个虚构的角色，

or an animal that dwells in these underground spaces,

或者是住在这些地下空间里的动物。

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

而在那个时候，最简单的方法，

was to model myself.

就是我自己做模特。

I decided against clothing

我决定不包裹上自己，

because I wanted the figure to be without any cultural implications

因为我希望照片里的那个身影不带任何文化含义

or time-specific elements.

或特定的时间因素。

I wanted a simple way to represent a living body

我希望呈现最简单原始的人体，

inhabiting these decaying, derelict spaces.

在这些腐朽，被遗弃的空间中栖息。

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

这是在布鲁克林的红钩子地区的Riviera糖工厂拍摄的。

It's now an empty, six-acre lot

那是一个六英亩大的空厂

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

等待着被改造成新建的宜家商场对面的购物中心。

I was very fond of this space

我非常喜欢这个地方

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

因为那是第一个我自己发现的被废弃的

that is abandoned.

大型工业综合设施。

When I first went in, I was scared,

第一次迈进那里，我被吓了一条，

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

因为我听到犬吠，还以为它们是看家狗。

But they happened to be wild dogs living there,

不过还好它们只是附近的野狗。

and it was right by the water,

那家工厂就在河边，

so there were swans and ducks swimming around

所以还有天鹅和野鸭在周围嬉戏畅游，

and trees growing everywhere

到处都是树

and bees nesting in the sugar barrels.

糖罐子现在成了蜂窝桶。

The nature had really reclaimed the whole complex.

大自然彻底地重新占领了这整个地方。

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

某种程度上，我希望照片里的人类形象

to become a part of that nature.

可以成为大自然的一部分。

When I got comfortable in the space,

等我渐渐地融入了那个地方，

it also felt like a big playground.

就觉得它更像是一个大操场。

I would climb up the tanks and hop across exposed beams

我爬上那些大桶，在裸露的横梁间跳来跳去，

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

就像回到了小时候。

This was taken in the old Croton Aqueduct,

这张是在老Croton水渠拍的

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

那是第一条为纽约城提供自来水的管道。

The construction began in 1837.

1837年开始修建，

It lasted about five years.

五年后建成。

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

在1890年新Croton水渠建成后就被遗弃了。

When you go into spaces like this,

走入这样的空间，

you're directly accessing the past,

就像是穿越空间回到过去，

because they sit untouched for decades.

因为它们在那儿几十年都无人问起。

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

我喜欢这些历史悠久的空间里弥漫的灵气。

Instead of looking at reproductions of it at home,

与在坐在家里看复制品的感觉不同，

you're actually feeling the hand-laid bricks

你真的能够触摸到那些手工制作的墙砖，

and shimmying up and down narrow cracks

感觉到裂缝四周它们轻微的摇晃，

and getting wet and muddy

还会被水打湿，弄得满身是泥，

and walking in a dark tunnel with a flashlight.

或是在黑漆漆的地下道里拎着电筒散步。

This is a tunnel underneath Riverside Park.

这是Riverside公园下面的地下管道。

It was built in the 1930s by Robert Moses.

1930年由罗伯特·摩西斯指导建成。

The murals were done by a graffiti artist

这些壁画是一位涂鸦艺术家的作品，

to commemorate the hundreds of homeless people

用以纪念几百个在1991年

that got relocated from the tunnel in 1991

因为地道重新对火车开放而

when the tunnel reopened for trains.

被迫从地道迁走的流浪者。

Walking in this tunnel is very peaceful.

在这条地下道散步非常安静。

There's nobody around you,

四周空无一人，

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

甚至能听到孩子们就在上面的公园里嬉戏玩耍，

completely unaware of what's underneath.

完全不知道还有地下的世界。

When I was going out a lot to these places,

我去这些地方的时候

I was feeling a lot of anxiety and isolation

会感到扑面而来的忧虑和隔离感，

because I was in a solitary phase in my life,

因为那段时间我总是形影单只，

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

于是我决定把我的系列命名为“恶之城”，

which references Charles Baudelaire.

参照于波德莱尔。

"Naked City" is a nickname for New York,

“裸城”是纽约的昵称，

and "Spleen" embodies the melancholia and inertia

“恶”则象征着忧郁和困顿，

that come from feeling alienated in an urban environment.

被都市环境驱逐的感觉。

This is the same tunnel.

这是同一条地道，

You see the sunbeams coming from the ventilation ducts

你可以看到光线从通风管照射进来，

and the train approaching.

火车迎面驶来。

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

这是电影《地狱厨房》里那条废弃的地下道。

I was there alone, setting up,

我一个人在那里，为拍摄做准备。

and a homeless man approached.

一个流浪汉走近，

I was basically intruding in his living space.

我基本上算是入侵了他的生活空间。

I was really frightened at first,

开始的时候我真的很害怕，

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

但我镇定下来向他解释我是在做一个艺术项目，

and he didn't seem to mind

他完全不在意的样子，

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

所以我就继续工作，把相机设到自动拍摄模式，

and ran back and forth.

然后来回地跑。

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

等我拍好，他还给了我他的衬衫

to wipe off my feet

好让我把脚擦干净，

and kindly walked me out.

接着亲切地陪我走出去。

It must have been a very unusual day for him.

那对他来说可是不同寻常的一天啊！

(Laughter)

（笑）

One thing that struck me, after this incident,

这件事情之后我得到的最大启示，

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

就是这样的空间承担着太多的城市被删除的记忆。

That homeless man, to me, really represented

那个流浪汉，对我来说，真实地代表着

an element of the unconscious of the city.

城市无意识的元素。

He told me that he was abused above ground

他告诉我在地上，他受到的各种伤害，

and was once in Riker's Island,

有一次是在瑞克岛上，

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

最后他总算在那个空间寻找到了自己的安静与和谐。

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

地下道曾经是城市繁荣的成果，

but is now a sanctuary for outcasts,

而现在却成为了被驱逐者们的避难所，

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

他们完全被城市寄居者的每日生活抛在脑后。

This is underneath my alma mater, Columbia University.

这一切就发生在我所在的学校底下，哥伦比亚大学。

The tunnels are famous for having been used

这些地下道因其在曼哈顿项目的发展中

during the development of the Manhattan Project.

发挥的作用而闻名。

This particular tunnel is interesting

其中这条隧道尤其有趣。

because it shows the original foundations of Bloomingdale Insane Asylum,

它展现了布罗明达精神病院的原始地基。

which was demolished in 1890

1890年哥伦比亚大学搬进来的时候

when Columbia moved in.

精神病院就被拆除了。

This is the New York City Farm Colony,

这是纽约城殖民农场，

which was a poorhouse in Staten Island

它在1890年代到1930年代

from the 1890s to the 1930s.

是史丹顿岛上的一座救济院。

Most of my photos are set in places

我的大多数摄影作品都是在这些

that have been abandoned for decades,

被遗弃了几十年的地方拍摄的，

but this is an exception.

但这属于一个例外。

This children's hospital was closed in 1997;

这间儿童医院在1997年关闭，

it's located in Newark.

它位于纽瓦克市。

When I was there three years ago,

三年前我在那里的时候

the windows were broken and the walls were peeling,

窗子都碎了，墙壁斑驳，

but everything was left there as it was.

但那里的一切设施都还和原来一样。

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

你能看到解剖台，停尸台，X光机，

and even used utensils,

甚至用过的手术用具

which you see on the autopsy table.

还就摆在解剖台上。

After exploring recently-abandoned buildings,

在探索了新近被遗弃的建筑之后，

I felt that everything could fall into ruins very fast:

我感到世间的一切都能顷刻间化为废墟，

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

你的家，你的办公室，一家百货中心，一座教堂......

any man-made structures around you.

人和一座我们周围的人造建筑。

I was reminded of how fragile our sense of security is

这让我想起我们的安全感是多么脆弱，

and how vulnerable people truly are.

人类又是多么不堪一击。

I love to travel,

我爱旅行，

and Berlin has become one of my favorite cities.

柏林是我最爱的旅游地之一。

It's full of history,

它到处充满了历史，

and also full of underground bunkers

地下碉堡，

and ruins from the war.

以及战争留下的遗迹。

This was taken under a homeless asylum

这是在一个一家庇护所的地底下拍的。

built in 1885 to house 1,100 people.

庇护所在1885年建成，能容纳1,100人。

I saw the structure while I was on the train,

我在火车上看到了这座建筑，

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

就立刻在下一站下车并请车站的人

that gave me access to their catacomb-like basement,

为我指明了去他们那地下墓穴搬的地窖的路。

which was used for ammunition storage during the war

战争期间那里被作为武器储备库，

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

有的时候还藏着一批批犹太难民。

This is the actual catacombs in Paris.

这是一座巴黎真的墓穴。

I explored there extensively

我粗略地浏览了一下那里

in the off-limits areas

有限的空间，

and fell in love right away.

并立刻就爱上了那儿。

There are more than 185 miles of tunnels,

那里有185英里多的隧道，

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

而其中只有大概一英里作为博物馆对公众开放。

The first tunnels date back to 60 B.C.

最早建成的隧道可以追溯到公元前6年。

They were consistently dug as limestone quarries

他们通常是被作为石灰石采石场的，

and by the 18th century,

直到18世纪

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

因为一些采石场顶板坍塌造成了安全隐患

so the government ordered reinforcing of the existing quarries

于是被政府强制要求加固剩下的采石场，

and dug new observation tunnels

并且挖掘新的观测隧道

in order to monitor and map the whole place.

来监控并给这整个地方绘地图。

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

你可以看到，这个系统非常庞大复杂。

It's very dangerous to get lost in there.

总是有在里面走失的危险。

And at the same time,

同时，

there was a problem in the city with overflowing cemeteries.

城市里还存在墓地过多的问题，

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

所以很多尸骨都被从墓地搬进这些采石洞，

making them into the catacombs.

使它们成了真正意义上的地下墓穴。

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

600多万人的遗骨都被移居到那里，

some over 1,300 years old.

有些是驻扎了1,300年的老居民。

This was taken under the Montparnasse Cemetery

这是在蒙巴尔纳斯墓地的地下拍摄的

where most of the ossuaries are located.

大多数的藏尸堂都在那儿。

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

那里还有50年代用的电话电缆，

and many bunkers from the World War II era.

以及许多二战时代的碉堡。

This is a German bunker.

这是一个德国碉堡，

Nearby there's a French bunker,

附近还有一个法国碉堡，

and the whole tunnel system is so complex

正个隧道系统非常错综复杂，

that the two parties never met.

两方面始终都没遇上过。

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

这些隧道因为成为地下抵抗组织的基地而闻名，

which Victor Hugo wrote about in "Les Miserables."

就像维克多·雨果在《悲惨世界》中写道的那样。

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

我还看到了1800年代的涂鸦，比如这个。

After exploring the underground of Paris,

在发掘探索了巴黎的地下后

I decided to climb up,

我决定向上爬，

and I climbed a Gothic monument

与是我爬上了一座哥特纪念碑

that's right in the middle of Paris.

它就坐落于巴黎中心。

This is the Tower of Saint Jacques.

这是圣雅克塔，

It was built in the early 1500s.

是在1500年代的早些时候建的。

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

我真的不推荐你在一月裸着身子坐在滴水嘴上，

It was not very comfortable. (Laughter)

那可不大舒服。

And all this time,

在这整个过程中

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

我一直老鼠也没看到，

until recently, when I was in the London sewers.

直到最近我在伦敦逛下水道。

This was probably the toughest place to explore.

这可能是最难探索的地方了。

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

因为迎面而来的毒气，我必须得带上防毒面具

I guess, except for in this picture.

我猜除了在这张照片里。

And when the tides of waste matter come in

当废弃物的大浪冲进来时，

it sounds as if a whole storm is approaching you.

就像一场剧烈的暴风雨朝你袭来。

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

这张景物照来自我最近做的一部影片，《盲门》。

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

我开始对捕捉动作和质地愈加感兴趣。

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

16毫米黑白胶卷带给照片一种不同寻常的氛围。

And this is the first theater project I worked on.

这是我的第一个剧院项目。

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

我改编并制作了奥古斯特·史特林柏的《一场梦戏》

It was performed last September one time only

唯一一次表演是在去年九月，

in the Atlantic Avenue tunnel in Brooklyn,

在布鲁克林的亚特兰大大街隧道，

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

那里一直被认定为世界上最古老的火车隧道，

built in 1844.

是1844年建的。

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

最近，我都倾向于这些合作性的项目。

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

但只要有机会，我还是会做自己的系列作品。

The last place I visited

上一个探索的地方是

was the Mayan ruins of Copan, Honduras.

洪都拉斯考潘市的玛雅遗迹。

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

这是在主庙的考古隧道里拍的。

I like doing more than just exploring these spaces.

我不仅喜欢探索这些地方，

I feel an obligation to animate and humanize these spaces continually

更觉得背负着不离不弃地给这些地方注入人性与活力的责任，

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

用一种创新的方式，在它们的记忆永远失落之前

before they're lost forever.

将它们保存下来。

Thank you.

谢谢！