Art that transforms cities into playgrounds of the imagination | Helen Marriage

翻译人员: 功伟 邢 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

We live in a world increasingly tyrannized by the screen,

我们身处的世界 正慢慢被屏幕所主宰，

by our phones, by our tablets, by our televisions and our computers.

电话、平板、电视和电脑 正充斥着我们的生活，

We can have any experience that we want,

我们可以拥有任何想要的体验，

but feel nothing.

却什么也感受不到。

We can have as many friends as we want,

我们要多少朋友 就可以有多少朋友，

but have nobody to shake hands with.

但却无法与之握手。

I want to take you to a different kind of world,

我想带你去一个不同的世界，

the world of the imagination,

想象的世界，

where, using this most powerful tool that we have,

在这里我们可以使用最强大的工具，

we can transform both our physical surroundings,

我们可以改变我们的外在环境，

but in doing so, we can change forever how we feel

但这么做，也会 彻底改变我们的感受，

and how we feel about the people that we share the planet with.

以及改变我们对周围人的看法。

My company, Artichoke, which I cofounded in 2006,

我的公司，Artichoke， 创建于 2006 年，

was set up to create moments.

致力于创造精彩瞬间。

We all have moments in our lives, and when we're on our deathbeds,

在生活中我们都有这样的 精彩瞬间，当我们临终时，

我们想起的不是 每天上班所搭载的交通工具，

we're not going to remember the daily commute to work

on the number 38 bus

38 路公交车，

or our struggle to find a parking space every day when we go to the shop.

或是当我们去购物时候， 为了找一个停车位焦头烂额。

We're going to remember those moments when our kid took their first step

我们会想起的时刻是 我们的孩子第一次学会走路，

or when we got picked for the football team

或是当我们被选拔进足球队，

or when we fell in love.

或者是我们坠入爱河的时候。

So Artichoke exists to create moving, ephemeral moments

所以，Artichoke 的存在 就是去创造感动的短暂瞬间，

that transform the physical world using the imagination of the artist

它通过艺术家的想象 去改变真实的世界，

to show us what is possible.

来向我们展示一切的可能。

We create beauty amongst ruins.

我们在废墟中创造美丽，

We reexamine our history.

我们重新审视我们的历史。

We create moments to which everyone is invited,

我们邀请所有人来见证或参与

either to witness or to take part.

我们所创作的这些动人时刻。

It all started for me way back in the 1990s,

这一切都开始于 1990 年，

when I was appointed as festival director in the tiny British city of Salisbury.

当我被指派为英国小城 索尔兹伯里的庆典导演，

You'll probably have heard of it.

你可能听说过这个城市。

Here's the Salisbury Cathedral, and here's the nearby Stonehenge Monument,

这个是索尔兹伯里大教堂， 而这是附近的巨石阵纪念碑。

which is world-famous.

世界著名的景点。

Salisbury is a city that's been dominated for hundreds of years by the Church,

数百年来，索尔兹伯里这座城市

由教会、保守党、

the Conservative Party

and the army.

以及军队所主导。

It's a place where people really love to observe the rules.

这个地方的人们 非常热衷于遵守法律。

So picture me on my first year in the city,

可以想象一下，在我任职第一年，

cycling the wrong way down a one-way street, late.

骑着车子误入了一条 单行道逆行，还迟到。

I'm always late.

我总是迟到，

It's a wonder I've even turned up today.

我今天能按时出现在这里 都是个奇迹了。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

A little old lady on the sidewalk helpfully shouted at me,

一个小老太太在路边 热心地对我大喊，

"My dear, you're going the wrong way!"

“亲爱的，你走错道儿啦！”

Charmingly -- I thought -- I said, "Yeah, I know."

我当时觉得她很可爱， 于是我说：“是，我知道。”

"I hope you die!" she screamed.

她冲我喊道， “我希望你被撞死。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And I realized that this was a place where I was in trouble.

我当时意识到 我住在这里麻烦大了。

And yet, a year later,

然而，一年之后，

persuasion, negotiation -- everything I could deploy --

经过劝说，协商—— 使劲一切招数——

saw me producing the work.

我的作品终于完成了。

Not a classical concert in a church or a poetry reading,

它既不是教堂里的古典音乐会 也不是诗歌会，

but the work of a French street theater company

而是在一家法国街头剧团的作品，

who were telling the story of Faust,

这家戏剧公司讲的 都是关于浮士德的故事。

"Mephistomania," on stilts, complete with handheld pyrotechnics.

《邪灵狂欢》这部剧以踩高跷， 手上拿着烟火棒的方式演出。

The day after, the same little old lady stopped me in the street and said,

那天之后，还是同一位 小老太太叫住了我和我说：

"Were you responsible for last night?"

“昨天晚上的演出是你负责吗？”

I backed away.

我吓得后退了一步，

(Laughter)

（笑声）

"Yes."

我说，“是的。”

"When I heard about it," she said, "I knew it wasn't for me.

“之前听人说的时候，” 她说， “我觉得我不会喜欢。

But Helen, my dear, it was."

但是，海伦，我好喜欢。”

So what had happened?

到底发生了什么呢？

Curiosity had triumphed over suspicion,

好奇心战胜了质疑，

and delight had banished anxiety.

喜悦驱散了焦虑。

So I wondered how one could transfer these ideas to a larger stage

因此我开始思索该怎么 把这些想法搬到更大的舞台上，

and started on a journey to do the same kind of thing to London.

于是开始把同样的计划带去伦敦。

Imagine: it's a world city.

想象一下：在一个世界级的城市。

Like all our cities, it's dedicated to toil, trade and traffic.

就像所有的繁忙城市一样， 到处都是人群，交易和拥挤的交通。

It's a machine to get you to work on time and back,

它好似一个不停歇的机器 督促着你准时上下班。

and we're all complicit in wanting the routines to be fixed

而且我们都希望走固定的路线，

and for everybody to be able to know what's going to happen next.

任何人都能知道即将发生的事情。

And yet, what if this amazing city could be turned into a stage,

那么，我们是否可以把 这个了不起的城市打造成一个舞台，

a platform for something so unimaginable

一个不可思议的大舞台，

that would somehow transform people's lives?

以某种方式去改变人们的生活？

We do these things often in Britain.

我们在英国经常这样做。

I'm sure you do them wherever you're from.

我相信在你所在地方 也经常这样做，

Here's Horse Guards Parade.

这个是骑兵游行卫队。

And here's something that we do often. It's always about winning things.

在这里，我们经常组织赛事 或盛典，它们总是关乎胜利，

It's about the marathon or winning a war

这总是关于马拉松 或者取得战争的胜利，

or a triumphant cricket team coming home.

或是有赢得比赛的板球队凯旋，

We close the streets. Everybody claps.

我们封锁街道，大家都沿街鼓掌，

But for theater? Not possible.

但是搭建剧院？这是不可能的。

Except a story told by a French company:

唯一例外的故事是 一个法国剧团来此演出，

a saga about a little girl and a giant elephant

演的是一个关于小女孩 和一头巨象的故事。

that came to visit

他们一同进城进行为期四天的

for four days.

游行表演。

And all I had to do was persuade the public authorities

我需要做的就是劝说有关部门

that shutting the city for four days was something completely normal.

让他们觉得封锁整个城市 4 天 是件很正常的事情。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

No traffic, just people enjoying themselves,

路上没有车辆， 只有人们在此尽情享受，

coming out to marvel and witness this extraordinary artistic endeavor

走出家门迎接并见证 法国皇家剧团创作的

by the French theater company Royal de Luxe.

伟大艺术杰作。

It was a seven-year journey,

这是一个长达 7 年的旅程，

with me saying to a group of men -- almost always men -- sitting in a room,

我要去游说一群坐在房间里的男人—— 几乎总是男人在房间里坐着，

"Eh, it's like a fairy story with a little girl and this giant elephant,

“哦，剧情就像童话一样， 一个小女孩和一头巨大的大象，

and they come to town for four days

让它们来我们的城里游街 4 天，

and everybody gets to come and watch and play."

然后大家都能出来观赏、游玩。”

And they would go,

他们总是会问，

"Why would we do this?

“为什么我们要做这些？

Is it for something?

做这些是为了什么呢？

Is it celebrating a presidential visit?

这是在庆祝一个总统的访问吗？

Is it the Entente Cordiale between France and England?

是和英法友好协议有关吗？

Is it for charity? Are you trying to raise money?"

这是为了慈善吗，还是为了筹款？”

And I'd say,

然后我说，

"None of these things."

“都不是。”

And they'd say, "Why would we do this?"

他们就说，“那我们为什么做这些呢？”

But after four years, this magic trick, this extraordinary thing happened.

但是四年之后， 这件神奇的事情发生了。

I was sitting in the same meeting I'd been to for four years,

我出现在了我过去四年来 每年都来的同一个会议上，

saying, "Please, please, may I?"

以前我总说， “拜托，拜托，我可以组织吗？”

Instead of which, I didn't say, "Please."

只是这次我没有说，“拜托。"

I said, "This thing that we've been talking about for such a long time,

我说，“这事情我们 已经讨论了这么长时间了。”

it's happening on these dates,

它马上就要真的举办了，

and I really need you to help me."

而我需要你们的帮助。”

This magic thing happened.

神奇的事情发生了。

Everybody in the room somehow decided that somebody else had said yes.

房子里的每一个人好像 都以为有人已经做了决定。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

They decided that they were not being asked to take responsibility,

他们认为他们无需 为此事承担主要责任，

or maybe the bus planning manager was being asked to take responsibility

顶多是公共交通处的经理需要协助

for planning the bus diversions,

计划公交路线的责任。

and the council officer was being asked to close the roads,

管理委员会的官员 被要求封锁一些路，

and the transport for London people were being asked to sort out the Underground.

而负责伦敦地铁运输的 要去分流地铁。

All these people were only being asked to do the thing that they could do

这些人只是被要求 去做他们应该做的工作，

that would help us.

这就足够帮助我们了。

Nobody was being asked to take responsibility.

没有人被要求负责。

And I, in my innocence, thought, "Well, I'll take responsibility,"

然后我想，我来承担

for what turned out to be a million people on the street.

百万的人们出现在街上的责任。

It was our first show.

这是第一场秀。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）

It was our first show, and it changed the nature of the appreciation of culture,

这是我们的第一场秀， 它改变了文化欣赏的本质，

not in a gallery, not in a theater, not in an opera house,

不是在画廊，不在戏院， 更不在歌剧院，

but live and on the streets,

是在街头上的现实演出，

transforming public space for the broadest possible audience,

面向公共的空间 尽可能分享给更多观众。

people who would never buy a ticket to see anything.

人们不用买票就可以看到。

So there we were.

到此为止，

We'd finished, and we've continued to produce work of this kind.

我们完成了，并且继续 从事着类似的工作。

As you can see, the company's work is astonishing,

正如你所见，剧团的作品令人震惊。

but what's also astonishing is the fact that permission was granted.

但是更让人震惊的是 我们居然被允许这样做，

And you don't see any security.

你没有看到任何的安保，

And this was nine months after terrible terrorist bombings

而且 9 个月前伦敦才刚刚

that had ripped London apart.

发生过爆炸恐怖袭击。

So I began to wonder whether it was possible

所以，我开始想是否有可能

to do this kind of stuff in even more complicated circumstances.

在更复杂的环境里 去举办类似的活动。

We turned our attention to Northern Ireland,

我们开始关注北爱尔兰，

the North of Ireland, depending on your point of view.

爱尔兰的北边， 当然每个人的理解不一样，

This is a map of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland,

这是英国的地图，英格兰， 苏格兰，威尔士和爱尔兰。

the island to the left.

爱尔兰就是左边的这个岛，

For generations, it's been a place of conflict,

这个地区在历史上一直冲突不断。

the largely Catholic republic in the south

最大的天主教信奉群体在南边，

and the largely Protestant loyalist community --

主要的新教保皇派——

hundreds of years of conflict,

数百年来冲突不断，

British troops on the streets for over 30 years.

英国军队在街上站了 30 年之久。

And now, although there is a peace process,

现在呢，尽管现在是和平进程，

this is today in this city, called Londonderry if you're a loyalist,

现今的这座城市，保皇派 称其为伦敦达利（Londonderry），

called Derry if you're a Catholic.

如果你是天主教 会叫它达利（Derry）。

But everybody calls it home.

无论叫什么， 对这里的人来说都是家。

And I began to wonder

我开始去想，

whether there was a way in which the community tribalism could be addressed

是否能通过艺术和想象的方法

through art and the imagination.

来探讨组织群体的问题。

This is what the communities do,

这是每个组织做的事情，

every summer, each community.

每一个夏天，每个组织都做。

This is a bonfire filled with effigies and insignia

这是一个“篝火”， 里面满是他们憎恨的

from the people that they hate on the other side.

另一边的人们的肖像和徽章。

This is the same from the loyalist community.

这个一样，是忠诚分子做的。

And every summer, they burn them.

每年夏天，他们会点燃

They're right in the center of town.

位于城市中心的这些“篝火”。

So we turned to here, to the Nevada desert, to Burning Man,

这让我们想到了 美国内达华州的火人节，

where people also do bonfires,

人们同样会这点燃“篝火”，

but with a completely different set of values.

但是却有着不同的意义。

Here you see the work of David Best and his extraordinary temples,

这个是大卫 ·贝斯特的作品， 以及他在火人节期间

所建造的令人惊叹的庙宇，

which are built during the Burning Man event

and then incinerated on the Sunday.

随即在星期天就把庙宇点燃了。

So we invited him and his community to come,

因此我们邀请他和他的组织过来，

and we recruited from both sides of the political and religious divide:

我们邀请两边有着 不同政治、宗教分歧的人过来，

young people, unemployed people,

年轻的人，失业的人，

people who would never normally come across each other

那些平常拒绝跨界、 拒绝与对方沟通的人

or speak to each other.

来一起交流。

And out of their extraordinary work rose a temple

他们凭借非凡的合作 建立了这个庙宇，

to rival the two cathedrals that exist in the town,

规模堪比小镇上 现有的两座大教堂。

one Catholic and one Protestant.

一座是天主教教堂, 另一座是新教教堂。

But this was a temple to no religion,

这只是个庙宇，不属于任何宗教，

for everyone,

属于每一个人，

for no community, but for everyone.

不属于任何组织，属于普罗大众。

And we put it in this place where everyone told me nobody would come.

我们把它放在 通常不会有人来的地方。

It was too dangerous. It sat between two communities.

放在两个组织中间，这太危险了。

I just kept saying, "But it's got such a great view."

我总是会说，“但这里景色超好。”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And again, that same old question:

再次回到同样的问题。

Why wouldn't we do this?

我们为什么不做呢？

What you see in the picture

你在图片里所看到的是

is the beginning of 426 primary school children

426 名小学生

who were walked up the hill by the head teacher,

在老师的带领下来到这里，

who didn't want them to lose this opportunity.

老师不想让他们错过这个机会。

And just as happens in the Nevada desert,

正如美国内华达沙漠的火人节，

though in slightly different temperatures,

尽管气温有些许不同，

the people of this community, 65,000 of them,

当地社区的六万五千人，

turned out to write their grief, their pain, their hope,

开始写下他们的痛苦，她们的希望，

their hopes for the future,

他们对于未来的心愿，

their love.

他们的爱。

Because in the end, this is only about love.

因为一切终究都是关于爱。

They live in a post-conflict society:

他们生活在一个有冲突的社会中：

lots of post-traumatic stress,

创伤后的压力无处不在，

high suicide.

高自杀率。

And yet, for this brief moment --

当然，在这短暂的时刻——

and it would be ridiculous to assume that it was more than that --

仅此而已——

somebody like Kevin -- a Catholic whose father was shot when he was nine,

像凯文——一个天主教男孩， 他9岁的时候，他的爸爸

upstairs in bed --

被枪杀在楼上房间的床上——

Kevin came to work as a volunteer.

凯文现在做着志愿者工作。

And he was the first person to embrace the elderly Protestant lady

在我们开放庙宇的那一天， 他是第一个去拥抱

who came through the door on the day we opened the temple to the public.

新教派中的一位老太太的人。

It rose up. It sat there for five days.

神庙建起来的五天后，

And then we chose -- from our little tiny band of nonsectarian builders,

我们从当初挑选来的 一小部分无神论者中——

who had given us their lives for this period of months

他们贡献了过去几个月的时间，

to make this extraordinary thing --

来打造这件伟大的作品——

we chose from them the people who would incinerate it.

我们选择由他们来点燃篝火。

And here you see the moment when,

这就是那个时刻。

witnessed by 15,000 people who turned out on a dark, cold, March evening,

在超过一万五千人的见证下， 在一个夜黑风高的夜晚，

the moment when they decided to put their enmity behind them,

在这个时刻， 人们把憎恶仇恨抛在脑后，

to inhabit this shared space,

来一同分享这个家园，

where everybody had an opportunity to say the things that had been unsayable,

在这共享的空间里，每个人都有机会 说出他们过去未能说出口的话，

to say out loud,

大声的说出来。

"You hurt me and my family, but I forgive you."

“你伤害了我和我的家人， 但我原谅你。”

And together, they watched

人们一起目睹了

as members of their community let go of this thing that was so beautiful,

每个群体的代表一同点亮了

but was as hard to let go of

当初用心血建成的庙宇，

as those thoughts and feelings

但那些用来创造它的想法和感受

that had gone into making it.

却很难被割舍。

(Music)

（音乐）

Thank you.

谢谢大家。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）