Gabriel Barcia-Colombo: Capturing memories in video art

Translator: Thu-Huong Ha Reviewer: Morton Bast

翻译人员: Li Li 校对人员: Ricki Xie

I love to collect things.

我喜欢收集东西。

Ever since I was a kid, I've had massive collections

从我小时候起，我就有一大堆的收集品

of random stuff, everything from bizarre hot sauces

什么都收集，不管是来自世界各地的怪味辣椒酱

from all around the world to insects

还是各种昆虫

that I've captured and put in jars.

我都会收集放进瓶子里。

Now, it's no secret, because I like collecting things,

现在你们都知道了，因为我喜欢收集

that I love the Natural History Museum

所以我喜欢自然历史博物馆

and the collections of animals

还有里面收集到的

at the Natural History Museum in dioramas.

制成立体模型的各种动物。

These, to me, are like living sculptures, right,

这些对我来说就是有着生命的雕像，

that you can go and look at,

没错，你可以去看一看，

and they memorialize a specific point of time

他们捕捉下了这些动物

in this animal's life.

生命中的某些特定的时刻

So I was thinking about my own life,

所以我就会思考我自己的生活，

and how I'd like to memorialize my life, you know,

想一想我要怎样去记录我的生活，

for the ages, and also — (Laughter) —

给未来的人看，同时，——（笑声）——

the lives of my friends, but

也记录我朋友的生活，但是

the problem with this is that my friends aren't quite keen

问题就在于我的朋友都不太热衷于

on the idea of me taxidermy-ing them. (Laughter)

把他们“标本化”这一想法。（笑声）

So instead, I turned to video,

所以其而代之的，我选择录像这个方式，

and video is the next best way to preserve and memorialize

录像是保存和记录人类的另一个最佳选择

someone and to capture a specific moment in time.

可以及时抓住特定的某一瞬间。

So what I did was, I filmed six of my friends

所以我所做的，就是拍下我的六个朋友的录像

and then, using video mapping and video projection,

然后，用全景显示和视频投影，

I created a video sculpture, which was these six friends

我做出了一个视频版的雕像，

projected into jars. (Laughter)

这就是我放映在瓶中的六个朋友。（笑声）

So now I have this collection of my friends

现在我“收集”了这些朋友

I can take around with me whenever I go,

我就能带着他们到处走了，

and this is called Animalia Chordata,

这就叫“Animalia Chordata”，

from the Latin nomenclature for

它是拉丁语，意思就是

human being, classification system.

人类分类系统。

So this piece memorializes my friends in these jars,

这件作品将我的朋友们记录在这些瓶子里，

and they actually move around. (Laughter)

而且他们可以动来动去的。（笑声）

So, this is interesting to me,

这对我来说挺有趣的，

but it lacked a certain human element. (Laughter)

但还缺少了某些人类的元素。（笑声）

It's a digital sculpture, so I wanted to add

这是个数码雕像，所以

an interaction system. So what I did was,

我增加了一个互动系统。

I added a proximity sensor, so that when you get close

我加了一个距离传感器，所以当你接近

to the people in jars, they react to you in different ways.

这些瓶中人的时候，他们会有不同的反应。

You know, just like people on the street

就像你接近

when you get too close to them.

大街上的人一样。

Some people reacted in terror. (Laughter)

有些人的反应会显得很恐慌。（笑声）

Others reacted in asking you for help,

有些人的反应是请求你的帮助，

and some people hide from you.

有些人则会躲着你。

So this was really interesting to me, this idea of

这个想法真的很有趣，

taking video off the screen and putting it in real life,

既能把屏幕上的视频拿下来放到现实生活中，

and also adding interactivity to sculpture.

又能和这些雕像进行互动。

So over the next year, I documented 40 of my other friends

到了第二年，我制作了另外40个朋友“标本”

and trapped them in jars as well

然后也把他们“收集”在我的瓶子里

and created a piece known as Garden,

然后将这件作品取名“花园”，

which is literally a garden of humanity.

意指一个集合了不同人性的花园。

But something about the first piece,

但我的第一件作品，

the Animali Chordata piece, kept coming back to me,

那件“Animali Chordata”，却一直浮现在我眼前，

this idea of interaction with art,

我不断思考和艺术进行互动这一想法，

and I really liked the idea of people being able to interact,

说真的我很喜欢人与艺术之间进行互动这一想法，

and also being challenged by interacting with art.

同时也享受在这过程中所遇到的挑战。

So I wanted to create a new piece that actually

所以我想要制作另一件作品

forced people to come and interact with something,

一件能够促使人们去和别的事物进行互动的作品，

and the way I did this was actually by projecting

我还是采用投影的方式

a 1950s housewife into a blender. (Laughter)

将一个上世纪50年代的家庭主妇放进了搅拌机。（笑声）

This is a piece called Blend, and what it does is

这件作品叫“搅拌机”，它用暗示的方法

it actually makes you implicit in the work of art.

让你参与到这件作品中。

You may never experience the entire thing yourself.

你可能从未经历过这种事情。

You can walk away, you can just watch as this character

你可以走掉，也可以单单看着这个主妇

stands there in the blender and looks at you,

看她站在搅拌机中和你深情对望

or you can actually choose to interact with it.

又或者你可以选择“调侃”她一下。

So if you do choose to interact with the piece,

如果你选择了后者，

and you press the blender button, it actually sends

那么你就按下“搅拌”这个按钮，

this character into this dizzying disarray of dishevelment.

它就会将这个主妇搅得天崩地裂，天旋地转，天昏地暗。

By doing that, you are now part of my piece.

当你这样做的时候，你就成为了作品的一部分了。

You, like the people that are trapped in my work

你就像其他被我困在瓶中的人一样

— (Blender noises, laughter) —

——（搅拌机的声音，笑声）——

have become part of my work as well. (Laughter)

也都成为我作品的一部分。（笑声）

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（掌声）

But, but this seems a bit unfair, right?

但，这样好像有点不公平，对吧？

I put my friends in jars, I put this character,

我把朋友放进瓶子里，我把这个家庭主妇也放进去，

this sort of endangered species character in a blender.

把这种濒临绝种的生物放进搅拌器里。

But I'd never done anything about myself.

但我从来没拿过我自己开刀。

I'd never really memorialized myself.

我从没有记录过自己。

So I decided to create a piece which is a self-portrait piece.

所以我决定做一件“自录像”。

This is sort of a self-portrait taxidermy time capsule piece

这是一件自我标本化的时间胶囊作品

called A Point Just Passed,

取名为“消逝”

in which I project myself on top of a time card punch clock,

在这件作品里，我把自己投影在打卡考勤钟的上面，

and it's up to you.

然后剩下的就需要你来决定了。

If you want to choose to punch that punch card clock,

如果你选择进行打卡，

you actually age me.

那么实际上你是在让我变老。

So I start as a baby, and then if you punch the clock,

所以我一开始是婴儿，然后你打了卡，

you'll actually transform the baby into a toddler,

你就会把我从婴儿变成一个小孩，

and then from a toddler I'm transformed into a teenager.

然后从一个小孩又变成一个年轻人。

From a teenager, I'm transformed into my current self.

从年轻人，我又变成现在的我。

From my current self, I'm turned into a middle-aged man,

从现在的我，又变成中年男子，

and then, from there, into an elderly man.

接着，变成一个老年人。

And if you punch the punch card clock a hundred times

如果你在一天时间内打卡100次，

in one day, the piece goes black

这件作品会变黑

and is not to be reset until the next day.

直到第二天才会恢复初始状态。

So, in doing so, you're erasing time.

所以，这么做，你擦去的是时间。

You're actually implicit in this work

你实际是隐含在这件作品里面的一部分

and you're erasing my life.

因为你在擦拭我的人生。

So I like this about interactive video sculpture,

我喜欢这种真正能与之互动的

that you can actually interact with it,

互动型视频雕像，

that all of you can actually touch an artwork

而且能与之触碰

and be part of the artwork yourselves,

并亲自参与到作品中来的，

and hopefully, one day, I'll have each and every one of you

希望有一天，我能将你们所有人都收集起来

trapped in one of my jars. (Laughter)

放进我的瓶子里。（笑声）

Thank you. (Applause)

谢谢。（掌声）