Zahra Al-Mahdi: The infinite alchemy of storytelling | TED Fellows

譯者: 童寧 張 審譯者: Helen Chang

[SHAPE YOUR FUTURE]

〔形塑你的未來〕

I grew up in Kuwait in the early ’90s,

九○年代初，我在科威特長大， 我是被螢幕養大的。

where I was raised by screens.

The main windows to reality for me were television and the internet.

電視和網路是我 看見現實世界的主要窗口。

Not because of their accuracy,

不是因為它們很正確，

but because there were storytelling machines.

而是因為它們是會說故事的機器。

These machines told stories that contradict one another,

這些機器所說的故事會相互矛盾，

但似乎又都是真的。

but all somehow seem true.

The Arab region knew Kuwait to be one of the leading voices in media,

阿拉伯地區了解的科威特， 是媒體的主導者，

specifically for comedy shows and theater.

尤其是喜劇和電影。

The rest of the world knew Kuwait to be a small country

世界上其他地區 知道的科威特是個小國，

that was located between Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran during the Gulf War.

在波斯灣戰爭期間，

夾在沙烏地阿拉伯、 伊拉克，和伊朗之間。

Both stories are true.

這兩套故事都是真的。

These screens that I drive my sense of reality from

我的現實感來自這些螢幕，

told me different and sometimes contradicting stories

它們告訴我關於我是誰、 來自何處的故事，

about who I am and where I come from.

這些故事都不同，有時還彼此矛盾。

And that was the only way I understood anything around me:

這是我了解我周遭的唯一方式：

把它們放進不同的故事當中。

By placing it into different sets of stories.

When social media came around,

當社交媒體出現時，

it changed the way screens worked for me.

改變了螢幕對我的意義。

It wasn't only a window for observations anymore,

螢幕不再只是用來觀察外界的窗戶，

but an interactive one,

還具有互動性。

one I could use to identify everything around me

我可以用更多樣的方式 來認識我周遭的一切，

in even more varied in multiple ways,

and to know myself better

更了解我自己，

and actually participate in the storytelling process.

還能真正參與說故事的過程。

It started with these drawings,

一切始於這些圖片，

mostly crosshatched on photographs that I took with my iPhone.

多半是用 iPhone 拍的照片， 加上我的素描。

With time, I started to animate them onto videos

一段時間後， 我開始用影片賦予它們生命，

that told stories from different perspectives

從不同的角度說故事，

in a mocumentary series titled "Bird Watch."

製作成一系列仿紀錄片， 叫做《賞鳥》。

It consists of scripted interviews by imagined minority voices

包含虛構的弱勢群體的聲音 製成的訪談紀錄。

discussing a general issue or one of common interests.

探討一個廣泛的議題或共同的利益。

The title of the series is meant to ponder the idea,

這系列的標題旨在反思，

What if birds were watching back?

會不會鳥也在「賞」人類呢？

What would they think of our obsession with speed and oil?

牠們對於人類沈迷於飆車和石油 會有什麼想法？

Would they think we were dumb for standing under the rain?

牠們會不會覺得 站在雨中的人類很愚蠢？

The second episode, for example, is an interview with a little girl

第二集，舉例來說， 是一個小女孩的訪談。

that tries to explain her definition of health,

她試著解釋自己對健康的定義。

where she says she wants to be like her father,

她說她希望像她爸爸一樣，

be strong, smoke and tell children not to.

強壯，叮嚀孩子不要抽菸， 雖然他自己會抽。

And also like her grandmother,

也希望像她奶奶一樣，

cook good food, be loved by everyone

很會煮飯、被所有人喜愛，

and have diabetes.

而且有糖尿病。

She also introduces us to the stomach animal.

她還向我們介紹「腹部動物」。

It's the head of an animal that's connected to our stomachs

那是一個連接到我們腹部的動物的頭，

and its objective is to continue eating even after we're full.

牠意圖在我們吃飽後仍持續進食。

You see, Kuwait has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity.

科威特是兒童肥胖比例 最高的國家之一。

Presenting it in an amusing story

用有趣的故事陳述這個事實，

while pointing out that children are themselves a minor voice

並指出兒童本身就代表少數人的聲音，

is a great way to really put the statistic into perspective.

是將數據轉換為觀點的好方法。

Another episode is an interview with a horse breeder

還有一集是馬飼養員的訪談。

who talks about the rules of making sure your well-bred horse

他講述確保你名貴的馬，

is taken care of.

有被好好照顧的原則。

She, the horse, must not be seen by others,

她，那匹馬，不能被其他人看見。

must only mate with the same breed,

只能與同一品種交配，

must not be ridden by other men

也不能被其他人騎乘，

and must be veiled.

而且要配戴面紗。

Making a story about a parameter of repression towards women funny,

創造這些在特定領域 對女性壓迫的故事，

especially when it has animation or live action,

尤其是利用動畫或實景真人時，

is a great way to walk clear through walls

是個避開審查制度、排斥異端

of censorship, intolerance and political correctness.

及政治正確的好方法。

I tried to implement the ideas behind these two episodes

我試著在我 2014 年的 藝術博覽會之前和期間

before or during my first art solo in 2014,

落實這兩集背後的想法。

but I still had to put it into a story to both be understood and accepted.

但我仍得將它們編成故事 以便被理解和接受。

By speaking in someone else's voice,

通過用別人的聲音說話，

I was experimenting with detachment from ideas

我正在嘗試脫離我從小就認為 公理所在的想法。

I grew up thinking where axioms.

We're in a strange place

我們生活在一個奇怪的地方，

where our problem is the abundance of information,

一個資訊太豐富的地方。

where the majority of people have a platform to be heard,

大眾群體有被傾聽的管道，

but representation is still an issue.

但「代表性」依然是個問題。

Representing a certain group, giving them justice.

代表特定團體，給予他們正義。

All of these stories can naturally contradict,

儘管這些故事只有些微差異，

even if they differ slightly.

仍然可以相互矛盾。

We as humans are not merely the shape of body that we occupy

我們人類不僅擁有外在軀體，

or the specific description of behavior.

或是對於行為的特定解釋。

We're a multiplicity of stories,

我們都是不同的故事，

stories that often come in repetitive patterns

且時常以重複的模式，

that can be rewritten and reread.

被改寫和重讀。

Having been raised by screens

被螢幕養大，

that told me different stories about who I am and where I come from

讓我對自己是誰、來自哪裡 有多種理解，

confused me in the best way possible.

以最好的方式感到困惑。

I saw that history is not as static as we thought,

我看見歷史並非我們所想的那般靜止，

that stories can be told, retold,

故事可以被訴說、重述，

read and reread.

閱讀、重讀。

A change of context,

情境的變化，

change of perspective in hindsight

觀點的重塑，

can assign different values to everything and everyone around us.

能為我們身邊的人和事 帶來不同的價值。

The way I see it,

我認為藝術家最重要之處在於此。

that's where artists are most important.

To present metadocumentations of our history,

以後設方式呈現我們的歷史，

to give villains their origin story.

還給反派人物他們最初的故事。

Nothing and no one can be said to be good or bad

沒有任何人或事能獨立於故事之外，

in isolation of the story around it.

被定義好壞。

It's much like learning a new word.

這就像學習新的單字，

You have to use it in a sentence for it to make sense.

得放在句子中才有意義。

And then to challenge its meaning,

接著再挑戰它的定義，

you begin to use it in an infinite amount of stories.

將它用於無數個故事當中。

Thank you.

謝謝。