Alec Soth + Stacey Baker: This is what enduring love looks like

翻译人员: Wei Wu 校对人员: Huazhe Xie

Alec Soth: So about 10 years ago, I got a call from a woman in Texas,

Alec Soth: 大概十年前， 我收到德州一位女士的电话，

Stacey Baker,

就是她，Stacey Baker。

and she'd seen some of my photographs in an art exhibition

她在一场艺术展上看过我的一些摄影作品，

and was wondering if she could commission me to take a portrait of her parents.

然后想问是否可以请我为她的父母拍照。

Now, at the time I hadn't met Stacey, and I thought this was some sort of

当时，我还没有见到Stacey， 我本以为她会是

wealthy oil tycoon and I'd struck it rich,

某位石油大亨，让我一夜暴富。

but it was only later that I found out

然而后来我很快发现，

she'd actually taken out a loan to make this happen.

她实际上是贷款来完成这个拍摄的。

I took the picture of her parents,

我为她父母拍摄了照片，

but I was actually more excited about photographing Stacey.

但实际上我对拍摄Stacey更感兴趣。

The picture I made that day

当日我拍下的这张照片，

ended up becoming one of my best-known portraits.

最后成为了我最出名的人像摄影作品之一。

At the time I made this picture, Stacey was working as an attorney

我拍这张照片的时候， Stacey是德州的一位律师。

for the State of Texas.

Not long after, she left her job to study photography in Maine,

不久之后，她辞去工作， 去缅因州学习摄影。

and while she was there, she ended up meeting

在那期间， 她遇到了纽约时报杂志的一名摄影指导，

the director of photography at the New York Times Magazine

and was actually offered a job.

并得到了一份工作。

Stacey Baker: In the years since, Alec and I have done

Stacey Baker: 那之后很多年里，

a number of magazine projects together,

Alec和我一起完成了很多杂志摄影项目。

and we've become friends.

而且我们成为了朋友。

A few months ago, I started talking to Alec about a fascination of mine.

几个月前， 我给Alec讲述了我非常着迷的一个领域。

I've always been obsessed with how couples meet.

我一直痴迷于研究夫妇是如何相遇的。

I asked Alec how he and his wife Rachel met,

我问Alec是如何和他妻子Rachel相遇的，

and he told me the story of a high school football game

他给我讲述了一个高中橄榄球赛的故事。

where she was 16 and he was 15,

当时她16岁，他15岁，

and he asked her out.

他约她出去，

He liked her purple hair.

他喜欢她紫色的头发，

She said yes, and that was it.

她同意了，就是这样而已。

I then asked Alec if he'd be interested in doing a photography project

然后我问Alec他是否感兴趣做一个摄影项目

exploring this question.

来探索这个问题。

AS: And I was interested in the question, but I was actually much more interested

Alec Soth: 我对这个话题感兴趣， 但我更感兴趣的是

in Stacey's motivation for asking it,

Stacey 询问的动机。

particularly since I'd never known Stacey to have a boyfriend.

尤其是因为我从没听说 Stacey 有男朋友。

So as part of this project, I thought it'd be interesting

所以作为这个项目的一部分，

我想如果她可以开始约会应该很有意思。

if she tried to meet someone.

So my idea was to have Stacey here go speed dating

所以我的想法是让 Stacey 参加速配约会，

in Las Vegas on Valentine's Day.

去拉斯维加斯，在情人节当天。

(Laughter) (Applause) (Music)

（笑声）（掌声）（音乐）

SB: We ended up at what was advertised as the world's largest speed dating event.

Stacey Baker: 我们最后参加了 被宣传为世界最大规模速配约会的活动。

I had 19 dates

我经历了19个约会，

and each date lasted three minutes.

每个三分钟。

Participants were given a list of ice- breaker questions to get the ball rolling,

参加者会得到一张清单， 写着各种用来打破沉默的问题

things like, "If you could be any kind of animal, what would you be?"

问题例如 “如果你可以成为一种动物， 你会选择什么？”

That sort of thing.

诸如此类。

My first date was Colin.

我的第一个约会对象是Colin，

He's from England,

他来自英国，

and he once married a woman he met after placing an ad for a Capricorn.

他在张贴“想认识摩羯座的女孩”的广告后， 遇见了前妻。

Alec and I saw him at the end of the evening,

Alec 和我在那晚结束时看到了他，

and he said he'd kissed a woman in line at one of the concession stands.

他说他亲吻了一位在小卖部排队的女士。

Zack and Chris came to the date-a-thon together.

Zack 和 Chris 是一起来参加这场约会马拉松的。

This is Carl.

这位是Carl。

I asked Carl, "What's the first thing you notice about a woman?"

我问Carl，“对一个女人，你首先关注的是什么？”

He said, "Tits."

他说，“乳房。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Matthew is attracted to women with muscular calves.

Matthew 喜欢女人的小腿肌肉。

We talked about running. He does triathlons, I run half-marathons.

我们聊了跑步。 他参加三项全能，我参加半程马拉松。

Alec actually liked his eyes and asked if I was attracted to him, but I wasn't,

Alec 很喜欢他的眼睛， 问我有没有被他吸引，我说：没有。

and I don't think he was attracted to me either.

而且我想我也没有吸引到他。

Austin and Mike came together.

Austin 和 Mark 是一起来参加的。

Mike asked me a hypothetical question.

Mike 问我了一个假设性问题。

He said, "You're in an elevator running late for a meeting.

他说，“如果你在一架电梯里， 参加会议要迟到了，

Someone makes a dash for the elevator.

这时候有个人想冲进电梯，

Do you hold it open for them?"

你会等他上来后再关门吗？”

And I said I would not.

我回答说不会。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Cliff said the first thing he notices about a woman is her teeth,

Cliff 说他会先注意到女人的牙齿，

and we complimented each other's teeth.

我们称赞了对方的牙齿。

Because he's an open mouth sleeper,

因为他是那种张嘴睡觉的人，

he says he has to floss more to help prevent gum disease,

他说他需要更频繁地使用牙线， 以预防牙周病。

and so I asked him how often he flosses,

所以我问他用牙线有多频繁，

and he said, "Every other day."

然后他回答说，“两天一次。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Now, as someone who flosses twice a day,

作为一个一天用两次牙线的人，

I wasn't really sure that that was flossing more

我不是太确定这算是更频繁的使用，

but I don't think I said that out loud.

但是我应该没有说出口。

Bill is an auditor,

Bill 是一位审计师。

and we talked the entire three minutes about auditing. (Laughter)

然后我们三分钟全程都在讨论审计。 （笑声）

The first thing Spencer notices about a woman is her complexion.

Spencer 首先注意到女人的会是她的面色。

He feels a lot of women wear too much makeup,

他觉得很多女人妆化得太重了，

and that they should only wear enough to accentuate the features that they have.

他觉得女人只应该适当强调特征部位就可以。

I told him I didn't wear any makeup at all

我告诉他，我一点妆也没化，

and he seemed to think that that was a good thing.

他看上去觉得这是件好事。

Craig told me he didn't think I was willing to be vulnerable.

Craig 告诉我， 他觉得我是不愿意脆弱的人。

He was also frustrated when I couldn't remember my most embarrassing moment.

对于我不能回想起人生中最尴尬时刻， 他感到很受挫。

He thought I was lying, but I wasn't.

他觉得我在说谎，但我并没有。

I didn't think he liked me at all, but at the end of the night,

我一点也没觉得他喜欢我， 但是那晚结束时，

he came back to me and he gave me a box of chocolates.

他来找我了，还送给了我一盒巧克力。

William was really difficult to talk to.

和 William 很难交谈，

I think he was drunk.

我觉得他喝多了。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Actor Chris McKenna was the MC of the event.

演员 Chris McKenna 是活动的司仪，

He used to be on "The Young and the Restless."

他曾出演过“不安分的青春”。

I didn't actually go on a date with him.

我实际上并没有和他约会。

Alec said he saw several women give their phone numbers to him.

Alec 说他看到一些女性 把自己的电话号码给了 Chris。

Needless to say, I didn't fall in love.

毋庸置疑，我没有坠入爱河。

I didn't feel a particular connection with any of the men that I went on dates with,

我没有对约会的任何一位男士有特别的感觉，

and I didn't feel like they felt a particular connection with me either.

也没感到他们对我有特殊的感觉。

AS: Now, the most beautiful thing to me --

Alec Soth: 作为一位摄影师， 对我来说最美好的事情--

(Laughter) -- as a photographer is the quality of vulnerability.

（笑声）就是脆弱的特质。

The physical exterior reveals a crack in which you can get a glimpse

生理性质的外部展示出裂痕，

at a more fragile interior.

由此可以窥见一个更加脆弱的内心。

At this date-a-thon event, I saw so many examples of that,

在这场约会马拉松上， 我看到了许许多多这样的例子，

but as I watched Stacey's dates and talked to her about them,

但是我看着 Stacey 的约会对象， 对着她介绍自己，

I realized how different photographic love is from real love.

我意识到照片下的爱 和真实中的爱是多么的不同。

What is real love? How does it work?

什么是真实的爱？它如何作用？

In order to work on this question and to figure out how someone goes

为了解决这个问题，

from meeting on a date to having a life together,

为了找寻人们是如何从约会到一起生活的答案，

Stacey and I went to Sun City Summerlin,

Stacey 和我去了太阳城，

which is the largest retirement community in Las Vegas.

它是拉斯维加斯最大的退休人群居住社区。

Our contact there was George, who runs the community's photography club.

我们在那的联系人是George， 他经营社区的摄影俱乐部。

He arranged for us to meet other couples in their makeshift photo studio.

他在简易摄影工作室里， 为我们安排了与其他夫妇的见面。

SB: After 45 years of marriage, Anastasia's husband died two years ago,

Stacey Baker: 经过了45年的婚姻生活， Anastasia 的丈夫于两年前去世了。

so we asked if she had an old wedding picture.

所以我们问她能否提供以前的结婚照片。

She met her husband when she was a 15-year-old waitress

她遇见他的丈夫的时候， 她是一位15岁的服务生，

at a small barbecue place in Michigan.

在密歇根一家小烧烤店工作。

He was 30.

他当时30岁。

She'd lied about her age.

她谎报了年龄。

He was the first person she'd dated.

他是她约会的第一个人。

Dean had been named photographer of the year in Las Vegas two years in a row,

Dean 曾连续两年在拉斯维加斯 被称为年度摄影师。

and this caught Alec's attention,

这引起了 Alec 的关注。

as did the fact that he met his wife, Judy,

事实上，Dean 遇见他妻子 Judy 时的年龄，

at the same age when Alec met Rachel.

与 Alec 遇见 Rachel 时的年龄一样。

Dean admitted that he likes to look at beautiful women,

Dean 承认他喜欢看漂亮的的女人，

but he's never questioned his decision to marry Judy.

但是他从未对自己选择 Judy 产生过疑问。

AS: George met Josephine at a parish dance.

Alec Soth: George 是在教区舞会上 遇到 Josephine 的。

He was 18, she was 15.

当时他18岁，她15岁。

Like a lot of the couples we met, they weren't especially philosophical

如同我们遇到的很多夫妇一样，

在一开始选择时，他们没有特别的理性。

about their early choices.

George said something that really stuck with me.

George 说的话让我特别难以忘怀，

He said, "When you get that feeling, you just go with it."

他说，“当你有感觉时，就跟着感觉走。”

Bob and Trudy met on a blind date when she was still in high school.

Bob 和 Trudy 在一场初次约会中相遇， 当时她还在高中。

They said they weren't particularly attracted to each other

他们说他们在初次见面时，并没有特别互相吸引。

when the first met.

Nevertheless, they were married soon after.

然而，他们之后很快结婚了。

SB: The story that stayed with me the most

Stacey Baker: 我印象最深的故事

was that of George, the photography club president, and his wife, Mary.

是 George，摄影俱乐部会长， 和他的妻子，Mary。

This was George and Mary's second marriage.

这是 George 和 Mary 的第二次婚姻。

They met at a country-western club in Louisville, Kentucky called the Sahara.

他们一个叫撒哈拉的西部俱乐部相遇， 俱乐部在肯塔基的路易斯维尔。

He was there alone drinking and she was with friends.

当时他独自在那喝酒， 而她和她的朋友们一起。

When they started dating, he owed the IRS 9,000 dollars in taxes,

当他们开始约会时， 他欠国税局9000美金税款。

and she offered to help him get out of debt,

她提出要帮助他还上负债。

so for the next year, he turned his paychecks over to Mary,

所以之后的一年， 他把自己的薪水上交给Mary，

and she got him out of debt.

然后她帮他走出了负债困境。

George was actually an alcoholic when they married, and Mary knew it.

事实上，他们结婚时，George 是个酒鬼， 而 Mary 也知道此事。

At some point in their marriage, he says he consumed

在婚姻生活中的一段日子里，

54 beers in one day.

他说自己可以一天喝下 54 瓶啤酒。

Another time, when he was drunk, he threatened to kill Mary

还有一次，他喝醉了， 曾威胁要杀了 Mary 和她的两个孩子。

and her two kids,

but they escaped and a SWAT team was called to the house.

她们逃走了，找了特警队来家里。

Amazingly, Mary took him back,

令人惊讶的是，Mary 把他从深渊里拉了上来，

and eventually things got better.

最后，一切都变好了。

George has been involved in Alcoholics Anonymous

George 参加了匿名戒酒互助会，

and hasn't had a drink in 36 years.

而且他已经 36 年没有再喝酒了。

(Music)

（音乐）

At the end of the day, after we left Sun City,

那天结束时， 我们离开了太阳城之后，

I told Alec that I didn't actually think

我对 Alec 说，

实际上，我没觉得这些夫妇的相遇 本身有多么有趣。

that the stories of how these couples met were all that interesting.

What was more interesting

其实更加有趣的是，

was how they managed to stay together.

他们如何一直生活在一起。

AS: They all had this beautiful quality of endurance,

Alec Soth: 他们都拥有忍耐这种美好品质，

but that was true of the singles, too.

然而，单身人士也是如此。

The world is hard, and the singles were out there

俗世艰难， 单身者独自在那，

trying to connect with other people,

尝试与他人接触。

and the couples were holding onto each other

而夫妻在经历岁月后，

after all these decades.

依旧紧握彼此。

My favorite pictures on this trip were of Joe and Roseanne.

这趟旅程中我最爱的照片， 是 Joe 和 Roseanne 的。

Now, by the time we met Joe and Roseanne,

在我们遇到 Joe 和 Roseanne 时，

we'd gotten in the habit of asking couples if they had an old wedding photograph.

我们习惯于问夫妇俩有没有一张老结婚照。

In their case, they simultaneously pulled out of their wallets

对此，他们俩同时从钱包里 拿出了一模一样的照片。

the exact same photograph.

我问我自己，哪一个更美呢？

What's more beautiful, I thought to myself,

this image of a young couple who has just fallen in love

是这张年轻夫妻刚刚坠入爱河的照片？

or the idea of these two people holding onto this image for decades?

还是二人紧握这张照片度过如此多年？

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）