You are fluent in this language (and don't even know it) | Christoph Niemann

譯者: Dai-Yun Wu 審譯者: Helen Chang

I'm an artist.

我是一個藝術家

Being an artist is the greatest job there is.

藝術家是最棒的工作

And I really pity each and every one of you

而我真的很憐憫你們每一個人

who has to spend your days discovering new galaxies

你們必須花時間探索宇宙

or saving humanity from global warming.

或將人類從全球暖化中拯救出來

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But being an artist is also a daunting job.

但其實藝術家也是份令人氣餒的工作

I spend every day, from nine to six, doing this.

我每天從九點到六點都在做這個：

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I even started a side career that consists entirely

我甚至開始一份副業

而這份副業都在抱怨創造過程的難處

of complaining about the difficulty of the creative process.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But today, I don't want to talk about what makes my life difficult.

但今天我不想討論那些 讓我的人生變得困難的事

I want to talk about what makes it easy.

我想談那些讓我的人生變得簡單的事

And that is you --

而那就是你

and the fact that you are fluent in a language

以及一個你可能從未發覺的事實：

你的某種語言能力其實很流暢

that you're probably not even aware of.

You're fluent in the language of reading images.

你其實很會解讀圖像語言

Deciphering an image like that

要解碼一個像這樣的圖像

takes quite a bit of an intellectual effort.

需要運用一些智力

But nobody ever taught you how this works,

但沒有人曾教導過你怎麼做

you just know it.

你就是知道怎麼做

College, shopping, music.

大學、逛街、音樂

What makes a language powerful is that you can take a very complex idea

讓語言強大的關鍵是 你能將一個很複雜的想法

and communicate it in a very simple, efficient form.

以很簡單又有效率的形式傳達

These images represent exactly the same ideas.

這些圖像與文字代表完全相同的意思

But when you look, for example, at the college hat,

舉例來說，當你看著那頂學士帽時

你知道它不只是代表那個 你在接過你的文憑時

you know that this doesn't represent the accessory you wear on your head

when you're being handed your diploma,

頭上戴的裝飾品

but rather the whole idea of college.

而是「大學」這整個概念

Now, what drawings can do is they cannot only communicate images,

圖畫不僅僅能夠傳遞圖像

they can even evoke emotions.

也能激發情感

Let's say you get to an unfamiliar place and you see this.

假設你去到不熟悉的地方看到這個：

You feel happiness and relief.

你就覺得開心、鬆了口氣

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Or a slight sense of unease or maybe downright panic.

或許感到有些焦慮，或者極度恐慌

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Or blissful peace and quiet.

或幸福安詳

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But visuals, they're of course more than just graphic icons.

但視覺當然不只是圖示

You know, if I want to tell the story of modern-day struggle,

如果我今天要講關於現代奮鬥的故事

I would start with the armrest between two airplane seats

我會從兩個飛機座位之間的扶手

and two sets of elbows fighting.

與兩組手肘之間的打鬥開始

What I love there is this universal law

這個例子迷人的是這個共同定律：

that, you know, you have 30 seconds to fight it out

你有三十秒的時間爭奪

and once it's yours, you get to keep it for the rest of the flight.

一旦搶到了，這個扶手的使用權 整個航程都屬於你

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Now, commercial flight is full of these images.

商業航班滿是這類意象

If I want to illustrate the idea of discomfort,

如果我要描述「不舒服」的概念

nothing better than these neck pillows.

沒有什麼比得上這些頸枕

They're designed to make you more comfortable --

它們是設計來讓你感到更舒適的

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

except they don't.

可是它們沒有

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So I never sleep on airplanes.

所以我在飛機上從不睡覺

What I do occasionally is I fall into a sort of painful coma.

我偶爾陷入一種類似痛苦的昏迷狀態

And when I wake up from that,

然後當我醒來

I have the most terrible taste in my mouth.

我的嘴巴有股最可怕的味道

It's a taste that's so bad, it cannot be described with words,

那股味道糟到我無法以言語形容

but it can be drawn.

但可以畫出來

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

The thing is, you know, I love sleeping.

事情是這樣的，我愛睡覺

And when I sleep, I really prefer to do it while spooning.

當我要睡的時候 我真的比較喜歡在背後抱時睡著

I've been spooning on almost a pro level for close to 20 years,

二十年來以這個湯匙姿勢入睡 我可是專家級的

but in all this time, I've never figured out

但過了這麼多年，我還是不知道

what to do with that bottom arm.

壓在下面那隻手要怎麼辦

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

And the only thing --

而唯一一件

the only thing that makes sleeping even more complicated

唯一一件讓睡覺變得

than trying to do it on an airplane

比在飛機上睡覺更複雜的事

is when you have small children.

就是當你有小小孩的時候

They show up at your bed at around 4am

他們會在凌晨四點左右出現在你床邊

with some bogus excuse of, "I had a bad dream."

告訴你一些假的藉口 像是「我做惡夢了」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And then, of course you feel sorry for them, they're your kids,

然後你當然憐憫他們 他們是你的小孩

so you let them into your bed.

所以你讓他們過來跟你一起睡

And I have to admit, at the beginning, they're really cute and warm and snugly.

我得承認，一開始他們真的 很可愛、很溫暖也很舒服

The minute you fall back asleep, they inexplicably --

就在你要再度入睡的那一刻 他們不知為何開始

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

start rotating.

開始轉動

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

We like to call this the helicopter mode.

我們稱此為「直升機模式」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Now, the deeper something is etched into your consciousness,

那更深層的東西已經嵌入你的意識中

the fewer details we need to have an emotional reaction.

少少的資訊就足夠引起情緒反應

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So why does an image like this work?

為什麼像這樣的圖像可以達到效果？

It works, because we as readers

它能被看懂，因為身為讀者的我們

are incredibly good at filling in the blanks.

非常擅長填空

Now, when you draw, there's this concept of negative space.

當你畫畫時，有一個概念 叫做「實體周圍的空間」

And the idea is, that instead of drawing the actual object,

這概念是我們不畫物品的實體

you draw the space around it.

而是畫它周圍的空間

So the bowls in this drawing are empty.

所以這幅畫裡的碗是空的

But the black ink prompts your brain to project food into a void.

但那黑色墨水促使你的腦 將食物投射至空白的區塊中

What we see here is not a owl flying.

我們在這幅圖中看到的 不是一隻在飛的貓頭鷹

What we actually see is a pair of AA batteries

它其實是兩個 AA 電池

standing on a nonsensical drawing,

站在一幅荒謬的畫上

and I animate the scene by moving my desk lamp up and down.

然後我藉著上下移動我的桌燈 讓畫面動起來

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

The image really only exists in your mind.

這圖像真的只存在於你的腦中

So, how much information do we need to trigger such an image?

那究竟需要多少資訊 才能激發這種圖像？

My goal as an artist is to use the smallest amount possible.

身為藝術家 我的目標是使用越少資訊越好

I try to achieve a level of simplicity

我試著達到簡潔的境界

where, if you were to take away one more element,

簡潔到若你再抽掉一個元素

the whole concept would just collapse.

整個概念就會崩解

And that's why my personal favorite tool as an artist is abstraction.

這也是為什麼身為藝術家 我最喜歡的工具是抽象

I've come up with this system which I call the abstract-o-meter,

我發明了一個系統 我叫它「抽象量計」

and this is how it works.

它是這樣使用的：

So you take a symbol, any symbol, for example the heart and the arrow,

取任何一個符號，例如愛心與箭

which most of us would read as the symbol for love,

大多數的人會將它們解讀為愛的象徵

and I'm an artist, so I can draw this

而我是個藝術家，所以我可以

in any given degree of realism or abstraction.

決定用多少寫實 或多少抽象元素來畫它

Now, if I go too realistic on it, it just grosses everybody out.

如果我太寫實，大家就會覺得噁心

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

If I go too far on the other side and do very abstract,

如果我又畫得太抽象

nobody has any idea what they're looking at.

沒有人知道這是什麼

So I have to find the perfect place on that scale,

所以我必須在那量尺中 找到最完美的位置

in this case it's somewhere in the middle.

以這個範例來說 大概是在中間的位置

Now, once we have reduced an image to a more simple form,

當我們將一個圖像 簡化到更簡潔的形式

all sorts of new connections become possible.

各種新連結開始變得可行

And that allows for totally new angles in storytelling.

也可以用新的觀點說故事

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And so, what I like to do is,

所以，我想做的是

I like to take images from really remote cultural areas and bring them together.

我希望能結合遙遠文化地區的圖像

Now, with more daring references --

運用更多大膽的引用

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I can have more fun.

我就能創造更多樂趣

But of course, I know that eventually things become so obscure

但當然，我知道事情到最後變得很難懂

that I start losing some of you.

你們有些人會失去興趣

So as a designer, it's absolutely key to have a good understanding

所以身為一個設計師

充分了解觀眾的視覺 與文化詞彙是很關鍵的

of the visual and cultural vocabulary of your audience.

With this image here, a comment on the Olympics in Athens,

這個圖像：一篇關於雅典奧運的評論

I assumed that the reader of the "New Yorker"

我假設「紐約客」的讀者

would have some rudimentary idea of Greek art.

多少對於希臘藝術 會有一些初步的了解

If you don't, the image doesn't work.

如果你不了解希臘藝術 這個圖像就不會達到它的效果

But if you do, you might even appreciate the small detail,

但如果你了解 你甚至會欣賞它的小細節

like the beer-can pattern here on the bottom of the vase.

例如這個花瓶底部的 啤酒罐般的圖騰

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

A recurring discussion I have with magazine editors,

我跟雜誌編輯反覆討論著一件事

who are usually word people,

而雜誌編輯們通常是很在意詞彙的人

is that their audience, you,

我們討論的是觀眾們

你們比起圖像原意

are much better at making radical leaps with images

更會跳躍式解讀圖像意義

than they're being given credit for.

And the only thing I find frustrating is that they often seem to push me

而唯一讓我覺得挫敗的是

它們似乎總把我推向一系列老套

towards a small set of really tired visual clichés

被認為保險的視覺效果

that are considered safe.

You know, it's the businessman climbing up a ladder,

就像，有個商人正在爬梯

and then the ladder moves, morphs into a stock market graph,

然後梯子動了，變成股市趨勢圖

and anything with dollar signs; that's always good.

任何有錢幣符號的東西，總是很好

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

If there are editorial decision makers here in the audience,

如果今天的觀眾裡有編輯決策者

I want to give you a piece of advice.

我想給你一個建議

Every time a drawing like this is published,

每當這種圖被出版一次

a baby panda will die.

就會死一隻熊貓寶寶

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Literally.

真的

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

(Applause)

（掌聲）

When is a visual cliché good or bad?

那老套的視覺效果什麼時候好 什麼時候不好？

It's a fine line.

兩者差別很微妙

And it really depends on the story.

端看你的故事內容

In 2011, during the earthquake and the tsunami in Japan,

2011 年，日本發生地震與海嘯時

I was thinking of a cover.

我正在籌劃一個封面

And I went through the classic symbols:

我把典型符號都想過了一遍：

the Japanese flag,

日本國旗

"The Great Wave" by Hokusai, one of the greatest drawings ever.

葛飾北齋的「神奈川沖浪裏」 史上最厲害的畫作之一

And then the story changed

然後故事就變了

when the situation at the power plant in Fukushima got out of hand.

在福島的電廠失控之後

And I remember these TV images of the workers in hazmat suits,

我記得電視裡 充滿穿著防護衣工人們的圖像

just walking through the site,

在現場穿梭

and what struck me was how quiet and serene it was.

而讓我感到震撼的是 那畫面是如此平靜

And so I wanted to create an image of a silent catastrophe.

因此我就想創造一幅 表達平靜災難的圖像

And that's the image I came up with.

這就是我當時的作品

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

（掌聲）

What I want to do is create an aha moment, for you, for the reader.

我想為讀者創造 一個「啊哈！」的時刻

And unfortunately, that does not mean

而不幸的是，這並不代表 我在創造這些圖像的時候

that I have an aha moment when I create these images.

也有「啊哈」的時刻

I never sit at my desk

我坐在書桌前時

with the proverbial light bulb going off in my head.

腦中的那顆「燈泡」從不熄滅

What it takes is actually a very slow,

設計過程其實非常緩慢

unsexy process of minimal design decisions

且是一點都不性感地 在做一些微小的設計決策

that then, when I'm lucky, lead to a good idea.

如果幸運，這些決策將會引出好的概念

So one day, I'm on a train, and I'm trying to decode

於是有一天，我在火車上試著解讀

the graphic rules for drops on a window.

窗戶上雨滴的圖像規則

And eventually I realize,

然後我終於瞭解到

"Oh, it's the background blurry upside-down,

「噢，原來它是包含在清晰圖像裡的

模糊顛倒背景。」

contained in a sharp image."

And I thought, wow, that's really cool,

然後我想，哇，那真的是很酷

and I have absolutely no idea what to do with that.

而對於如何處理它我完全沒有想法

A while later, I'm back in New York,

不久之後，我回到紐約

and I draw this image of being stuck on the Brooklyn bridge in a traffic jam.

我畫了這個在布魯克林大橋上塞車的圖

It's really annoying, but also kind of poetic.

塞車很煩人，也有點詩意

And only later I realized,

直到後來我才想到

I can take both of these ideas and put them together in this idea.

我可以同時採用這兩種概念 然後將它們結合呈現

And what I want to do is not show a realistic scene.

而我想做的不是呈現實景

But, maybe like poetry,

而是，有點詩意的

make you aware that you already had this image with you,

讓你意識到其實這個圖像 已經存在你腦中

but only now I've unearthed it

而我現在將它挖掘出來

and made you realize that you were carrying it with you all along.

讓你了解到它其實一直都跟著你

But like poetry, this is a very delicate process

但像詩一樣，它是個很細緻的過程

that is neither efficient nor scalable, I think.

我覺得這個過程 無法有效率也無法量化

And maybe the most important skill for an artist

或許對一個藝術家來說

最重要的技巧其實是同理心

is really empathy.

You need craft and you need --

你需要技術，你也需要

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

you need creativity --

你需要創造力

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

thank you --

謝謝

to come up with an image like that.

來創造出像這樣的圖像

But then you need to step back

然而在那之後，你必須往後退一步

and look at what you've done from the perspective of the reader.

以讀者的視角看你創造出來的東西

I've tried to become a better artist by becoming a better observer of images.

藉由變成一個更好的圖像觀察者 我試著成為一個更好的藝術家

And for that, I started an exercise for myself

為了這個目的，我開始了自己的練習

which I call Sunday sketching,

我將這個練習稱作「星期天速寫」

which meant, on a Sunday, I would take a random object I found around the house

意思是，在星期天 我會取房子周邊的一個隨機物品

and try to see if that object could trigger an idea

然後試著想想看該物品 是否能激發點子

that had nothing to do with the original purpose of that item.

激發跟這個物品的 原始用途不同的點子

And it usually just means I'm blank for a long while.

這通常意味著 我會有很長的一段時間腦中空白

And the only trick that eventually works is if I open my mind

唯一能讓這件事成功的秘訣 是當我不持任何偏見地

and run through every image I have stored up there,

掃描過每一個我存放在腦中的圖像

and see if something clicks.

看看是否有東西讓我突然開竅

And if it does, just add a few lines of ink to connect --

如果有，就只要加上幾條線連結

to preserve this very short moment of inspiration.

來保存這短暫的予人靈感的時刻

And the great lesson there

而這經驗中最寶貴的一課是

was that the real magic doesn't happen on paper.

魔法不是發生在紙上

It happens in the mind of the viewer.

而是在觀看者的腦中

When your expectations and your knowledge clash with my artistic intentions.

當你的期待與知識 和我的藝術撞擊時

Your interaction with an image,

你和圖像的互動

your ability to read, question, be bothered or bored or inspired

你能閱讀、質疑或覺得圖像

很惱人、無聊或發人深省

by an image

is as important as my artistic contribution.

這些都和我的藝術貢獻一樣重要

Because that's what turns an artistic statement

因為那就是將藝術表現真正轉化成

really, into a creative dialogue.

創意對話的關鍵

And so, your skill at reading images

所以，你閱讀圖像的技巧

is not only amazing,

不僅是非常好

it is what makes my art possible.

更是讓我的藝術變得有可能性的關鍵

And for that, I thank you very much.

針對這點，我非常感謝你們

(Applause)

（掌聲）

(Cheers)

（歡呼）

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

（掌聲）