Thomas P. Campbell: Weaving narratives in museum galleries

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

翻译人员: Zheqing Fang 校对人员: Yuguo Zhang

When I was considering a career in the art world,

当我打算从事艺术相关的工作时，

I took a course in London,

我在伦敦选修了一门课程，

and one of my supervisors was this irascible Italian

众多导师中有一位暴躁的意大利人

called Pietro, who drank too much,

名字叫彼得罗，他总是酗酒，

smoked too much and swore much too much.

是个老烟枪，还经常破口大骂。

But he was a passionate teacher,

但他也是一位充满热情的老师，

and I remember one of our earlier classes with him,

我记得他给我们上的一堂入门课，

he was projecting images on the wall,

他将图像投影到墙上，

asking us to think about them,

要求我们去思考，

and he put up an image of a painting.

他投影了一张画。

It was a landscape with figures, semi-dressed,

画中有风景和人物，一半的人装着衣服，

drinking wine. There was a nude woman

喝着葡萄酒。这是一个裸体的女人

in the lower foreground, and on the hillside in the back,

在前景较低的位置，而在后景的山坡上，

there was a figure of the mythological god Bacchus,

画的是酒神巴克科斯，

and he said, "What is this?"

他问，“这是什么？”

And I -- no one else did, so I put up my hand, and I said,

于是我——看到其他人都没吭声，就举起手来回答，

"It's a Bacchanal by Titian."

“这是提香的《酒神祭》。”

He said, "It's a what?"

他再问，“这是什么？”

I thought maybe I'd pronounced it wrong.

我以为是自己的发音不准。

"It's a Bacchanal by Titian."

“这是提香的《酒神祭》。”

He said, "It's a what?"

他还问，“这是什么？”

I said, "It's a Bacchanal by Titian." (Laughter)

我重复，“这是提香的《酒神祭》”（笑声）

He said, "You boneless bookworm!

他说，“你这个书呆子！”

It's a fucking orgy!"

他说，“这是他妈的纵酒狂欢！”

(Laughter)

（笑声）

As I said, he swore too much.

如之前所说，他总是破口大骂。

There was an important lesson for me in that.

通过这件事我学到了重要的理念。

Pietro was suspicious of formal art training,

彼得罗质疑这些正儿八经的艺术培训和

art history training, because he feared

艺术史教学，因为他担心

that it filled people up with jargon, and then they just

这种教育让学生限于教条，最后他们只学会了

classified things rather than looking at them,

如何去鉴别，而不是鉴赏，

and he wanted to remind us that all art was once contemporary,

他想提醒我们，所有艺术都曾是“当代艺术”，

and he wanted us to use our eyes,

他希望我们用双眼去直接感受，

and he was especially evangelical about this message,

他尤其热衷于传播这一理念，

because he was losing his sight.

因为他的视力正在衰退。

He wanted us to look and ask basic questions of objects.

他希望我们对目标物进行观察和提出基本问题。

What is it? How is it made? Why was it made?

它是什么？它是如何制作的？为什么要制作它？

How is it used?

它是怎样被应用的？

And these were important lessons to me when

这些经验教训对于我后来

I subsequently became a professional art historian.

成为专业的艺术史学家是非常重要的。

My kind of eureka moment came a few years later,

几年后当我在北欧学习宫廷艺术，

when I was studying the art of the courts of Northern Europe,

我有了一次灵感的迸发。

and of course it was very much discussed in terms of

当然学习期间会终日讨论

the paintings and the sculptures

绘画和雕塑

and the architecture of the day.

以及建筑风格。

But as I began to read historical documents

但当我开始读历史文献

and contemporary descriptions,

和当代的描述，

I found there was a kind of a missing component,

我发现有一个被众人遗忘的艺术形式，

for everywhere I came across descriptions of tapestries.

在所有的地方，我都遇到了对挂毯画的描述。

Tapestries were ubiquitous between the Middle Ages

挂毯画的盛行是从中世纪开始

and, really, well into the 18th century,

恰恰好，结束于18 世纪，

and it was pretty apparent why.

这里的原因非常明显。

Tapestries were portable. You could roll them up,

挂毯非常便携。你可以将它们卷起，

send them ahead of you, and in the time

放在身前，而当你将它们挂起

it took to hang them up, you could transform a cold,

你可以将一个阴冷的内室，

dank interior into a richly colored setting.

装饰得色彩丰富。

Tapestries effectively provided a vast canvas

挂毯有效地提供了一个巨大的画布

on which the patrons of the day could depict the heroes

在那个时代，人们可以在上面描绘英雄

with whom they wanted to be associated,

他们期望能够追随，

or even themselves,

或者他们自身的肖像，

and in addition to that, tapestries were hugely expensive.

此外，挂毯极其昂贵。

They required scores of highly skilled weavers

它需要大量熟练的织布工

working over extended periods of time

通过日以继夜的工作

with very expensive materials -- the wools, the silks,

使用非常昂贵的材料——羊毛，丝绸，

even gold and silver thread.

甚至是金丝银线。

So, all in all, in an age when the visual image

所以，总而言之，在各类视觉影像稀缺的时代，

of any kind was rare, tapestries were an incredibly potent

挂毯是一种难以置信的

form of propaganda.

有效的传播媒介。

Well, I became a tapestry historian.

后来，我成为了挂毯画历史学者。

In due course, I ended up as a curator

在适当的时候，我又转职成为了馆长，

at the Metropolitan Museum, because I saw the Met

因为我认为大都会博物馆

as one of the few places where I could organize

是少数可以用来组织

really big exhibitions about the subject

真正大型展出的地方，包括那些主题

I cared so passionately about.

我投入了大量的深情。

And in about 1997, the then-director Philippe de Montebello

大概是1997年，时任馆长菲利普·蒙特贝罗

gave me the go-ahead to organize an exhibition

让我牵头来组织一场2002年的展览。

for 2002. We normally have these very long lead-in times.

我们通常会有相当长的准备时间。

It wasn't straightforward. It's no longer a question

策展并不是那么简单。将挂毯固定在车子后面

of chucking a tapestry in the back of a car.

已经不再是问题。

They have to be wound on huge rollers,

它们必须散绕在大型的滚轮上，

shipped in oversized freighters.

由超大号的货船装运。

Some of them are so big we had, to get them into the museum,

其中一些太大以至于无法在博物馆安放，

we had to take them up the great steps at the front.

我们不得不将它们放在前厅的大台阶上。

We thought very hard about how to present this

我们苦思如何去将它们呈现给

unknown subject to a modern audience:

对此一无所知的现代观众：

the dark colors to set off the colors that remained

用深色来衬托出那些挂毯上

in objects that were often faded;

经常褪色的颜色；

the placing of lights to bring out the silk and the gold thread;

灯光的布置来凸显丝绸和金线；

the labeling.

说明性的标注。

You know, we live in an age where we are so used

你知道，我们身处的时代对

to television images and photographs,

电视图像和照片这样一闪即逝的图像

a one-hit image. These were big, complex things,

已经司空见惯。而这些巨大的、复杂的作品，

almost like cartoons with multiple narratives.

浑似多重叙述的卡通动画。

We had to draw our audience in, get them to slow down,

我们需要吸引观众的眼球，让他们沉浸下来，

to explore the objects.

去探索这些展品。

There was a lot of skepticism. On the opening night,

有很多质疑的声音。就在开幕当晚，

I overheard one of the senior members of staff saying,

我无意中听到一位高级职员说，

"This is going to be a bomb."

“这将会是一个哑弹。”

But in reality, in the course of the coming weeks and months,

但事实上，在接下来的几周和几个月，

hundreds of thousands of people came to see the show.

成百上千的人们来参观这场挂毯秀。

The exhibition was designed to be an experience,

展览的设计旨在让人身临其境，

and tapestries are hard to reproduce in photographs.

挂毯很难通过照片的形式重现。

So I want you to use your imaginations,

所以我希望你们能够发挥想象，

thinking of these wall-high objects,

想象这些有墙那么高的物品，

some of them 10 meters wide,

其中一些宽达10米，

depicting lavish court scenes with courtiers and dandies

描绘奢华的法庭场景和那些名门望族

who would look quite at home in the pages of the fashion press today,

像是今天在家中看新闻中的时尚版面，

thick woods with hunters crashing through the undergrowth

猎人在密林中穿越灌木，

in pursuit of wild boars and deer,

追逐野猪和鹿，

violent battles with scenes of fear and heroism.

激烈的战争场景充满了恐惧和英勇。

I remember taking my son's school class. He was eight at the time,

我记得那天接待我儿子的班级。他当时只有8岁，

and all the little boys, they kind of -- you know, they were little boys,

所有的小男孩，在坐各位都清楚，他们这样的小男孩，

and then the thing that caught their attention

引起他们注意的画面

was in one of the hunting scenes there was a dog

是在一个狩猎场景中有一条狗

pooping in the foreground — (Laughter) —

在前景里便便 — — （笑声） — —

kind of an in-your-face joke by the artist.

一种艺术家肆无忌惮的玩笑。

And you can just imagine them.

你可以想象这些。

But it brought it alive to them. I think they suddenly saw

它栩栩如生地呈现在观众眼前。我认为他们会突然发现

that these weren't just old faded tapestries.

这些不只是褪色了的旧挂毯。

These were images of the world in the past,

这些属于旧时代的意象，

and that it was the same for our audience.

在我们的观众面前并没有改变。

And for me as a curator, I felt proud. I felt I'd shifted the needle a little.

我作为馆长，我感到自豪，我感到这是一点进步。

Through this experience that could only be created

通过这种只有在博物馆内才可以创造出的效果，

in a museum, I'd opened up the eyes of my audience --

让我的观众开了眼界

historians, artists, press, the general public --

让历史学家、 艺术家、 记者、 一般大众 — —

to the beauty of this lost medium.

发现这已快失传的介质的美。

A few years later, I was invited to be the director

几年以后，我被邀请接任博物馆馆长，

of the museum, and after I got over that --

在后来我适应了这些问题 — —

"Who, me? The tapestry geek? I don't wear a tie!" --

"谁，我吗？挂毯极客吗？我连领带都不系！"— —

I realized the fact: I believe passionately in that

我意识到这样的事实：我对那场

curated museum experience.

博物馆策展的成功经验深信不疑。

We live in an age of ubiquitous information,

我们生活在一个信息爆炸的时代，

and sort of "just add water" expertise,

拥有"只需加点水"的专业技能，

but there's nothing that compares with the presentation

但是没有什么可以与策展相比：

of significant objects in a well-told narrative,

通过充分的叙述将重要的对象进行呈现，

what the curator does, the interpretation of a complex,

馆长所做的，就是解释那些复杂的，

esoteric subject, in a way that retains the integrity

深奥的主题，并保留它的原汁原味，

of the subject, that makes it -- unpacks it

然后做出解读

for a general audience.

最终呈现在大庭广众之前。

And that, to me, today, is now the challenge and the fun

对我来说，今天，正是我工作面临的

of my job, supporting the vision of my curators,

挑战和乐趣，支持我的策展人的愿景，

whether it's an exhibition of Samurai swords,

无论展览的是武士刀，还是

early Byzantine artifacts, Renaissance portraits,

早期拜占庭古器物，文艺复兴时期画像，

or the show we heard mentioned earlier,

或者是我之前提到的，

the McQueen show, with which we enjoyed

麦奎因的服装秀，它让我们在

so much success last summer.

在去年的夏天享受到成功的喜悦。

That was an interesting case.

这是一个有趣的实例。

In the late spring, early summer of 2010, shortly after

时间是在2010年的春末夏初，

McQueen's suicide,

麦奎因刚刚自杀不久，

our curator of costume, Andrew Bolton, came to see me,

我们的服饰馆馆长安德鲁·博尔顿，过来与我商量，

and said, "I've been thinking of doing a show on McQueen,

"我一直想策划一场麦奎因的服装秀，

and now is the moment. We have to, we have to do it fast."

我认为现在正是时机。我们必须尽快行动起来。”

It wasn't easy. McQueen had worked throughout his career

这件事并不容易。麦奎因生前工作的团队

with a small team of designers and managers

是一小部分设计师和管理者

who were very protective of his legacy,

他们对麦奎因的遗产太过保护，

but Andrew went to London and worked with them

后来安德烈去伦敦做他们的工作，

over the summer and won their confidence, and that of

过了整个夏天，才赢得了他们的信心，

the designers who created his amazing fashion shows,

这些设计师凭借他们在表演艺术中的实力

which were works of performance art in their own right,

创造出麦奎因时装秀惊人的效果，

and we proceeded to do something at the museum,

而我们着手博物馆的策展工作，

I think, we've never done before.

我认为效果是旷古绝今的。

It wasn't just your standard installation.

它并不只是标准化的策展。

In fact, we ripped down the galleries to recreate

事实上，我们推翻之前的画廊布景来重建

entirely different settings, a recreation of his first studio,

完全不同的设置，再现他的第一个工作室

a hall of mirrors,

布满镜子的大厅，

a curiosity box,

引人好奇的宝箱，

a sunken ship, a burned-out interior,

一艘沉船，被烧毁的内室，

with videos and soundtracks that ranged from

伴随视频和音乐，风格变化

operatic arias to pigs fornicating.

由歌剧咏叹调到猪交媾之声。

And in this extraordinary setting, the costumes

在这样非比寻常的布设中，

were like actors and actresses, or living sculptures.

服装就像是男女演员，像是有生命的雕塑。

It could have been a train wreck.

展览有可能像火车脱轨成为一场失败的事故。

It could have looked like shop windows on Fifth Avenue

也可以像圣诞节第五大道商店橱窗里的展示，

at Christmas, but because of the way that Andrew

但正因为安德鲁采取的方式

connected with the McQueen team, he was channeling

与麦奎因团队的沟通，他成为了

the rawness and the brilliance of McQueen,

连接最朴素和最辉煌的麦奎因的桥梁，

and the show was quite transcendant,

这场展览因此相当的出众，

and it became a phenomenon in its own right.

凭借着它自身的力量成为了一次奇迹。

By the end of the show, we had people queuing

在展览的尾声，还有人为了进场

for four or five hours to get into the show,

而排了四、五个小时的长队，

but no one really complained.

但没有人在抱怨。

I heard over and over again, "Wow, that was worth it.

我再而三地听到，“哇，太值了！

It was a such a visceral, emotive experience."

这是怎样的一次直觉和感性的体验啊！"

Now, I've described two very immersive exhibitions,

现在，我已经描述了两个非常沉浸式的展览，

but I also believe that collections, individual objects,

但是我也相信收藏品，独特的物品，

can also have that same power.

也可以拥有同样的魅力。

The Met was set up not as a museum of American art,

成立大都会博物馆的目的不只是为了美国艺术，

but of an encyclopedic museum,

而应是成为一个百科全书式的博物馆，

and today, 140 years later, that vision

今天，博物馆已经成立140多年 ，这一初衷

is as prescient as ever,

是多么的有先见之明，

because, of course, we live in a world of crisis,

因为，我们生活的世界充满危机和挑战，

of challenge, and we're exposed to it

我们通过日以继夜的新闻汇编

through the 24/7 newsreels.

来接触它们。

It's in our galleries that we can unpack the civilizations,

正是我们的画廊，可以用来解读文明和文化，

the cultures, that we're seeing the current manifestation of.

就像我们现在看到的示威活动

Whether it's Libya, Egypt, Syria,

无论是利比亚、 埃及还是叙利亚，

it's in our galleries that we can explain

我们可以在画廊中对它们进行解读

and give greater understanding.

并赋予更多的理解。

I mean, our new Islamic galleries are a case in point,

依我所见，我们的新伊斯兰画廊是一个恰当的例子，

opened 10 years, almost to the week, after 9/11.

画廊几乎就在 9·11 之后的那周开放，至今已10多年。

I think for most Americans, knowledge of the Islamic world

我认为大多数美国人，对于伊斯兰世界的认知

was pretty slight before 9/11, and then it was thrust upon us

在 9·11事件之前是相当欠缺的，之后却被

in one of America's darkest hours,

美国最黑暗的几个小时内

and the perception was through the polarization

发生的极端恐怖事件

of that terrible event.

强化了对伊斯兰世界的偏见。

Now, in our galleries, we show 14 centuries

现在，在我们的画廊，展示来自14世纪

of the development of different Islamic cultures

不同的伊斯兰文化的发展

across a vast geographic spread,

跨越广阔的地理分布，

and, again, hundreds of thousands of people have come

并再次吸引成千上万的人来参观

to see these galleries since they opened last October.

这些去年10月开放的画廊。

I'm often asked, "Is digital media replacing the museum?"

我常常问，"数字媒体正在取代博物馆吗？"

and I think those numbers are a resounding rejection

我认为这些参观访问量是最响亮的反驳。

of that notion. I mean, don't get me wrong,

请不要误会我的意思，

I'm a huge advocate of the Web.

我也是网络的积极倡导者。

It gives us a way of reaching out to audiences

网络可以让我们接触到世界各地的观众

around the globe, but nothing replaces the authenticity

但是没有什么可以取代亲眼所见

of the object presented with passionate scholarship.

这些被热情研究过的展品。

Bringing people face to face with our objects

让人们直面我们的展品

is a way of bringing them face to face with people

是一种方式带领他们

across time, across space, whose lives may have been

面对那些不同时代的人们

very different to our own, but who, like us,

与我们的生活方式迥异，却和我们一样，

had hopes and dreams, frustrations and achievements

有着希望和梦想、挫折和成就。

in their lives. And I think this is a process

我认为这是一个很好的过程

that helps us better understand ourselves,

可以帮助我们更好地理解自己，

helps us make better decisions about where we're going.

帮助我们选择方向，做出更好的决策。

The Great Hall at the Met is one of the great portals of the world,

大都会博物馆的大礼堂是全世界最宏伟的大厅之一，

awe-inspiring, like a medieval cathedral.

像一座中世纪的教堂，令人敬畏。

From there, you can walk in any direction

从那里，你可以按任意方向去游览，

to almost any culture.

然后遍历几乎所有的文化。

I frequently go out into the hall and the galleries

我经常进入大厅和画廊

and I watch our visitors coming in.

注目着前来参观的游客。

Some of them are comfortable. They feel at home.

他们中的一些感觉很舒适，就如同在家里一样。

They know what they're looking for.

他们明确自己在寻找什么。

Others are very uneasy. It's an intimidating place.

其他人很不自在，觉得这个地方令人生畏。

They feel that the institution is elitist.

他们认为这座建筑是属于社会精英的。

I'm working to try and break down that sense of that elitism.

我努力尝试打破这种精英主义的感觉。

I want to put people in a contemplative frame of mind,

我希望能将观众带入一种冥想的状态，

where they're prepared to be a little bit lost, to explore,

在这种情境下他们有点儿忘我，开始探索，

to see the unfamiliar in the familiar,

开始在熟悉中发现陌生，

or to try the unknown.

或者体验完全未知的神秘。

Because for us, it's all about bringing them face to face

因为对我们来说，所有的职责就是是让观众直面

with great works of art,

这些伟大的艺术作品，

capturing them at that moment of discomfort,

抓住并制止一些不合适的行为，

when the inclination is kind of to reach for your iPhone,

比如你想着去拿出iPhone，

your Blackberry, but to create a zone

Blackberry去进行拍摄，虽然有限制但是我们创造了

where their curiosity can expand.

一个让你充满好奇的地方。

And whether it's in the expression of a Greek sculpture

是否这种希腊雕塑的表达方式

that reminds you of a friend,

让你想起了一位朋友，

or a dog pooping in the corner of a tapestry,

又或许是绘在挂毯角落的一只正在便便的狗，

or, to bring it back to my tutor Pietro,

或者，让我回忆起导师彼得罗的那堂课，

those dancing figures

看着那些纵情舞蹈的人物

who are indeed knocking back the wine,

他们的确在一杯接一杯的痛饮葡萄酒，

and that nude figure in the left foreground.

还有赤裸人体在画的左前方。

Wow. She is a gorgeous embodiment of youthful sexuality.

哇哦。她是年轻性感的华丽化身。

In that moment, our scholarship can tell you

在那一刻，我们的专业知识可以告诉你

that this is a bacchanal,

这是一场“酒神祭”，

but if we're doing our job right,

但是，如果我们做的工作到位，

and you've checked the jargon at the front door,

您也已经查阅了相关术语，

trust your instinct.

那么请相信自己的直觉。

You know it's an orgy.

你知道这是一场狂欢。

Thank you. (Applause)

谢谢。（掌声）

(Applause)

（掌声）