Jae Rhim Lee: My mushroom burial suit

翻译人员: Lili Liang 校对人员: Chunxiang Qian

So I'm here to explain

我来解释一下

why I'm wearing these ninja pajamas.

为什么我穿着这样一套忍者睡衣

And to do that, I'd like to talk first

我想首先谈谈我们体内含有的

about environmental toxins in our bodies.

对环境有害的毒素

So some of you may know

你们可能有人知道

about the chemical Bisphenol A, BPA.

一种叫双酚A或BPA的化学物质

It's a material hardener and synthetic estrogen

这是一种存在于罐装食品保护膜

that's found in the lining of canned foods

和某些塑料制品中的

and some plastics.

材料硬化剂和合成雌性激素

So BPA mimics the body's own hormones

BPA模仿人体内激素

and causes neurological and reproductive problems.

造成神经和生育方面的问题

And it's everywhere.

到处都是这种物质

A recent study found BPA

近期一项研究表明

in 93 percent of people six and older.

在6岁和6岁以上的人群有93%体内都含有BPA

But it's just one chemical.

这还只是一种化学物质

The Center for Disease Control in the U.S.

美国疾病控制中心公布

says we have 219 toxic pollutants in our bodies,

人们体内存在219种有毒物质

and this includes preservatives, pesticides

其中包括防腐剂 杀虫剂

and heavy metals like lead and mercury.

以及铅和汞等重金属

To me, this says three things.

在我看来 这说明了三点

First, don't become a cannibal.

第一 千万别吃人肉

Second, we are both responsible for and the victims of

第二 我们既是污染制造者

our own pollution.

又是污染的受害者

And third,

第三

our bodies are filters and storehouses

我们的身体成为了环境毒素的

for environmental toxins.

过滤器和储藏室

So what happens to all these toxins when we die?

那么我们死后 这些毒素怎么办呢

The short answer is:

简单地说

They return to the environment in one way or another,

这些毒素会通过各种途径回到环境

continuing the cycle of toxicity.

持续循环

But our current funeral practices

然而 我们所进行的丧礼仪式

make the situation much worse.

却加剧了形势的恶化

If you're cremated,

如果你被火化

all those toxins I mentioned are released into the atmosphere.

我所提到的所有有毒物质都会被释放到大气中

And this includes 5,000 pounds of mercury

其中包括每年用于补牙的

from our dental fillings alone every year.

5000磅的汞

And in a traditional American funeral,

传统的美国葬礼上

a dead body is covered with fillers and cosmetics

人们往往会给遗体化妆打蜡

to make it look alive.

让遗体看起来有栩栩如生

It's then pumped with toxic formaldehyde

接着遗体被浸泡在有毒的福尔马林中

to slow decomposition --

以防止腐败

a practice which causes respiratory problems and cancer

这一做法会使殡仪人员的呼吸系统出现问题

in funeral personnel.

并导致癌症

So by trying to preserve our dead bodies,

我们为保存遗体做了重重工作

we deny death, poison the living

结果只是粉饰死亡 毒害生灵

and further harm the environment.

进而破坏了环境

Green or natural burials, which don't use embalming,

无遗体防腐处理的绿色自然埋葬

are a step in the right direction,

方向是对的

but they don't address the existing toxins in our bodies.

但是这种方法并不能解决我们体内毒素的问题

I think there's a better solution.

我想到了一个更好的方法

I'm an artist,

我是一个艺术家

so I'd like to offer a modest proposal

我把艺术 科学 文化结合在一起

at the intersection

提出一个

of art, science and culture.

谦卑的建议

The Infinity Burial Project,

无极入葬计划

an alternative burial system

这是一种采用蘑菇

that uses mushrooms

来分解并清除

to decompose and clean toxins in bodies.

遗体内有毒物质的入葬方法

The Infinity Burial Project

无限入葬计划

began a few years ago with a fantasy

始于几年前

to create the Infinity Mushroom --

创造无极蘑菇的设想

a new hybrid mushroom

这是一种新型杂交蘑菇

that would decompose bodies, clean the toxins

它能够分解尸体 清除毒素

and deliver nutrients to plant roots,

并将养分输送给植物的根系

leaving clean compost.

只留下无害的降解物

But I learned it's nearly impossible

可惜 我后来知道

to create a new hybrid mushroom.

创造这样的蘑菇几乎是不可能的

I also learned

我还得知

that some of our tastiest mushrooms

一些最可口的蘑菇

can clean environmental toxins in soil.

能够清洁土壤中的毒素

So I thought maybe I could train an army

于是我想 或许我能够训练

of toxin-cleaning edible mushrooms

一支清除毒素的食用蘑菇军团

to eat my body.

来吃掉我的遗体

So today, I'm collecting what I shed or slough off --

现在 我把身上褪掉的物质收集起来

my hair, skin and nails --

比如我的毛发 皮 指甲

and I'm feeding these to edible mushrooms.

喂给我这些食用蘑菇

As the mushrooms grow,

等它们长大了

I pick the best feeders

我会挑出最能吃的蘑菇

to become Infinity Mushrooms.

来做我的无极蘑菇

It's a kind of imprinting and selective breeding process

这是一种为来生所做的

for the afterlife.

胚教和选择性培育过程

So when I die,

我死后

the Infinity Mushrooms will recognize my body

无极蘑菇能够识别我的身体

and be able to eat it.

并把它吃掉

All right, so for some of you,

对于大家有些人

this may be really, really out there.

这可能非常骇人听闻

(Laughter)

（众人笑）

Just a little.

有一点吧

I realize this is not the kind of relationship

我意识到 我们一般不会热衷于

that we usually aspire to have with our food.

与我们的食物建立这样的关系

We want to eat, not be eaten by, our food.

我们吃食物 而不是被食物吃掉

But as I watch the mushrooms grow

然而 但我看着这些蘑菇长大

and digest my body,

分解我的身体

I imagine the Infinity Mushroom

我把这无极蘑菇

as a symbol of a new way of thinking about death

想像成看待死亡的一种新方式

and the relationship between my body and the environment.

以及我的身体与环境的关系

See for me,

对于我而言

cultivating the Infinity Mushroom

培育无极蘑菇

is more than just scientific experimentation

并不仅仅只是科学试验

or gardening or raising a pet,

或是养植物养宠物

it's a step towards accepting the fact

而是直面现实

that someday I will die and decay.

承认我总有一天会死去并腐烂

It's also a step

这也是

towards taking responsibility

我为地球

for my own burden on the planet.

承担起自己应尽的一部分义务

Growing a mushroom is also part of a larger practice

种植蘑菇也是

of cultivating decomposing organisms

以培育拥有分解能力的有机体

called decompiculture,

即“分解种植术” 的手段之一

a concept that was developed by an entomologist,

这一概念是由昆虫学家

Timothy Myles.

Timothy Myles提出的

The Infinity Mushroom is a subset of decompiculture

无极蘑菇是分解种植的一个子集

I'm calling body decompiculture and toxin remediation --

人体分解种植和毒素清除法

the cultivation of organisms that decompose

就是培育能够分解并清除

and clean toxins in bodies.

遗体中毒素的有机生物

And now about these ninja pajamas.

现在我们看看这些忍者睡衣

Once it's completed,

一旦完成这些睡衣

I plan to integrate the Infinity Mushrooms into a number of objects.

我打算用无极蘑菇达到许多目的

First, a burial suit

首先 一套

infused with mushroom spores,

布满蘑菇孢子的寿衣

the Mushroom Death Suit.

即“蘑菇寿衣”

(Laughter)

（众人笑）

I'm wearing the second prototype

我所穿的 是这种寿衣

of this burial suit.

第二阶段的雏形

It's covered with a crocheted netting

衣服上覆盖着钩制的网

that is embedded with mushroom spores.

蘑菇孢子就嵌在这些网丝中

The dendritic pattern you see

这树状图形

mimics the growth of mushroom mycelia,

仿照菌丝的形态

which are the equivalent of plant roots.

相当于植物的根部

I'm also making a decompiculture kit,

我还在制作一个

a cocktail of capsules

分解种植服

that contain Infinity Mushroom spores

将装有蘑菇孢子

and other elements

和加速分解化毒元素的胶囊

that speed decomposition and toxin remediation.

嵌在一起

These capsules are embedded in a nutrient-rich jelly,

这些胶囊被嵌在一层富有养料的凝胶物中

a kind of second skin,

相当于第二层皮肤

which dissolves quickly

它会很快被分解

and becomes baby food for the growing mushrooms.

成为蘑菇生长的养料

So I plan to finish the mushroom and decompiculture kit

我计划在一到两年内完成蘑菇的种植

in the next year or two,

以及分解种植服

and then I'd like to begin testing them,

接着我会进行测试

first with expired meat from the market

首先用过期的肉来试验

and then with human subjects.

然后再用人体部分

And believe it or not,

信不信由你

a few people have offered to donate their bodies to the project

已经有不少人志愿为这个项目

to be eaten by mushrooms.

把遗体捐出来让蘑菇吃掉

(Laughter)

（众人笑）

What I've learned from talking to these folks

在与这些人交谈的过程中

is that we share a common desire

我得知我们都渴望

to understand and accept death

了解并接受死亡

and to minimize the impact of our death on the environment.

最大程度降低我们的死给环境带来的影响

I wanted to cultivate this perspective

我希望能够像培植蘑菇一样

just like the mushrooms,

培植这种理念

so I formed the Decompiculture Society,

所以我建立了分解种植术社团

a group of people called decompinauts

这个组织的成员被称为“分解先锋”

who actively explore their postmortem options,

他们大胆进行后现代行动

seek death acceptance

力求接受死亡

and cultivate decomposing organisms

种植有分解能力的有机物

like the Infinity Mushroom.

比如无极蘑菇

The Decompiculture Society shares a vision

分解种植社团

of a cultural shift,

改变了现有的态度

from our current culture of death denial and body preservation

摒弃对死亡的否认或对人体进行防腐处理

to one of decompiculture,

赞同分解种植术

a radical acceptance of death and decomposition.

理智地接受死亡和遗体分解

Accepting death means accepting

接受死亡意味着

that we are physical beings

承认我们的身体是有物质组成的

who are intimately connected to the environment,

与环境密切相关

as the research on environmental toxins confirms.

环境毒素研究证实了这一点

And the saying goes,

有句话说得好

we came from dust and will return to dust.

我们来于尘土 归于尘土

And once we understand that we're connected to the environment,

一旦明白了我们与环境紧密相关

we see that the survival of our species

我们就能明白人类的存亡

depends on the survival of the planet.

取决于地球的存亡

I believe this is the beginning

我相信这是

of true environmental responsibility.

对环境切实负责的第一步

Thank you.

感谢大家

(Applause)

（众人鼓掌）