Architectural secrets of the world's ancient wonders | Brandon Clifford

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Carol Wang

Do you think the things we build today

你認為我們現今所建造的東西，

will be considered wonders in the future?

在未來會被認為是奇蹟嗎？

Think of Stonehenge,

想想史前巨石群、

the Pyramids,

金字塔、

Machu Picchu and Easter Island.

馬丘比丘，和復活節島。

Now, they're all pretty different from what we're doing today,

比起我們現今所做的東西， 它們很不一樣，

with those massive stones,

它們用大石頭做成，

assembled in complex but seemingly illogical ways,

用複雜但似乎沒有邏輯的方式組成，

and all traces of their construction

它們建造過程的所有蹤跡

erased,

都已被抹除，

shrouding them in mystery.

讓它們成為謎。

It seems like people could not have possibly built these things,

看起來，人類不可能 建造出這些東西，

because people didn't.

因為確實不是人類建的，

They were carefully crafted by a primordial race of giants

而是由原始的巨人種族精心製作的，

known as Cyclops.

獨眼巨人。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And I've been collaborating with these monsters

我一直在和這些怪獸合作，

to learn their secrets for moving those massive stones.

了解它們搬移巨石的秘密。

And as it turns out, Cyclops aren't even that strong.

結果發現，獨眼巨人沒那麼強壯。

They're just really smart about getting material to work for them.

它們只是非常聰明，會擅用材料。

Now, the videos you see behind me of large, stone-like, wobbly creatures

在我背後的影片中看到的 像石頭一樣的巨大搖晃生物，

are the results of this collaboration.

就是這次合作的結果。

OK, so Cyclops might be a mythical creature,

好吧，獨眼巨人可能只是傳說生物，

but those wonders are still real.

但那些奇蹟仍然是真實的，

People made them.

是人製造了它們。

But they also made the myths that surround them,

人也創造了與奇跡有關的神話，

and when it comes to wonders, there's this thick connective tissue

談到奇蹟時，

在神話和現實之間 有著厚實的連結組織。

between mythology and reality.

Take Easter Island, for example.

以復活節島為例，

When the Dutch explorers first encountered the island,

當荷蘭探險家初次發現這座島時，

they asked the people of Rapa Nui

他們問拉帕努伊人，

how their ancestors could have possibly moved those massive statues.

他們的祖先怎麼有可能 移動那些大型雕像。

And the Rapa Nui said,

拉帕努伊人說：

"Our ancestors didn't move the statues,

「我們的祖先沒有移動雕像，

because the statues walked themselves."

那些雕像自己會走路。」

For centuries, this was dismissed, but actually it's true.

數世紀以來沒人理會這種説法，

但這是真的。

The statues, known as moai, were transported standing,

那些摩艾像是直立著運輸的，

pivoting from side to side.

用扶著兩側旋轉的方式來搬移，

OK?

有道理吧？

As spectacular as the moai are for visitors today,

雖然對現今的訪客而言， 摩艾像已經相當壯觀，

you have to imagine being there then,

你更要想像一下當時

with colossal moai marching around the island.

巨型摩艾像在島上行進的壯觀景象。

Because the real memorial was not the objects themselves,

因為真正值得紀念的， 不是物體本身，

it was the cultural ritual of bringing a stone to life.

而是賦予石頭生命的文化儀式。

So as an architect, I've been chasing that dream.

身為建築師，我一直在追那個夢。

How can we shift our idea of construction to accommodate that mythical side?

我們要如何把建設的想法 轉變成也能考量神話的體現？

So what I've been doing is challenging myself

所以，我一直在做的， 就是挑戰我自己，

with putting on a series of performances

做出一連串的表演，

of the ancient but pretty straightforward task

演出內容是古老卻很直接的任務，

of just moving and standing big heavy objects,

就是移動和立起很重的巨大物體，

like this 16-foot-tall megalith designed to walk across land

比如這個十六英呎高的巨石，

它被設計為能在陸地上移動 並能直豎地站立；

and stand vertically;

or this 4,000-pound behemoth that springs itself to life

或是這個四千磅的龐然大物， 它能夠突然活躍起來，

to dance onstage.

在台上跳舞。

And what I've found is that by thinking of architecture

我發現，在思考建築時，

not as an end product but as a performance

不要把它當作最終產品， 而要當成表演，

from conception to completion,

從構想到完成的表演，

we end up rediscovering some really smart ways to build things today.

最後，我們會重新發現現今 仍然很聰明的建造方式。

You know, so much of the discussion surrounding our future

當談論我們的未來時，

大部分的焦點都放在 科技、效能和速度上。

focuses on technology, efficiency and speed.

But if I've learned anything from Cyclops,

但如果我有從獨眼巨人學到什麼，

it's that wonders can be smart, spectacular

那就是，奇蹟也可以是 聰明的、壯觀的，

and sustainable --

且永續的——

because of their mass and their mystery.

因為它們的規模和神秘性。

And while people still want to know how those ancient wonders were built,

雖然大家仍想知道那些 古老奇蹟是怎麼建造的，

I've been asking Cyclops how to create the mystery

我一直在問獨眼巨人

如何創造出驅使人們 去問那個問題的訣竅。

that compels people to ask that very question.

Because in an era where we design buildings

因為，在這個時代，

我們設計的建築 要維持三十、也許六十年，

to last 30, maybe 60 years,

I would love to learn how to create something

我會很樂意學習如何創造出

that could entertain for an eternity.

能永遠一直吸引人們的建築。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）