Willard Wigan: Hold your breath for micro-sculpture | TED

譯者: Paul Pun 審譯者: Terence Yip

There's an old saying, "Just because you can't see something,

俗語有云：「儘管你看不到一件事物，

doesn't mean it's not there."

並不代表它不存在。」

My work is -- it's a reflection of myself.

我的作品，是我內心的反映。

What I wanted to do is to

我想做到的

show the world that the little things

是讓世人明白，微不足道的事物

can be the biggest things.

也可以是大有作為的。

We all seem to think that,

普遍的想法是

you know, if we look down on the ground, there's nothing there.

如果我們望望地上，看不到甚麼

And we use the word "nothing."

我們很自然就用「空無一物」來形容。

Nothing doesn't exist, because there is always something.

但「空無一物」並不存在，因為那裡總有一點甚麼。

My mother told me that, when I was a child,

小時候，我媽媽告訴我

that I should always respect the little things.

要時刻尊重微小的事物。

What made me do this work? I shall go into my story.

是甚麼令我開始藝術創作呢？我應該從我的故事說起。

This all started when I was age five.

一切得從我五歲時說起。

What made me do it? At school, I will admit this:

是其麼令我開始呢？我得承認，是在學校裡，

academically, I couldn't express myself.

我無法用學業成績表現自己。

So I was, more or less, classed as "nothing."

所以我某程度上被歸類為「甚麼也不是」。

My world was seen as less.

我的世界被認為有所不足。

So I decided I didn't really want to be a part of that world.

於是我決定我不想成為那個世界的一部份。

I thought, I need to retreat

我想，我要逃到

into something else.

另一個世界裡。

So when my mother used to take me to school,

從前是我媽帶我上學的，

she thought I was at school,

她總以為我在學校裹，

and I used to do a U-turn, when her back was turned,

其實我總會在她轉身後來個急轉彎，

and run off and hide in the shed at the back of the garden.

跑到後園，躲到小木棚裡。

Now, the one time I was in the shed,

記得有一次我躲在木棚裡時，

and my mother suspected something,

我媽開始懷疑，

thinking I was at school.

我究竟是否真的在學校。

My mother was like the woman in Tom and Jerry.

我媽就像卡通《猫和老鼠》裡那個女人。

So you'd just see her feet.

你只能看到她的雙腳。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So I was hiding in the shed, like that.

當時我正躲在木棚裡，

And all of a sudden ...

突然間......

And then I saw her legs.

我看到她的雙腳。

And then she said -- grabbed me like that, because my mother was quite big --

然後她說（她像這樣抓著我，因為她個子挺高大的）

and she lifted me up and she says,

她把我揪起，對我說：

"How come you're not at school?"

「為甚麼你沒有上學？」

I told her I couldn't face it because the way

我告訴她這是因為我無法面對

the teacher was treating me, ridiculing me,

老師對待我的態度，她們總是在刁難我，

and using me as an example of failure.

並以我作為失敗的例子。

So I told her.

我這樣對她說。

At that age, obviously, I couldn't express it that way,

當然，那個年紀的我不懂得這樣表達出來

but I told her I didn't feel right.

我只是告訴她我覺得不對勁。

And then she just said, "You're going back to school tomorrow."

然後她說：「你明天給我回到學校去。」

And walked off. And I didn't expect that,

說完便走開了。這跟我預期的很不一樣。

because I expected one of these ...

我以為會她會這樣對我......(打屁股)

But I didn't get it.

可是她沒有。

So I'm sitting there thinking.

於是我坐在那裡思考。

And as I looked down on the ground,

正當我低頭看著地上時，

I noticed there was some ants running around.

我留意到有些螞蟻在到處跑。

And I went into this little fantasy world.

於是我走進這個細小的幻想世界裡。

And I thought,

我想，

"These ants, are they looking for the queen ant?

「這些螞蟻，牠們在尋找蟻后嗎？

Or do they need somewhere to live?"

抑或牠們只是需要一個棲息的地方？」

So I thought "Perhaps,

於是我想：「或許，

if I made these ants some apartments,

我若為這些蟻造一些公寓，

they'll move in."

牠們會搬進去。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So I did.

而我真的這樣做了。

And how I set about that, I got some splinters of wood.

開始時，我先找來一些碎木片。

And I sliced the little splinters of wood with a broken shard of glass,

然後我用一片玻璃碎把木片削薄。

constructed this little apartment.

建造成一座小小的公寓。

Well it looked like a little shanty shed when I'd finished.

完成後，它看起來就像一間簡陋的小木屋。

But I thought, perhaps the ant won't know, it'll probably move in.

但我心想，或許螞蟻們不會知道，而願意遷入。

And so they did.

而牠們真的搬進去。

That was a bit crude, at the time. And I made all these little apartments

那時的作品有點粗糙，但我還是造了很多小公寓，

and little merry-go-rounds, seesaws and swings, little ladders.

還有小型的旋轉木馬、蹺蹺板、鞦韆和梯子。

And then I encouraged the ants to come 'round by putting sugar and things like that.

然後我放置糖粒之類的東西，鼓勵螞蟻們造訪

And then I sat down and all the ants came along.

接著我坐下來，看著螞蟻開始聚集。

And all I could hear was "Is this for us?"

我彷彿聽到：「這些是為我們造的嗎？」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And I say, "Yes, they're all for you."

我說：「是的，全都是給你們造的。」

And they moved in, and decided not to pay me any rent.

於是牠們搬進去，還決定不付我任何租金。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And from there I was watching this little world.

我看著這個微小的世界，

It became part of me.

它成為了我的一部份。

When I discovered that I had this gift,

當我發現自己有這種天賦，

I wanted to experiment with this world

我便想用這個我們看不到的世界

that we can't see.

來作試驗。

So I realized that there was more to life

所以我意識到，生命不只局限於

than just everything that we see around us that's huge.

我們週遭一切看到的、巨大的事物。

So I started to educate myself on this molecular level.

於是我開始在這種分子的層面上教育自己。

And as I got older, I continued. I showed my mother.

我長大後一直繼續著。當我展示作品給我媽看時，

My mother told me to take it smaller.

她叫我把它們弄得更小。

Now I shall show you something here.

現在我先給你們看一些東西，

And I'll explain.

然後我再解釋。

As you can see,

你可以看到，

that's a pinhead.

這是一個釘頭

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Now that is called the Huf Haus.

這間房子叫做Huf宅

The gentleman who commissioned me to do this

委托我創作這件作品的

was a gentleman called Peter Huf.

是一位叫 Peter Huf 的先生。

And he says to me "Willard, can you put my house on a pinhead?"

他對我說：「Willard，你能夠把我的房子放到釘頭上嗎？」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So I say, "How are you going to fit in there?"

於是我說：「你怎樣擠到裡面去呢？」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And then he said to me,

然後他對我說，

"I don't believe you can do it. Can you really do it?"

「我不相信你能做到。你真的能夠做到嗎？」

And I says, "Well, try me."

我回答說：「那就讓我試試看啊。」

And then he said, "But I don't believe that you can do this." So I said, "OK."

他說：「我還是不相信你能做得到。」我答道：「那好吧。」

So, to cut a long story short,

總之，長話短說，

I went home, went underneath the microscope,

我回到家，在顯微鏡底下，

and I crushed up a piece of glass,

把一塊玻璃

crushed it up.

徹底壓碎。

And underneath the microscope

在顯微鏡下，

there were splinters of glass.

這些玻璃碎片

Some of them were quite jagged.

當中有些呈鋸齒狀。

So I was crushing up these pieces of glass,

我壓碎的這些玻璃，

which, as you can see,

你可以看到它們

that's the actual frame of the house.

最後成為了房子的框架。

And the actual roof is made up of a fiber,

而屋頂則是用一根纖維做成，

which I found in my sister's old teddy bear.

來自我妹妹的一隻舊玩具熊。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

So I got the teddy bear and I said,

我拿起玩具熊，對它說，

"Do you mind if I pull out one of your fibers?"

「你介意我拔走一根你身上的纖維嗎？」

So I did.

然後就拔了。

And I looked at it beneath the microscope. And some of it was flat.

我把它放到顯微鏡下看，有部份是平坦的。

So I decided to slice these up

於是我決定把它切片

with the tool that I make

用的是我自己製造的一把工具

by -- I sharpen the end of a needle into a blade.

--一把用針的未端削尖成刀鋒。

And then I actually

然後我真的

slow down my whole nervous system.

把整個人的神經系統放慢

And then I work between my heartbeat,

並在心跳與心跳間工作

I have one-and-a-half seconds

我有一秒半的時間

to actually move.

去動手

And at the same time I have to watch I don't inhale

同時我要小心不吸入

my own work, at the same time.

自己的作品

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

(Applause)

(掌聲)

Because that has happened to me.

因為那曾在我身上發生過。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

So what I did, like I said, come back to the glass.

言歸正傳，說回那些玻璃。

I found these little bits of glass.

我找來這些玻璃碎

And I had to make them square.

還得把它們弄得方方正正。

So I'm thinking "How can I do this?"

我當時想:「我如何才能做到呢?」

So what I did, I got an oilstone. Broke the edge of an oilstone off.

於是我找來一塊磨刀石，把邊角弄了一小片下來，

And what I did, I took pieces of glass. And I started to rub them.

然後我拿起玻璃碎在上面打磨，

I used a little tweezer which I made from a hair clip.

我用的是一把由髮夾改造成的鑷子

And I built rubber around the end of the tweezer so it wouldn't crush the glass.

鑷子的未端用橡膠包著,以防它把玻璃壓壞

And then I started rubbing, very very gently,

然後我開始輕輕地打磨

till some of the edges were quite square. And then I constructed it.

直到邊位變得方正起來。然後，我會開始構造房子。½

And how I constructed it,

構建的方法

is by making grooves in the top of the pinhead.

是先在釘頭上弄出坑紋

And then pushing the glass in with its own friction.

然後利用玻璃本身的摩擦力把它推進坑裡

And as I was doing it, what happened?

當我這樣做時，發生了甚麼事呢?

The instrument that I used turned into a catapult.

我用的工具成了投石器

And it went like this ...

屋子像這樣被彈走...

And then that was it.

就這樣

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Gone.

一去不回

So I'm thinking, "Mr. Huf isn't going to be very happy

我心想:「Huf先生一定不會太高興

when I told him his house has gone to another,

要是我告訴他他的房子

into the atmosphere somewhere."

一飛沖天去了

So to cut the story short,

長話短說

I decided that I had to go back and do it.

我決定重頭開始

So I found some more. And I decided to, sort of,

於是我找來更多材料。今次我決定

construct it very, very slowly,

很慢很慢地構建它

holding my breath, working between my heartbeat,

屏息靜氣，小心亦亦地工作

and making sure everything is leveled.

並確保一切都四平八穩。

Because it's such a small sculpture,

這個雕塑太細小了

nothing can go wrong.

實在不容有失

And I decided to build it up.

然後我決定著手搭建這屋子

Then I used fibers out of my jumper,

我拿毛衣上的纖維

which I held and stretched.

把它們拉直

And made the beams going around the house.

弄成房子外圍的樑

And the actual windows and the balcony

原屋的窗戶和露台

had to be sort of constructed.

也需要構造出來

I used a money spider's web

我用了一隻金錢蜘蛛的網

to actually attach certain things,

去作固定用途

which sent me insane.

這差點沒把我弄瘋

But I managed to do it.

不過我還是做到了

And when I finished it, I came back the next day.

完成後的第二天，我回去一看

I noticed that the house was occupied.

發現那小屋已經有住客了

Have we ever heard of a dust mite?

你們認識一隻塵蹣嗎?

Darren dust mite and his family moved in.

塵蹣Darren舉家搬進來了

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

So basically I'd completed the house.

基本上，我完成了那棟房子

And there you are.

就在你們眼前

(Applause)

(掌聲)

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Right. As you can see,

好，如你所見

Bart Simpson is having a little argument.

Bart Simpson 正和它老爸爭執

I think they're arguing about the space on the pin.

我想他們在爭論針頭上的空間

There's not enough room for the two of them.

不夠容納他們兩個

So I didn't think he was going to throw Bart off.

我不認為Homer真的會把Bart扔下去

I think he was just warning him actually.

我想他只是想警告一下他而已

But this one was made out of a nylon tag

不過這件作品是用我恤衫上

out of my shirt.

的尼龍標籤做的

What I did, I plucked the tag out

我把標籤拔出來

and put it underneath the microscope.

放到顯微镜底下

I used the needle which has got a slight blade on the end.

我用那根帶刀锋的针

Can anybody see the blade on the end of that needle?

有誰能看到針上的刀鋒嗎？

Audience: No.

觀眾：不能

WW: So what I did is the same process where I

我用的是相同的方法

just kind of hold my breath

就是屏息靜氣

and just work away very, very slowly,

慢慢地，逐步地

manipulating the plastic, cutting it, because it behaves different.

擺弄、切割塑料。因为它表現不同

Whenever you work on that level, things behave different.

當你在那種層面工作，事物會表現很截然不同。

Because it's on this molecular level things change

因為在這種分子層面，一切事物都會改變

and they act different.

和表現不同。

And sometimes they turn into little catapults and things go up in the air.

有時它們會變成小投石器，把東西射到空中

And, you know, all different things happen.

各種不同的事都會發生

But I had to make a little barrier, going around it, out of cellophane,

我要用玻璃紙做了一個屏障圍著它

to stop it moving.

令它不會亂動

Then static electricity set in.

然后便到靜電出場了。

And it went ...

它像這樣......

And I'm trying to remove it. And the static is interfering with everything.

然后我嘗試弄走它，但靜電總和我對著幹。

So there is sweat dripping off my head,

汗水從我的頭上滴下來

because I have to carve Homer Simpson like that, in that position.

因为我要把Homer Simpson雕成那样，在那個位置

And after I've cut out the shape,

在我剪出那個形狀後

then I have to make sure that there is room for Bart's neck.

還要確保有空問容納Bart的頸

So after I've done the same thing,

完成後

then I have to paint it.

我還要替它上色

And after I've actually sculpted them,

在我把他們雕刻出来後

I have to paint them.

我便替他們上色

I experimented with a --

我做了一個實驗 ...

I found a dead fly.

我找來一隻死了的蒼蝿

And I plucked the hair off the fly's head.

從它的頭上拔出一根毛

Decided to make a paintbrush.

用來做畫筆

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

But I would never do it to a living fly.

但我絕不會這樣對待一隻活生生的蒼蝿

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Because I've heard a fly in pain.

因為我曾聽到一隻痛苦的蒼蝿

And they go "Meow! Ow!"

「噢......! 噢!」地叫著

Even though they get on our nerves,

儘管牠們惹人討厭

I would never kill an insect

我卻絕不會殺死任何一隻昆蟲

because, "All creatures great and small" --

因為「世上萬物，無分大小」...

there is a hymn that says that.

有一首聖詩是這樣說的

So what I decided to do

於是我決定

is to pluck fine hair out of my face.

從自己臉上拔出一根幼毛

And I looked at it underneath the microscope.

並在顯微鏡下看它

That was the paintbrush.

那就是我的畫筆

And whilst I'm painting I have to be very careful,

我在上色的時候一定要非常小心

because the paint starts to turn into little blobs.

因為顏料會開始結成小滴

And it starts to dry very quickly.

而且很快地變乾

So I have to be very quick.

所以我的行動要快

If I'm not, it will end up looking

要不然它最後看起來

not like what it's supposed to look like.

便半點不像了

It could end up looking like Humpty Dumpty or somebody else.

它可能落得一個矮胖子或者其他人的模樣

So I have to be very very careful.

因此我要加倍小心。

This one took me approximately,

這件作品大約花了我，

I would say, six to seven weeks.

我想，六至七個星期完成。

My work, rough estimate,

粗略估計，我的作品

sometimes five, six to seven weeks;

一般需時五至七個星期。

you can't always anticipate.

有時很難預算

(Applause)

(掌聲)

As you can see,

如你所見，

that's Charlton Heston brought down to size.

那是被縮小了的 Charlton Heston

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

He says to me, "Willard" --

他對我說：「Willard...」

You can see him saying, "Why me?"

你可以看到他在說：「為何徧徧是我？」

I says, "I enjoyed your film. That's why."

我說：「因為我欣賞你的電影」

As you can see, there's an aphid fly there.

你見到的，是一隻蚜蠅

That's just to show the scale

那是用來顯出對比

and the actual size of the sculpture.

和雕塑的實際大小

I would say it probably measures ...

我會說它太約有......

a quarter of a millimeter.

四分一毫米大。

In America they say a period stop.

在美國他們把句號叫作 period stop。

So say if you cut a period stop in half,

如果你把一個句號分成兩半，

a full stop, that's about the size of the whole thing.

那差不多就是整件作品的大小。

It's made -- the chariot is made of gold.

那輛戰車是用黃金造的。

And Charlton Heston is made of a floating fiber,

而 Charlton Heston 則是用一根漂浮的纖維造成，

which I took out of the air.

是我從空氣中檢回來的。

When the sunlight comes through the window you see these little fibers.

當陽光從窗外透進來時，你會看到這些纖維。

And what I normally do is walk 'round a room --

而我一般就在房間裡來回地走，

(Laughter) --

(笑聲)

trying to find one. And then I put it underneath the microscope.

嘗試去找。然後我會把它到放到顯微鏡下。

I remember one time I was doing it, and the window was open.

記得有一次我這樣做的時候，窗是開著的。

And there was a lady standing by the bus stop.

在巴士站旁有一位女士站著

And she saw me walking around like this.

她看到我這樣走來走去

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

And then she looked at me.

她看著我

And then I went ...

我馬上這樣...

And then she went, "Hmm, OK, he's not mad."

她於是想：「嗯，還好，他不是瘋的。」

Yeah, to actually do this thing --

對，如何做出這件作品呢－

the actual chariot is made of gold.

那戰車是用黃金造的。

I had a 24-karat gold ring.

我有一隻24K的金介指，

And I cut off a little flake of gold.

從上面我削下一小片黃金。

And I bent it 'round,

接著我把它剪裁好，並彎曲起來，

and made it into the chariot.

最後弄成戰車。

And the horse is made from nylon.

馬匹是用尼龍造的，

And the spider's web is for the reins on the horse.

牠身上的韁繩則是用蜘蛛絲造成

To get the symmetrical shape of the horse

要做出馬匹對稱的形狀

was very difficult,

實在很困難

because I had to get the horse to rear up

因為牠猛蹬了一下，所以我要把牠弄成站起來

and look as though it was in some kind of action.

令牠看起來更有動感。

When I did this one,

當我做這件作品時，

a gentleman seen it and said to me,

一位先生看後對我說：

"There's no way you can do this, you must have used some kind of machine.

「單憑你自己是沒可能做到的，你一定是借助了某種機器。

There's no way a man can do that.

人類沒可能做得到，

It must be a machine."

把它造出來的一定是一部機器。」

So I says, "OK then, if you say it's a machine ..."

於是我說：「好吧，既然你說那是一部機器...」

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

(Applause)

(掌聲)

That one took me approximately six weeks.

那件作品大約花了我六星期

(Applause)

(掌聲)

The most famous statue in the world.

世上最有名的雕像

This one, I would say,

我想說，這件作品

was a serious challenge.

是一項嚴峻的挑戰。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Because I had to put the torch on the top.

因為我要把火炬放在頂端。

That one is, more or less, the same type of process.

這件作品是採用類似的工序製作。

The bottom of it is carved from a grain of sand,

它的底座是從一粒沙粒雕刻出來的

because I wanted to get a bit of the stone effect.

因為我想讓它有石質的效果。

I used a microscopic shard of diamond

我用了一塊微細的鑽石碎片

to actually carve the actual base.

去雕刻出那底座。

Well, I can look at this one and I can be very proud of this,

看著這件作品，我為它感到非常自豪

because that statue has always sort of

因為那個雕像一直

kept an image in my head of, you know,

在我腦海裡留下一個景象：

the beginning of people coming to America.

移民到美國的人的開端

So it's sort of Ellis Island, and seeing America for the first time.

那就是到埃利斯島，第一次看到美國。

And that's the first thing they saw.

那雕像就是他們第一樣看到的東西。

So I wanted to have that little image.

所以我想形造出那個小小的景象

And this is it.

就是這件藝術品。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

And we all know that is the Hulk.

我們都知道那是變形俠醫

I wanted to create movement in the eye of a needle.

我想在針眼裡塑造出動感

Because we know we see needles,

我們都見過針

but people aren't familiar with the eye of a needle

但人們不太熟悉針眼

apart from putting a thread through it.

除了把線從中穿過之外。

So I broke the needle.

所以我弄斷了針

And made a needle look like

令這根針看似是

the Hulk's broken it.

被變形俠醫弄斷的。

It's -- I had to make little holes

我要弄一些小孔

in the base of the needle, to shove his feet in.

在針頭的底部，好讓他的腳插進去。

So most of my work, I don't use glue.

我大部份的作品，都不用膠水。

They go in with their own friction.

它們是以自身的摩摖力固定進去的

And that's how I managed to do it.

那就是我用的方法

As you can see, he's looking at the moment. He's got a little grimace on his face.

你可以看到，他正瞪著眼，齜牙咧嘴。

And his mouth must be probably about

他的嘴可能只有

three microns.

三微米闊

So the eyes are probably about one micron or something.

所以他的眼腈應該只有一微米左右大

That ship there,

那艘船，

that's made from 24-karat gold.

是用24K金造的。

And I normally rig it with the web of a money spider.

我一般是用小蜘蛛的絲去裝帆具

But I had to rig it with strands of glue.

但今次我要動用到膠水絲

Because the web of the spider, it was sending me insane,

因為那些蜘蛛絲快把我弄瘋了

because I couldn't get the web to move off.

我沒法把它們弄走

And that's 24-karat gold. And it's constructed. I built it.

那是24K金的。我建造它，

Constructed each plank of gold.

逐塊金船版建造出來的。

And the whole thing is sort of symmetrical.

整艘船大致上是對稱的

The flag had to be made out of little strands of gold.

船上的旗是用小金線造的

It's almost like doing a surgical operation to get this thing right.

要做好它就像做手術一樣。

(Applause)

(掌聲)

As you can see, dressage.

正如你所見，馬術盛裝舞步。

(Laughter)

(掌聲)

It's something I wanted to do just to show how I could get the symmetrical shape.

我造這件作品，是為了證明我能做出那樣對稱的形狀。

The actual rigging on the reins on the horse

那隻馬身上的繮繩

are made from the same sort of thing.

是用同類的物料造的。

And that was done with a particle from my shirt.

是用我襯衣上的微粒造出來的。

And the pinhead I've made green around there

我把這個針頭弄成綠色的方法

by scraping the particles off a green shirt

就是從綠色襯衣上刮下微粒

and then pressed onto the needle.

然後壓到針上。

It's very painstaking work,

那是一項嘔心瀝血的工作，

but the best things come in small packages.

不過美好的事物，有時候會以細小的形態展現。

(Laughter)

(笑聲)

Bruno Giussani: Willard Wigan!

Bruno Giussani: Willard Wigan!

(Applause)

(掌聲)