Christopher Deam: Restyling the classic Airstream trail

譯者: Pin-hsien Kuo 審譯者: Marie Wu

I was asked by Wilsonart International,

威盛納跨國企業

a plastic laminate company, which is

是一個塑膠積層板公司,

the largest plastic laminate company in the world --

規模算全球最大的。

they asked me to design

他們請我設計

a trade show booth

一個貿易展的攤位，

for exhibition at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair

好在紐約的

in New York, in 2000.

2000年國際現代家具展中展出。

So looking at their three main markets

藉著觀察他們的三個主要市場，

for their product which were basically

得知他們的產品基本上

transportation design,

包括交通工具的設計，

interiors and furniture,

室內設計和家具，

we came up with the solution of taking

我們想出的對策就是

an old Airstream trailer and gutting it,

把一輛老舊的「氣流」旅用拖車的內裝拆除，

and trying to portray laminate,

然後再將積層板

and a trailer, in kind of a

和旅用拖車結合，

fresh, new contemporary look.

給它一個新穎、現代化的面貌。

When this trailer showed up at my shop

在這輛旅用拖車出現在我柏克萊的店之前，

in Berkeley, I'd actually never stepped foot in

我根本連一步都沒踏進過

an Airstream trailer, or any other trailer.

什麼「氣流」旅用拖車，或任何一種拖車。

So I can be somebody that can look at this

所以我有條件用客觀的眼光，

in a totally fresh perspective and see if I can

從全新的角度來審視，

optimize it in its most idealistic fashion.

看能否以最理想的方式來美化它。

I decided I had to do some research

我決定我必須做一點研究，

and really figure out what had gone wrong

我想找出，在整個「氣流」史中，

somewhere along the history of Airstream.

究竟是哪一點出了差錯。

What I discovered in these interiors is that

我從它們的內裝看出

there was a disconnect between the exterior shell

「氣流」外殼的設計

and the interior architecture of the pieces.

與內部裝潢不搭調。

In that the shell was originally conceived

外殼給人的印象是

as a lightweight, modern, futuristic,

既輕巧，又現代化，且具未來感的

high-tech pod for hurtling down the freeway, and

高科技分離艙，適合在高速公路上飛馳。

the interiors were completely out of sync with that.

但其內裝卻與外殼完全不搭配。

In fact it appeared like they

說真的內裝看起來像是

referenced a mountain cabin.

參照了山上小木屋的格局。

That seemed really like a crisis to me,

這對我來說簡直就是災難。

that they had never been able to

他們居然一直都沒有

develop a vocabulary

發展出足以表達

about escape, and about travel, and modernity

出走、旅行和現代感

in this trailer that was consistent with the shell.

的內裝來搭配它的外殼。

We really needed to do some archeology

我們得用考古學的方法來研究，

in the trailer itself to figure out what's authentic

找出正統的「氣流」旅用拖車

in an Airstream trailer,

所代表的意涵，

and what feels like it has true purpose and utility.

以及它實質的功能與與用途。

We stripped out all the vinyl

我們剝除所有的聚氯乙稀(PVC)

and zolatone paint that was covering up

和油漆，因為它遮蓋了

this just fantastic aluminum shell.

它原本令人驚豔的鋁製外殼。

We took off all the visible hardware and trim

我們拆除所有可見的硬體，

that was kind of doing the country cabin thing.

也拆掉了那些鄉村小木屋裡才有的東西。

I literally drew on the walls of the trailer,

我直接在旅用拖車的牆上打稿，

mocked it up in cardboard,

用硬紙板做模型。

we'd come in and cut, decide things were wrong,

我們會進來，開始剪，決定哪邊不好；

pull it out, put it back in.

抽出來，再放回去。

The main goal was to smooth out the interior,

主要的目標是重整內裝，

and begin to speak about motion,

讓它傳達出移動性、

and mobility, and independence.

機動性和獨立性。

The biggest difficulty on one of these trailers

改造這輛拖車時，最難的是

is that when you're designing there's actually no

在設計時沒有辦法

logical place to stop and start materials

明確地定義出施工材料的起點和終點。

because of the continuous form of the trailer.

因為旅用拖車一體成形，

There's no such things as two walls and a ceiling

不是由一般的兩面牆壁和一個天花板組成，

coming together, where you can change materials and shapes.

無法讓你改變材質和形狀。

So that became a challenge.

所以挑戰來了。

Compounding that,

綜觀以上問題，

the material of choice, laminate,

我們所選定的材料--就是積層板，

that I was trying to highlight,

我想強調的是，

only bends in two dimensions.

它只能往兩個面向彎曲，

It's a compound curve interior.

而拖車的內部是有弧度的。

What I had to devise was

我必須要創造出

a way of fooling the eye

能騙得過眼睛的技法；

into believing that all these panels

讓他們相信所有的壁板，

are curved with the shell.

弧度都和外殼相同。

What I came up with was

我想到的辦法是使用

a series of second skins

一連串的第二層外皮，

that basically float over the aluminum shell.

基本上是重疊在鋁殼上。

And what I was trying to do there was

而我這樣做是為了

direct your eye in the space,

誤導你們的眼睛，讓你們在這個空間中

so that you would perceive the geometry in a different way,

以不同的方式體會幾何概念，

and that the casework wouldn't break up the space.

而且不會造成空間的切割。

They also gave us a way to run power

這種設計也讓我們可以為拖車供給電力、

and rewire the trailer without tearing out the skin,

重裝電線，但不需要剝除外皮。

so they function as an electrical chase.

因此他們的作用有如電子暗管。

That's the trailer, pretty much finished.

這就是即將完成的旅用拖車。

That trailer led to another commission,

這輛旅用拖車帶來了另一個任務，

to participate in whats called Tokyo Designers Block.

就是去參加東京設計師週，

Its a week of furniture design events in Tokyo, in October.

那是十月在東京為期一星期的家具設計活動。

Teruo Kurosaki, who owns a furniture company called Idee,

TERUO KUROSAKI 是Idee這家傢俱公司的負責人，

he asked me to ship him two trailers to Tokyo.

他請我運送兩台旅用拖車到東京。

He said one he would like to

他說他想把其中一輛

make a real trailer, functioning, and we would sell that one.

當成真的旅用拖車使用，而我們可以把另一輛拿來賣。

Trailer number two, you have a blank slate, you can to anything you want.

他對第二輛拖車完全沒有想法，你可以對它做任何事。

We came up with a fantasy scenario

我們想出了一個幻想的情節:

of a DJ traveling around the States,

一個DJ環遊美國各地，

that would collect records and go on tours.

蒐集唱片並巡迴表演，

This trailer housed two turntables,

這輛拖車裡裝設了兩個唱機轉盤，

mixer, wet bar, fridge, integrated sound system.

調音裝置、酒吧、冰箱、內建的音響設備。

It's got a huge couch, fits quite a few people,

裡面有一張長沙發，坐得下好幾個人。

and basically we'd had a great time with this.

而我們靠這些就能度過快樂的時光。

And so in this trailer I took it upon myself to think about travel,

所以在設計這輛旅用拖車時，我依照自己的想法，

and escape, in an idiosyncratic sense.

將出走和旅行的意念設計進去，並帶點優雅的調調。

A lot of these ideas migrated into

其中很多構想還被目前

the production trailers for Airstream.

正在生產的「氣流」拖車所引用。

This brings us up to the time that I started consulting to Airstream.

講到這個，就回想到當時我剛開始當「氣流」的顧問時，

They came to me and said,

他們來找我時說：

"Well, what can we do to freshen this thing up?

「我們要怎麼把這個東西翻新呢？

And do you think kids, you know, skateboarders, surfers,

你覺得小孩、滑板運動族、衝浪族、

rock climbers, would use these things?"

攀岩族會想用這東西嗎？」

And I said, "Well, not in that interior."

我說：「嗯，如果是這種內裝的話，他們應該不會想用。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Anyway, I went out to Airstream

總之，我在建構這個拖車原型時，

about six times during the process of building this prototype,

去了「氣流」公司大約六次。

and it's called the Bambi prototype.

我們把這個原型叫做：斑比。

I thought, "Finally, oh yeah great,

我想：「終於啊...太好了，大公司呢！

big company, I'm gonna work with somebody with money

我就要和有錢人合作了，

for tooling and molding."

他們可以幫我買些工具和模具。」

And I walked in their prototype facility, and

當我走進他們的原型拖車裡，

it's exactly like my shop, only bigger --

感覺根本就像是我自己的店，只是比較大而已。

same tools, same things.

同樣的工具，同樣的物品。

So the problem became -- and they set this dilemma to me --

隨之而來的問題是，他們給我設了一個兩難的處境。

that you have to design the interior using only our existing technology,

你得設計內裝，但只能用我們現有的技術，

and there's no money for tooling or molding.

沒有多餘的錢來買工具或模具。

The trailers themselves are actually hand-built.

這些旅用拖車其實是手工製作的，

All the casework is hand-scribed in, uniquely,

所有的內裝都是手工繪製而且獨一無二的，

so you can't just cut 100 parts for 100 trailers,

所以不能統一為一百輛拖車裁剪出一百塊材料。

you have to cut them big, and every single one is hand-fit.

你必須一次剪裁出一大塊，然後一個個手工安裝。

They didn't want to go to a componentized system.

他們不希望使用制式的零組件系統。

And there it is, that's the Bambi 16.

而這就是成品，斑比16號。

(Applause)

（掌聲）