Inside America's dead shopping malls | Dan Bell

譯者: Ming Lee 審譯者: 念羽 謝

In the last couple of years,

在過去幾年裡，

I have produced what I call "The Dead Mall Series,"

我製作了一個短片影集； 稱為「商場廢墟實錄」。

32 short films and counting about dead malls.

紀錄下來的廢棄商場影片， 算起來有 32 支。

Now, for those of you who are not familiar with what a dead mall is,

對於不太了解甚麼是 商場廢墟的各位，

it's basically a shopping mall

其實我指的

that has fallen into hard times.

是那種逐漸沒落的購物商場。

So it either has few shops and fewer shoppers,

它們不是裡面沒幾家商店， 就是門口羅雀；

or it's abandoned and crumbling into ruin.

要不然就是被棄置， 慢慢變成廢墟的商場。

潘尼沒生意了。 (美國平價連鎖百貨)。

No sale at Penny's.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I started producing this series

我從 2015 年早期， 開始錄製這些影集，

in early 2015

after going through kind of a dark period in my life

那時候我的人生有點黯淡，

where I just didn't want to create films anymore.

不想再碰攝影機。

I put my camera away

我把攝影機收起來，

and I just stopped.

然後就不再拍了。

So in 2015, I decided to make a short film about the Owings Mills Mall.

直到 2015 年，我想替 歐溫斯商場錄一支紀錄片，

Owings Mills Mall opened in 1986.

歐溫斯購物商場 在 1986 開始營業。

I should know because I was there on opening day.

我應該沒記錯， 因為開幕那天我在現場。

I was there with my family,

我跟家人一起去，

along with every other family in Baltimore,

還有巴爾的摩市的所有親人，

and you had to drive around

抵達時，車子繞了大約 45 分鐘；

for 45 minutes

just to find a parking spot.

光是為了找一個停車位置。

So if you can imagine,

所以你們可想而知今天 盛況已難重現。

that's not happening at the malls today.

My first mall job that I had as a teenager

我十幾歲時的第一個商場工作，

was at a sporting goods store called Herman's World of Sports.

是在一家「赫爾門運動世界」 運動器材店打工。

Maybe you remember.

也許你們還記得。

(Singing) Herman's World of Sports.

赫爾門運動世界… （唱廣告歌）

You guys remember that?

還記得嗎？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Yeah, so I worked in a lady's shoe store.

後來我又在一家女士鞋店工作；

I worked in a leather goods store,

一家皮革商品店工作；

and I also worked in a video store,

也在一家錄影帶店工作，

and not being one who was very fond of the retail arts --

但我不是做「零售藝術」的材料，

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I got fired from every single job.

我幾乎做到哪裡就被炒到哪裡。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

In between these low-paying retail jobs,

在那段低薪打工的空檔裡，

I did what any normal teenager did

我跟其他年輕小伙一樣，

in the 1990s.

在 1990 年代，

I shoplifted.

我順手牽羊。

I'm just kidding.

我只是開個玩笑啦。

I hung out with my friends at the mall.

其實我只是跟朋友在商場沒事閒晃。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Everyone's like, "Oh my God, what kind of talk is this?"

你們就像這樣， 「我的天！這是甚麼鬼演講啊？」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Hanging out at the mall could be fun, but it could be really lame, too,

在商場閒晃很有趣， 但有的時候也很憋，

like sharing a cigarette with a 40-year-old unemployed mall rat

像是晚上跟一個 40 歲失業、 成天泡商場的傢伙合抽一支菸，

who has put on black lipstick for the night

而且他晚上還擦了黑色唇膏；

while you're on your break from your crappy minimum wage job.

在那領最低工資工作的休息時間裡。

（笑聲）

As I stand here today,

就在我站在這裡的同時，

Owings Mills has been gutted

歐溫斯購物商場已經被清空了，

and it's ready for the wrecking ball.

只等著大鐵球來拆他。

The last time I was there, it was in the evening,

我上次去的時間是傍晚，

and it was about three days before they closed the mall for good.

剛好是他們決定歇業的三天前。

And you kind of felt --

感覺有點像…

they never announced the mall was closing,

他們從未對外宣布歇業的事情，

but you had this sort of feeling, this ominous feeling,

當時心中已經有種不祥的預兆，

that something big was going to happen,

似乎有甚麼重大事情要發生的感覺，

like it was the end of the road.

好像已經走到窮途末路的感覺。

It was a very creepy walk through the mall.

走過商場令人感到很毛骨悚然。

Let me show you.

讓我放給你們看。

(Music)

（音樂）

So when I started producing "The Dead Mall Series,"

所以當我開始錄製 「商場廢墟實錄」時，

I put the videos up onto YouTube,

我把它上傳到 YouTube，

and while I thought they were interesting,

當時想或許人們有興趣看，

frankly I didn't think others would share the enthusiasm

坦白說，我並不知道 其他人會有熱情，

將這種死氣沉沉、 郁悶的東西分享出去，

for such a drab and depressing topic.

但是很顯然我錯了，

But apparently I was wrong,

because a lot of people started to comment.

因為一大堆人開始留言。

And at first the comments were like --

開剛始的留言有點像是

basically like, "Oh my God, that's the mall from my childhood.

「天啊！那是我小時候常去的商場，

What happened?"

怎麼搞的？」

And then I would get comments from people who were like,

然後也有人這樣說：

"There's a dead mall in my town. You should come and film it."

「我家附近有家購物商場要關了， 你們應該來拍點影片。」

So I started to travel around the mid-Atlantic region

所以我開始遊歷中大西洋地區，

filming these dead malls.

拍攝這些死亡的大賣場。

Some were open.

有些是還開業的。

Some were abandoned.

有些是被放棄的。

It was kind of always hard to get into the ones that were abandoned,

那些被拋棄的商場很難進去，

but I somehow always found a way in.

但是我總是有辦法混進去。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

The malls that are still open,

那些仍然開業的商場，

they always do this weird thing -- like the dead malls.

他們總是做些詭異的事； 好像快要死掉似的。

They'll have three stores left,

他們留下三家商店，

but they try to spruce it up

裝潢得很漂亮，

to make it appear like things are on the up-and-up.

看起來營業很正常的樣子。

For example,

舉個例，

you'll have an empty store

你看到的是一家裡面沒東西的商店，

and they bring the gate down.

他們把門拉下來。

So at Owings Mills, for example, they put this tarp over the gate.

像歐溫斯購物商場， 把門用防水布蓋起來。

Right?

沒錯吧？

And it's got a stock photo

他們還有一張廣告圖片，

of a woman who is so happy

上面的女士看起來很開心，

and she's holding a blouse,

手上拿著女襯衫

and she's like --

看起來像這樣…

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And then there's a guy standing next to her, with, like,

身邊站著一個人，手上有…

an espresso cup, and he's like --

一杯濃縮咖啡，看起是這樣…

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And it says, "What brings you today?"

上面還寫： 「甚麼風把你吹過來的呢？」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I wanted to be scared and depressed.

我一點都不想被嚇到和沮喪。

Thank you.

謝謝喔！

So the comments just kept pouring in

然後影片的留言開始流進來，

on the videos,

from all over the country, and then all over the world.

來自國內各地，還有世界各地。

And I started to think, this could really be something,

我開始考慮把這件事做得具有意義，

but I had to get creative, because I'm like,

但我必須更有創意，因為我在想，

how long are people going to sit and watch me waddling through an empty mall?

觀眾願意花多久， 看我拍一間空無一物的商場呢？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So the original episodes I filmed with an iPhone.

起初的想法是利用 iPhone 來拍攝，

So I'd walk through the mall with an iPhone, and, you know.

所以我手拿 iPhone ，

Like that.

像這樣子拍。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And security -- because malls, they don't like photography --

後來保全… 因為賣場不希望有人拍攝…

so the security would come up and be like, "Put that away," and I'm like, "OK."

所以保全過來對我說： 「把它收起來」。

於是我就說：「好的」。

So I had to get creative and sneaky,

所以我必須有點創意和偷偷摸摸的，

so I started using a hidden camera and different techniques

於是開始利用 隱藏式攝影機和其他技巧，

to get the footage that I needed,

來拍到我要的東西。

and basically what I wanted to do

基本上要做的是

was make the video

把它製作成影片，

like it was a first-person experience,

讓它看起來像是親身經歷的影片，

like you are sitting --

像是你坐著

put your headphones on watching the screen --

戴上耳機看著螢幕；

it's like, you're there in the video,

就像是親臨現場一樣，

like a video game, basically.

跟玩電腦遊戲一樣。

I also started to use music,

我也加入音樂效果，

collaborating with artists who create music called vaporwave.

和建立「蒸氣波」 網路音樂的藝術家合作，

And vaporwave is a music genre

蒸氣波是一種音樂類型，

that emerged in the early 2010s among internet communities.

在 2010 年代網路社群中冒出來，

Here's an example.

像這樣。

(Music)

（音樂）

That's by an artist named Disconscious

創作者的名字是 「輕意識」(Disconscious)

from an album he did called "Hologram Plaza."

從他的專輯《全像廣場》挑出的。 (Hologram Plaza)

So if you look that up, you can hear more of those tunes.

搜尋一下你就可聽到 更多他們的音樂，

Vaporwave is more than an art form. It's like a movement.

蒸氣波不只是一種藝術形式， 更像是一種運動，

It's nihilistic, it's angsty,

它是種虛無主義的、很焦慮的意思，

but it's somehow comforting.

但是聽起來很舒服。

The whole aesthetic is a way of dealing with things you can't do anything about,

以審美的眼光看， 它描述的是那種無能為力的感觸，

like no jobs, or sitting in your parents' basement eating ramen noodles.

有點像失業住在你父母的地下室， 吃拉麵的那種失落感。

Vaporwave came out of this generation's desire to express their hopelessness,

蒸氣波曲風代表這個世代的慾望， 想要表達他們的絕望，

the same way that the pre-internet generation did

與網路誕生前的世代相似，

sitting around in the food court.

坐在商場內飲食區座位上那樣。

One of my favorite malls

我最喜歡去的購物商場，

I've been to

我去過的，

is in Corpus Christi, and it's called the Sunrise Mall.

是位於德州聖體市的日出購物商場。

When I was a kid,

小時候我最喜歡去看電影，

my favorite thing to do was watch movies,

and I used to watch movies over and over and over again.

我一遍又一遍的看。

And one of my favorite films was "The Legend of Billie Jean."

其中我最喜歡的電影是 《比利金傳奇》。

Now, for those of you who have seen "The Legend of Billie Jean,"

在座看過那支影片的人，

you'll know that it's a great film.

都知道那是一部很棒的電影。

I love it.

我愛它。

And Helen Slater and Christian Slater --

主角海倫．史萊特 和克利斯汀．史萊特──

and if you didn't know, they are not related.

你們可能不知道，他們不是親戚。

Many people thought that they were brother and sister. They're not.

很多人以為他們是兄妹，其實不是。

總之日出購物商場 被當成影片中的場景。

But anyway, Sunrise Mall was used in the film as a filming location.

The mall is exactly the same as it was in 1984.

現在那個購物商場 跟 1984 年完全一樣。

We're talking 32 years later. Let me show you.

我講的是 32 年前的事， 讓我秀給你們看。

(Video) Dan Bell: And here's Billie Jean running across the fountain,

（影片） 丹．貝爾： 這是比利金跨過噴水池的情形，

being chased by Hubie Pyatt's friends.

哈畢．派亞特的朋友正追著她，

And she jumps over here.

她跳過這裡。

And you can see the shot right here is what it looks like today.

你們可以看到這裡的畫面， 就是現在的樣貌，

It's pretty incredible.

真的很難以相信。

I mean, honestly, it's exactly the same.

我的意思是，它們幾乎完全沒變。

And there they are falling in the fountain,

他們掉到水池中，

and she runs up the stairs.

然後她跑上樓去，

This is a nice shot of the whole thing here.

這個畫面很棒，整個場面都看得到。

Dan Bell: I love that so much.

丹：我愛死那些了。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I always think in my head, if I owned a dead mall --

我總是在想， 假如我有一間廢棄商場的話…

why don't they embrace their vintage look?

為甚麼們不接納他們原有的外貌呢？

Put in a bar,

保留吧檯的原樣，

like, put vegan food in the food court

或在美食區放些素食，

and invite millennials and hipsters

再邀請一些富翁和文青，

to come and drink and eat,

來這邊吃吃喝喝，

and I guarantee you within three weeks

我保證三周內，

H&M and Levi's will be banging on the door trying to get space.

H&M 和 Levi's 潮牌 一定會競相入駐，

I don't know why they don't do this,

我不曉得為何他們不那樣做，

but apparently,

但是顯然的，

it's only in my mind, it goes all day.

它只是一個念頭，整天在腦中轉。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Anyway, in closing --

總之，我要結尾了，

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

When they first asked me to do this talk,

他們一開始請我來演講時，

I said,

我說：

"Do you have the right person?"

「你沒找錯人吧？」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

These talks are supposed to be kind of inspiring and --

因為這些演講應該要激勵人心…

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I remembered something, though.

我還記得，

I put my camera down three or four years ago,

三、四年前我把攝影機收起來了，

and it took going to these malls

然後它又把我帶去那些購物商場，

for me to be inspired again.

讓我能夠再度受到啟發。

And to see my audience

而且見到我的觀眾，

and people from all over the world writing me and saying,

和來自世界各處的信息對我說：

"God, I love your videos,"

「天！我超愛你的那些影片！」

is incredible.

真的難以置信。

I don't know how to even explain it,

我甚至無以言喻，

as an artist,

作為一個藝術家，

how fulfilling that is.

這是多麼令人滿足的一件事。

If you would have told me a year ago

如果你們一年前告訴我說，

that I would be standing on this stage

我有一天會站在這個講台上，

talking to all of you wonderful people,

向你們這麼棒的人演講，

I would have never believed it.

我絕對不會相信。

I am humbled

我滿懷卑微，

and so appreciative.

並充滿感恩。

Thank you very much.

謝謝你們。

(Applause)

（掌聲）