A’long Shan’s Quagmire

February 9, 2018 2018年2月9日

The Daxinganling forests lie in the extreme north of China, where temperatures drop below negative 40 degrees Celsius in winter. Spanning Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang provinces, this forest is estimated to hold half of China’s lumber supply, but since the establishment of forestry divisions there in the late 40s, it has lost nearly all of its primeval forests to logging.

For over six decades, the people of A’long Shan prospered by felling the forest that held them. In 2015, the Chinese government established Daxinganling as a “strategic lumber reserve” and prohibited logging. Since then, the town has lost three-quarters of its population, including most of its youth. Once 40,000 strong, the town of A’long Shan is home to only 7,000 residents today. Like dozens of other lumber towns in the region, A’long Shan must find a way to thrive with the forest instead of at its cost or face certain ruin.


大兴安岭林区在中国最北边,跨内蒙古、黑龙江两省,纬度高,严寒,冬天气温经常在 –40℃ 以下。曾经,中国有一半的木材供应量都来自这片森林。上世纪 40 年代末,这里设立了林业部门、开始大规模伐木。阿龙山人也因此得以靠伐木起家。在过去 60 年里,镇上人吃的是“伐木”这碗饭。而时至今日,大部分的原始森林都被砍伐殆尽了。

直到 2015 年。

大兴安岭林区被定为国家木材战略储备基地,禁止采伐。从那时起,这个小镇流失了四分之三的人口,年轻人几乎全体“出逃”。这个曾拥有 4 万以上人口以上的阿龙山镇,到如今只剩 7000 多人。和大兴安岭林区其它几十个曾经的伐木重镇一样,阿龙山必须找到一条与森林共繁荣的路。

I grew up reading about the majesty of Daxinganling. I had imagined fields of thick pines stretching into the horizon but when I looked out the window of our jeep as it cut across the mountain, I saw trees tall and lanky in a forest sparse and frail.

“How old are these trees?” I asked Zhang, my local friend, thinking they must be in their teens.

“About thirty years old.” He answered. “Trees grow real slow here.”

He had caught the disbelief in my eyes.

“We chopped down this one tree before that was about this thick,” he outlined an imaginary bowl with his hands. “It was filled with rings. A scientist used a microscope and counted to about 300 years! This small,” he motioned again. “Three-hundred years! That must’ve killed his eyes.”

He watched the young forest spreading on the distant hill like an overgrown crew cut, and continued, “This area’s been cleared three or four times already. The old forest is long gone! You might still find some if you go real deep.”

Zhang used to work in forestry when it was still the lifeblood of the town. He saw trees so thick they took five men to cut; he saw the mountain swallow work teams two hundred strong and spit out truck after truck piled high with logs. Back then, he had thought the forest infinite. Back then, he had kept his friends stocked with meat and booze and had kept the numerous roads clear for their trucks. Now, only one road remains.

“We cut down too many.” Zhang sighed. “It takes so long to grow but we cut one down in ten minutes. The government’s doing the right thing protecting the forest.”

He fell silent and watched the forest fly by.


在我的小学语文课本里,大兴安岭被描述成一片壮观的森林。我想象这片中国最大的森林,应该长满了粗大、挺拔的松树的林海,无边无际。但是,当吉普车在山间穿越,我透过窗户看到的,却是一片片稀疏的树林——一棵棵瘦高的树干,好像正在窜个子的少年,纤弱得惹人怜。

“这些树多少年了?”我问当地的朋友张叔,我觉得这些树大概都是新种上的。

“三十多年。”他回答说。

“这儿的树长得慢!这儿生长周期短!”他说,“以前我们砍过一棵树,也就那么粗,”他把两只手拼成一只碗口状,“里面密密麻麻的都是年轮。科学家拿显微镜数,数到三百多年!呵!那可得把眼睛都数花了!”

年轻的森林像刚剪了的寸头,在远处圆润的山坡上蔓延开去。

他接着说道:“这片儿已经被砍过三四次了。原始森林早没了!只有扎得更里头去也许还能找见。”

张叔曾经在林业部门工作,当时砍树还是阿龙山镇的主业。他说,那时候有很粗的树,要四、五个人一起才能砍倒;他还说,那时候到了冬天,几百人的大队往山里钻,几个月不见人出来,只有载满了木头的大卡车一辆辆地往外开。那时候,他觉得山上的木头永远砍不完,而他只忙两件事:一是给山里的同事送酒肉,一是铲净每条山路上的雪,保证大卡车进出安全。

现在,山里只剩下这一条路了。

张叔叹息道。“以前确实砍得太厉害了。你想想,三百多年才长呢(那)么粗,我们十来分钟就砍了。政府保护森林是对的。”他转过头沉默不语,看着森林的风景在眼前唰唰而过。

The forest needs time to recover. But since the sudden demise of forestry, the townsfolk have found nothing with which to replace it. Stuck in this quagmire, they wait, some for a chance to leave, others for miraculous release from their predicament. Like all those who have surrendered their fates to powers greater and more mysterious than their own, they pass their time with cheap entertainment and gossip, believing that in the end, all will be well.


森林需要休养生息了。而人,还困在泥潭里。几十年靠林子吃饭,现在他们没有了经济来源。一部分人去大城市打工,一部分人坐等奇迹。和许多人一样,他们把自己的命运交给了一种强大而神秘的力量,每天只通过廉价的娱乐和唠嗑儿打发时间,相信最终一切都会好起来。

Every night, over glasses of baijiu (a strong Chinese spirit made with grains), Zhang and his underlings – Jin and Gu – share news on which drunkard had frozen to death after falling asleep in the snow. Besides gruesome deaths by the cold, they liked to talk of one other thing: foraging. It was only through their descriptions that I could imagine the forest in summer and fall – in a sea of green, wild berries and nuts of all colors ripen and release their fragrance. Out of work, many of the townsfolk spend the entire fall foraging for savory wild mushrooms, blueberries, “red beans” (which turned out to be cranberries), and unctuous pine nuts, all of which can be sold to collectors at decent prices. Some make 40,000 yuan a year foraging. They passionately described the times they discovered hidden treasures in the forest – bushes laden with “red beans” or patches of open earth covered with the best kind of wild mushroom, still untouched, of harvests so plentiful that they had to haul 50 kilogram sacks back to town.


我在的这段时间,每天晚上张叔和他的下属金大哥(Jin)和谷大哥(Gu)都非要陪我喝酒不可。喝上了,就要“唠唠嗑儿”——不是唠谁又喝多了,半夜在雪地里睡着冻死了,就是唠“采秋儿”。采秋,就是秋天上山采野果子。如果不是听着他们的描述,我很难想象到这片森林在夏天和秋天的样子——一片绿色的海洋里,五彩缤纷的野果和坚果挂满枝头,发出香味。

不让伐木了,好多人就进山采秋。山里野味儿多呢,有散发着泥土和木头香味的野蘑菇,酸甜口儿的“嘟市”(蓝莓)和泡酒用的“红豆儿”(蔓越莓)还有香喷喷的松子。所有这些食材都可以用不错的价钱卖出去。通过采摘野生食材,有些人每年可以赚4 万多元。

他们兴致勃勃地讲述在丛林中发现“秘密宝藏”的旧事,那是长满红豆儿的灌木丛,或是长满了顶级野生蘑菇的开阔草地,收获如此之丰,他们有时要把 100 多斤的麻袋运回镇上。

镇郊外长着一片野生浆果 / A patch of wild berries on the outskirts of town.
待售的冰冻粘豆包、花生、海带干和冰棍儿 / Frozen buns, peanuts, dried seaweed and popsicles for sale.
棉花棉裤 100 元一条;鼎鑫衣吧 / The red sign reads: Cotton and cotton pants 100 yuan per pair; the blue sign reads: Ding Xin Fashion Bar

“What if you started a factory here?” I suggested hopefully. “To make dried wild fruits and nuts? They’d sell for 50 yuan a bag in Beijing! People there love the organic stuff! And that would give people here the incentive to protect trees.”

What excitement remained was immediately extinguished by looks of pity.

“We tried before. It doesn’t work.” Zhang shook his head.

The topic was changed before I could ask why.

Though Zhang was born in A’long Shan, his family came from Penglai, a town by the sea in Shandong Province. Part of a massive movement to populate and develop frontier provinces, his father migrated here in the 1950s with many of his townsfolk.

In his early 50s and rapidly balding, Zhang has spent his entire life in the forests of Daxinganling and is due to retire in a few years. “After I retire, I’ll go south and live by the ocean with my daughter! Maybe manage an Airbnb or two.” He beamed with drunken bliss.


“要是在这开个工厂呢?做野生果干和松仁儿。到了北京一包能卖 50 块钱呢!北京人可喜欢这些野生的东西了。这样,这儿的人也愿意保护树了。”我满怀希望地建议。

活跃的气氛忽然间凝固了,被一种大人对天真的小孩才表现出的无奈和同情所取代。

“我们试过,不行。”张叔摇了摇头说道。

我还没来得及问原因,他就转移了话题。

张叔生在阿龙山,老家在山东,海边的蓬莱市。他父亲和许多蓬莱的同乡都是在50年代支援边疆、建设东北的运动中搬来林区的。

张叔已经五十多岁,头发也开始秃了。他在大兴安岭的森林里度过了一生,几年后他就要退休了。“退休以后我就搬去青岛,住我女儿旁边。在海边儿整两个民宿什么的,多好,嘿!”他红着鼻头,醉醺醺地冲我傻笑。

少生优生,幸福一生 / Painted slogan reads: Fewer but better [children], a life lived happier.
遵守规章保安全 预防为主安全第一 / Painted slogan reads: Follow Protocol, Ensure Safety; Prevention First, Safety First.

I stayed at Long Shan Hotel, one of the taller buildings on the south side of town. The hotel is on the main street along with all other buildings of import, surrounded first by a ring of bungalows that thins with each passing year, then a ring of abandoned log factories and ruined train tracks leading south, and finally, a chain of small hills on which animal tracks become more common than human ones.

There is a tension between the town and the wooded hills that look down upon it. A definite border divides their territories. Upon exiting A’long Shan, the territory of man immediately thins to about two meters – between the edges of the only road through the mountains.


我住的龙山饭店(Long Shan Hotel)在小镇南边的大街上,是座高楼。这条“中心大街”也是仅剩的山路,是324县道。镇子上稍有地位的建筑都在这条街上。往外,是一圈日渐稀疏的平房;再往外,是废弃的木板厂厂房和向南去的铁道。最后,一圈连绵的山丘把镇子围在中间。到了这儿,动物的印记已比人的容易找了

小镇和山林之间在无形中似乎有着一种紧张的关系。一条明确的边界划分着双方的领土。在阿龙山的山口处,属于人类的领域骤减至只有两米宽的山路。

Inside the forest, towers are the only human outposts. There are two close to town, each on its own hill: a radio transmission tower and a fire watch tower.

The sun skirmishes along the horizon from east to west and calls it a day. Its light always hits at an angle so, parts of the forest hidden within taller trees never see the light. In such spots, snow stays all winter and is dyed blue by the shadow. Smaller paths leading into the depths of the forest are marked in this way by a deep blue hue.


在森林里面,高塔是唯一的人类存在。镇子附近有两座塔,各占一个山头——一座是无线电发射塔,一座是防火塔。

太阳擦着天边懒懒地转一圈就把一天唬弄过去了。阳光总是斜着射下来,让那些隐没在瘦高的白桦树下的矮松树一冬天也见不到光。树林的影子给白雪染上蓝调调;通向森林深处的小径,好似一条深蓝色的隧道。

I can see all this from atop the tower and more. I can see the moon just above me, rising to overtake the sun; I can see the dying light tracing the pale skin on crowds of young, white birch; further, I can see the town rolled out beneath the moon.

The forest grows stronger with each passing decade, but where I see life and opportunity, the townsfolk see cold and bitterness. What use are thick trees if they can’t be cut and sold? What good is a strong forest if A’long Shan no longer exists?

That those who know the forest best are often the most willing to harm it once puzzled me. Now, I see – the townsfolk had not accepted that their fate and the forest’s had long been bound together.


我从塔顶俯瞰这一切。我看到月亮在我的上方冉冉升起,正要取代太阳;我看到黄昏的暮光映照在年轻的白桦树上,描出它们的树干;我还看到,在月亮的清晖下铺展开来的阿龙山镇。

假以时日,树会长大,森林会重新茂密起来。这个本来应该令人充满希望的景象却让阿龙山人看着心酸。他们的想法是:不让砍树了,树长得再壮有何用?森林茂密了,而镇子已经不存在了,又有何用?

与森林休戚相关的人竟然对森林如此漠然!我困惑良久。现在,我终于明白了。小镇的居民一直以来并没有接受一个事实:他们的命运和这片森林早已绑在一起。这是谁的悲哀?

In recent years, growing flocks of urbanites pass through A’long Shan on their way to “experience the Russian border” in Mohe. As China’s metropolises explode from overpopulation and as their overstressed inhabitants stream into nature, desperate for breaths of fresh air, A’long Shan has an opportunity to reposition itself as a haven for the city-sick and a base for trekkers.

What it needs is investment and some small success to show its people it is possible to thrive with the forest. What it needs most is for its people to start acting to improve their own lives instead of continuing to rot, waiting for change that may never come.


大批游客途经阿龙山到漠河做“中俄边境体验游”。但是,他们不在阿龙山停留。

这是阿龙山的机会,它能否重新定位?比如,成为最接近大自然的休憩之地或驴友理想的目的地?获得政策支持和外来投资是关键。而对于阿龙山人,最重要的是:开始行动,努力改善自己的生活。放任自己颓废下去,空等奇迹,有出路吗?只有积极寻找与森林共繁荣的方法,他们才有可能保住家乡。

Contributor & Photographer: Andy Hu


供稿人与摄影师: Andy Hu

The Art of Kushti 摔跤吧!人们

February 8, 2018 2018年2月8日

The Art of Kushti is a photography series by Italian travel, documentary, and street photographer Marcello Perino. Taken in New Delhi during Perino’s travels across India, the series explores the practice of kushti, a wrestling tradition that has existed in South Asia for centuries.


《The Art of Kushti》是意大利旅行、纪实和街头摄影师 Marcello Perino 创作的摄影系列。Perino 横跨印度旅行,在新德里期间所拍摄了这组照片,探讨印度当地的传统泥地摔跤(Kushti),一种在南亚流传了几个世纪的摔跤传统。

Kushti is more than just a sport – it’s a martial art, a way of life, and a spiritual practice that requires strict discipline from practitioners to follow the rules and regimens of the tradition. The history of kushti goes back to the 16th century when northern India was conquered by the Mughals. Although wrestling has been practiced in South Asia since at least the 5th millennium BC, the Mughals would bring their own wrestling traditions to India and influence the way that wrestling was practiced there – this blending of traditions would birth the modern tradition of kushti that continues to be practiced today.


泥地摔跤不仅仅是一项运动,它更是一种武术、一种生活方式、一种需要严格自律的修行,是对规则与传统的恪守。泥地摔跤的历史可以追溯到 16 世纪,当时印度北部被莫卧儿王朝(Mughals)所征服。公元前五千年以来,南亚地区已经出现了摔跤运动,但是莫卧儿王朝还是把他们自己的摔跤传统带到了印度,从而影响了当地的摔跤方式。两种传统摔跤的混合催生了现代的泥地摔跤,一直流传至今。

Kushti wrestlers will live and train together in centers called akharas, which serve as training schools and arenas where they can compete against each other and train using a range of fairly simple but effective equipment. Living under the guidance of a guru, practitioners adhere to a rigorous training schedule that begins before sunrise and ends in the early evening. Practitioners are required to adhere to a specific diet and will have responsibilities at the akhara that include cleaning, cooking, washing, and other jobs. Some elite wrestlers will practice 365 days a year, live under strict rules of celibacy, and avoid smoking tobacco or drinking alcohol.


泥地摔跤运动员需要在名为 Akharas 的摔跤中心生活和训练,这些中心既是训练学校,也是学员互相比赛的竞技场,其中训练用的设备虽然简单却十分有效。在教练的指导下,摔跤运动员必须坚持严格的培训安排,他们往往要在天亮之前就起来训练,一直到傍晚才结束。在摔跤中心,摔跤运动员必须遵守特定的饮食习惯,还要负责相应的工作,包括清洁、煮饭、洗衣服等等。一些精英摔跤运动员全年 365 天都要参加训练,严格按照独身生活的规条,并且严禁烟酒。

The Art of Kushti was taken in New Delhi at the Guru Hanuman Akhara, the oldest akhara in India. Wrestlers at the akhara practice under the guidance of Maha Singh Rao, a national legend and coach who has been awarded the Dronacharya Award, the highest honor that can be given by the Indian government in the field of coaching in sports and athletics. The Guru Hanuman Akhara has produced nationally and internationally recognized wrestlers, who continue to carry on the art and tradition of kushti.


《The Art of Kushti》是于印度新德里历史最悠久的 Guru Hanuman Akhara 摔跤中心拍摄的。摔跤中心的教练 Maha Singh Rao是一位获得 Dronacharya 奖的民族传奇,Dronacharya 奖是印度政府在体育和田径培训领域颁发的最高荣誉。Guru Hanuman Akhara 摔跤中心至今成功培养了多名享誉国内外的摔跤运动员,是泥地摔跤这项艺术和传统运动的重要传承者。

Websiteovosphotography.com

 

Contributor: George Zhi Zhao


网站ovosphotography.com

 

供稿人: George Zhi Zhao

Facades “墙壁部门”

February 7, 2018 2018年2月7日

In both graphic design and photography, attention to composition and color are crucial in creating a visually engaging image. With these overlaps, it was only natural for Tokyo-based graphic designer Ka_nai to begin dabbling with photography. While he doesn’t consider himself a photographer, he’s created an ongoing photo series dedicated to the random walls and building facades that’s grabbed his attention over the years. His ever-growing image collection, uploaded on Instagram under the hashtag #ザ壁部 (meaning “The Wall Department” in English), is a fun showcase of how his two skill sets feed off one another. Since the idea’s inception in 2012, his photos have inspired many others to contribute to the hashtag, which now boasts over 75,000 posts from users all over the world.


无论是摄影还是平面设计, 构图和色彩都是决定视觉效果是否有吸引力的关键因素。而东京平面设计师 Ka_nai 正是出色运用这两种因素,以墙壁和建筑立面为素材,创作出一系列令人惊艳的摄影作品。这是他的一个长期项目,他将这一系列的摄影作品发表在Instagram 上,统一贴上了标签 #ザ壁部(意为“墙壁部门”)。多年来,许多人也受到了这个概念的灵感启发,一起来丰富这个标签。现在,Instagram 上一共有超过 7 万个标签为 #ザ壁部 的帖子,发帖用户遍布世界各地。

Ka_nai describes his foray into photography almost as if it were an accident. He tells us, “Soon after Instagram launched, I saw one of my friends using it and was inspired to try it out myself. At the time, it was just about following my close friends and them following me back. Many of them had beautifully curated feeds that focused on certain themes, such as landscape or pets, so I started thinking about if I could do something similar. I happened to have a photo of this interesting, but dilapidated, wall sitting on my camera roll so I decided to throw an Instagram filter on it and post it. When I saw that it started receiving positive feedback, I thought ‘This is it!'”


Ka_nai 从不以摄影师自称,他说自己开始接触摄影也是纯属意外。“Instagram 出现后不久,我看到一位朋友在玩,就想着也去玩玩。那时候,我的关注者都是一些好朋友。但是我的很多朋友都会精心按照特定主题来管理自己的账号,所以我开始考虑自己是不是也可以做类似的事情。我在自己拍的照片堆里偶然看到了一张照片,上面是一幢残旧的墙壁,我用 Instagram 滤镜处理了一下,就发上面去了。结果发现大家都挺喜欢这张照片的,我当时就想,‘这正是我要找的主题’!然后从那时候起,我就开始专注拍摄墙壁和建筑立面了。”

While many of Ka_nai’s images are simple snapshots of mundane settings, his keen sense of observation offers a refreshing perspective on the ordinary. Similar to his own work flow, he urges creatives to think outside of the box and explore concepts from different angles, no matter what medium or discipline they might be working in. “For me, I find that when looking for good shots, I might have to walk around and examine a building from different sides,” he says. “Usually, the most interesting ideas aren’t immediately obvious.”


虽然 Ka_nai 作品大多都是平凡日常的场景,但他以敏锐的观察,呈现出令人耳目一新的视角。他鼓励创意人跳出思维定式,无论是以什么媒介或在哪个领域创作,都应该从不同的角度去探索各种概念。“我发现,在拍摄的时候,最有趣的墙壁往往不是一眼就能看到的。有时候,在一幢建筑的背面,你会找到更有趣的画面。”

Instagram: @ka_nai

 

Contributor: David Yen


Instagram: @ka_nai

 

供稿人: David Yen

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Alpha Go 我们的“接班人”

February 6, 2018 2018年2月6日

 

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Sun Yunfan and Dave Liang of the Shanghai Restoration Project ponder what a world where robots have replaced humans might look (or rather sound) like on their latest album, R.U.R. The 13-track album pictures a world where our robot successors are attempting to understand the events that led to the human extinction as they dissect the sum of all human knowledge. Building on the narrative of technology reigning supreme over man, the lead single from R.U.R., “Alpha Go,” pays tribute to Google’s DeepMind AI that recently defeated the world’s top Go champions, a reminder that the album’s imagined world could very well one day become a reality.


未来,机器人取代人类的世界是什么样子的呢?来自上海复兴方案乐队孙云帆Dave Liang,就在他们的最新专辑中《R.U.R.》描绘了(或者说,以声音绘述了)这样的图景。这张包含了 13 首歌的专辑,绘述了我们的“接班人”机器人在剖析人类所有知识的总和时,也正在试图了解导致人类灭绝的事件。来自本专辑中的头号单曲《Alpha Go》,正是对谷歌的 DeepMind 人工智能的致敬,它在前不久击败了世界顶级的围棋冠军,提示着人们这张专辑的想象世界很有可能在未来的某天成为现实。

For the new “Alpha Go” music video, Sun taps into her talents as a visual artist to conjure a surreal landscape filled with psychedelic shapes and colors. The animated video comments on the implications of our technological advancements while also giving nod to the history of the game of Go. In it, floating plants are used to reference traditional Chinese paintings that often depict individuals playing the game in a garden or other outdoor settings; swirling yin-yang symbols are a call out to Go’s monochromatic game pieces as well as the importance of understanding duality for those looking to master the game; and binary code – written in Mandarin Chinese rather than numeric digits – alludes to the ancient Go theory books that sequence moves in Chinese numerals.


对《Alpha Go》这支新单曲的 MV,孙云帆运用了身为视觉艺术家的才华,打造了一幅迷幻形状与颜色营造出的超现实景观。MV 动画在暗示技术进步的后果的同时,也向围棋悠久的历史致敬。在 MV 中,浮动的植物源自于中国传统国画中通常描绘的棋手在花园里或自然户外环境中下棋的景象;旋转的阴阳符号代表围棋黑白二色的棋子,也是对古代围棋理论中平衡阴阳两极这一要义的强调。而用汉语书写的二进制代码,则引用了古代棋谱里用中文数字来标示落子步骤的格式。

The music video encapsulates a frenetic yet cheerful energy that feels like both a warning and a celebration of an inevitable future. It captures the paradoxical feelings toward the fast-evolving technology of modern times – people appreciate the benefits that technology can bring to their lives, but at the same time, there exists an underlying sense of apprehension about our expendability as humans and how AI may one day replace us.


这支 MV 传递出一种狂热又欢快的能量,令人感觉既像是对不可避免的未来的预警,却也像是对此的欢庆。它抓住了人们对如今快速发展的科技所存有的矛盾心态——既感谢科技带来的便利,又对可能被人工智能取代的结局心存焦虑。

While most of today’s artificial intelligence is designed to execute complex and formulaic tasks set around specific guidelines, in the future, experts speculate that AI will have more autonomy and possess the potential to work in every job sector. Sun thinks that AI could one day be capable of creating original works of art that are as good as, if not superior to, our own.

“Will AI-produced art satisfy human aesthetics? I think the answer is yes,” Sun muses. “Human aesthetics are increasingly shaped by technology. For a lot of people, to be moved by something does not require the knowledge of a consciousness, or a soul, behind its creation. When we say we’re moved by a work of art, often times we’re projecting our own emotions onto our experience of that work. That being said, what would still be missing in AI produced art is the dimension of art that connects us with a shared history of human experiences, which I believe is what moves us when we see a cave painting or an ancient Go theory book.”


尽管今天的人工智能所能执行的复杂而程式化的任务只限于一定范围内,但在很多人眼里人工智能在未来的潜力远不止于此。孙云帆认为有一天人工智能也可能会创造出媲美甚至优于人类创造的艺术作品。

“人工智能产出的艺术能否满足人类的审美需求?我想答案是肯定的。”孙云帆设想道,“人类的审美趣味日益被科技所塑造。对很多人来说,被某种事物所感动,并不需要了解它是否是由某个意识或者灵魂所创造的。当我们说自己被一件艺术作品所感动时,我们常常是将自己的情感投射到对于作品的体验中。尽管如此,人工智能所创作的艺术仍然缺少一个向度——即人的艺术有帮助我们与某个共有的人类经验的历史建立联系的功能。我想那正是打动我们的东西,就像当我们看见原始的洞穴岩画或是一本古代的围棋理论书时那样。”

To listen to the album in full, please visit Spotify, iTunes, QQ Music, Xiami, or NetEase Music.


想要收听整张专辑,可移步至 SpotifyiTunes、 QQ 音乐、 虾米音乐、或者网易云音乐收听。

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Kaleidoscope 花花世界,等你来剪

February 5, 2018 2018年2月5日

As kids, many of us loved looking into kaleidoscopes. Entranced by the dazzling array of repeating colors and shapes that fold and collapse into infinity, we’d continuously rotate the device as we oohed and aahed. But sometimes, a kaleidoscope might produce a pattern so enchanting that we’ll be completely mesmerized and stop tinkering with it completely as to not disturb the delicate design within.

This is the essence of what Mumbai-based artist Zubin Jhaveri wanted to capture through his Kaleidoscope series. Created by cutting and layering multicolored sheets of paper, Jhaveri’s intricate sculptures aim to invoke a sense of enchantment that rivals the experience of peering into a kaleidoscope for the first time. He describes the series as “something that would make you, the viewer, feel fascinated and hypnotized as you try to decode the secrets it holds.”


万花筒,是我们每个人在小时候都会喜欢的玩具之一,我们都曾为里面简单却又无限迷人玻璃碎片着迷不已,以至于常常被其中随机的某个图案迷住,不想它被移动,扰乱了那浑然天成的设计。

这系列就是来自印度孟买的艺术家 Zubin Jhaveri 的作品。他想通过他层层叠叠的纸雕,以捕捉下来“万花筒”之精髓。如果你想试图去破译它的秘密,你就会和其他观众一样,为之深深着迷,甚至会感到有种被催眠的魔力。” Zubin 说,他的目标就是创造出像万花筒那样迷人的东西,让人们无法将眼睛从它身上移开。

Speaking with Jhaveri, one thing is clear – his insatiable curiosity towards life and all of its beautiful details is an endless source of artistic inspiration. He says, “Kaleidoscopes were something that fascinated me as a kid, but to my surprise, revisiting it as an adult, I found myself even more captivated by it.”


我最新作品灵感就从万花筒中迷人的几何图形和颜色而来。它是我从小就为之着迷的东西,现在再看,可以说是更甚了。”那些每天都在我们身边的细小事物,就会让 Zubin 产生无穷的灵感。

While Jhaveri is open to experimenting with different materials and mediums, paper remains one of his favorite mediums. He often worked with paper to create different miniature sculptures even before he had the idea for Kaleidoscope. “Having worked on paper models in the past made it easier for me to visualize and transform 2D illustrations and materials into 3D for this project,” he explains.

As a culmination of his past experiences with creating paper-based models, Kaleidoscope sees Jhaveri taking the seemingly simple medium of paper to new levels and using it to showcase the complexity and geometric beauty of one of his favorite toys.


Zubin 喜欢用纸做作品,喜欢让作品变得有趣多元。在此前,他也做过三维空间的纸雕作品,立体的设计为他提供了非常不同的创作方法,这让我更容易地将二维的图和材料可视化,并转化为三维的艺术。因此在这最新的万花筒系列中,Zubin 也纳入了这样的方法,使三维空间中的每一层都进行了相应的设计,让纸与纸重叠拼合,重现出万花筒一般繁复而迷人的立体几何图案。

Behance: ~/ZubinJhaveri
Instagram: @scaled_dimensions

 

Contributor: Chen Yuan


Behance: ~/ZubinJhaveri
Instagram: @scaled_dimensions

 

供稿人: Chen Yuan

Jennifer Bin’s Recipes 你收到一封来自 Jennifer Bin 的调色方案

February 2, 2018 2018年2月2日

With the new VSCO Recipes tool, you can now save your favorite combination of edits to recreate looks that feel consistently you. Everyone using VSCO can start by saving one recipe. To save up to ten recipes, you can begin your VSCO X trial and gain access to the complete preset library, newest editing tools, and inspiring educational content.

Jennifer Bin is a Shanghai-based designer and photographer who offers a different perspective of our modern world through her lens. Her unique editing approach transforms familiar cityscapes into surreal scenes that often more closely resemble stills from a cyberpunk blockbuster than real life. Recently, we had her share one of her VSCO Recipes with us.

Recently, Bin has opted for a fairly minimal editing process and prefers to adjust color temperatures even prior to taking the shot. This allows her to do fairly minimal work once the images are imported into VSCO. For this Recipe, she uses the C5 preset (at a strength of 4.0) and applies the finishing touches with minor adjustments to temperature (-2.7), fade (+1.4), and sharpening (+0.8).


通过VSCO新出的配方工具,你现在就可以保存下你喜欢的配色套设,以展现你独特且一贯的风格。每个 VSCO 的用户都可以免费保存 1 款调色配方。若想保存 10 款调色配方,请开启你的 VSCO X 免费试用,以获取整套滤镜库、最新编辑工具和教程内容。

 

来自上海的设计师和摄影师 Jennifer Bin 透过镜头,以独特的视角定格当今的世界。她独特的编辑方式,将人们熟悉的城市景观变幻成超现实的场景,明明是来自日常的场面,看上去却像是赛博朋克风(Cyberpunk)电影中的剧照。近期,她和我们分享了一款她使用 VSCO 时的私人调色配方。

最近,Jennifer 挑选了一个相当轻简的“配方”步骤来编辑图片,在拍摄之前就可以调色完毕,图像导入 VSCO 后只要做很少的改动即可。Bin 在这款配方中使用了 C5 预设(强度为4.0),并以温度(-2.7)、褪色(+1.4)和锐化(+0.8)作出轻微调整。

Bin cites the likes of author William Gibson’s Neuromancer, director Scott Ridley’s Blade Runner, and animator Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira as inspirations, but she doesn’t see her images as fictional portrayals of our world – she believes the future envisioned by these past works of science-fiction have already snuck up on us and her images are proof. “The world that we’re living in now is a heterotopia,” Bin tells us. “We can see both the utopian and dystopian elements of sci-fi from yesteryears. There are promising technologies and breakthroughs that can be seen as utopian, but at the same time, they can easily have dark applications or result in unwanted, unforeseen consequences.”


Jennifer 的创作灵感包括威廉·吉布森(William Gibson)的科幻小说《神经浪游者》, 雷德利·斯科特(Ridley Scott)导演的电影《银翼杀手》和动画大师大友克洋(Katsuhiro Ôtomo)的《阿基拉》,但她并不认为自己照片是对这个世界虚构式的写照,她相信,这些早期科幻作品所设想的未来已经悄然出现在我们的生活中,而她的照片正是证据。“我们现在生活的世界就是一个‘异托邦’(Heterotopias)。”她解释道,“我们可以看到在早期科幻作品中所呈现的乌托邦和反乌托邦元素。先进的科技和突破可以看作是‘乌托邦’,但与此同时,它们也很可能会被用于不道德的用途上,或是导致不必要、不可预见的后果。”

Bin regards editing as an essential part of her creative process as a photographer. While composition and framing are important factors, editing is another way for her to direct the viewer’s attention towards certain elements in each frame. “When you manipulate the colors of an image, it changes its overall mood as well,” she adds. “The use of color is key to invoking the right emotions.”


作为一名摄影师,Jennifer 认为图片编辑是创作过程中的一个关键部分。虽然构图和取景也很重要,但后期编辑可以让她用另一种方式,将观众的注意力转向照片中某些特定的元素。“当你调整照片的颜色时,同时也会改变照片整体的情绪氛围。色彩的运用是调用情绪的关键。”她补充道。

While a cohesive aesthetic is observable throughout her photography, Bin isn’t afraid to experiment. She often tinkers with her editing tools or cycles through different VSCO Recipes. From minimal edits where much of the work is already done in-camera to a complete reimagining of an image’s original colors, Bin repeatedly demonstrates a daringness to expand her creative boundaries and defy expectations.

 

Find your own unique style with the VSCO Recipes tool. Start your free 7-day trial for VSCO X today.


Jennifer的摄影作品体现了一种统一的审美风格,但她从不害怕充满实验精神的创作。她喜欢通过不同VSCO配方来摆弄各种编辑工具。有时,她会基本保留住相机原图,只是对照片做微调;有时候,她又会彻底地改变照片原本的色彩,总之,她不断向人们展示了自己大胆的创作风格,不断突破自己的创作界限。

 

 

快来体验 VSCO 的全新配方工具,打造你的独特风格。点击即可开启你的 VSCO X  7天免费试用

VSCO: ~/jenniferbin
Instagram: @jenniferbin

 

Contributor: David Yen


VSCO: ~/jenniferbin
Instagram: @jenniferbin

 

供稿人: David Yen

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The Laundrymen 世界上最大的露天洗衣坊

February 1, 2018 2018年2月1日

 

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In India and nearby regions, the word dhobi refers to an artisan caste of washermen and women. When combined with the word ghat, which is defined as a set of steps leading to a river, it forms dhobi ghat, a term used in the region that refers to any place where washermen and women go to wash clothes. However, more often than not, when people mention dhobi ghat, they’re talking about the most famous one of them all – the Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat, which has been dubbed as the largest open-air laundromat in the world.


在印度和周边地区,“Dhobi”洗衣工的意思,而“Ghat”则是“河坛”,指的是一系列通往河流的台阶。这两个单独的词组合在一起时,就成了“洗衣工河坛”——“Dhobi Ghat”,指任何洗衣工(和女工)一起洗衣服的地方。但很多时候人们提及 Dhobi Ghat 时,往往联想到的都是最有名的马哈拉施特拉邦洗衣坊(Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat),它也是世界上最大的露天洗衣坊。

Built in Mumbai during the 1890s to cater the laundry needs of the British and Parsi population, Dhobi Ghat has stood the test of time and remains in operation even after 120 years. The wash pens are comprised of over 700 interlocked grids, and within the patterned geometry of these concrete enclosures, an army of men and women are hard at work, washing away; above them, an array of colored fabrics are hung out to dry, gently swaying to the rhythm of the wind.


位于孟买的马哈拉施特拉邦洗衣坊,建于 1890 年代,最初是为了满足当地英国人和帕西人(Parsi,来自古代波斯地区的移民及其后裔)的洗衣需求而建造的。即使饱经了 120 年风雨沧桑,这个露天洗衣坊如今仍在运作。700 多个混凝土制成的洗衣池纵横交错,形成 Dhobi Ghat 洗衣坊的网格状结构。在洗衣池的几何网格中,男男女女组成的洗衣工大军正努力清洗衣服;在他们上方,五颜六色的衣服被挂出晾干,随风轻轻摇曳。

Washing machines are in common usage throughout Mumbai in modern times, but over 100,000 garments are still hand washed in Dhobi Ghat daily. From government services to private businesses, clothing is ferried in throughout the day from different locations across the city to be soaked, cleaned, slapped on flogging stones, dried, and ironed before being delivered back to the respective businesses and households.


即使是洗衣机在整个孟买都很普遍的今天,每天仍有超过 10 万件衣服会在 Dhobi Ghat 的洗衣坊进行手洗。从政府部门到私营企业,这里会全天候地收到从孟买各地运来的需要清洗的衣服。随后,洗衣工人先将它们浸泡、清洗,再在石头上敲打,然后烘干、熨烫,最后洗好的衣服就会被送回各家公司或家庭。

Despite the opportunities and historical significance of Dhobi Ghat, the plot of land that it sits on is regarded as prime real estate. In a rapidly developing Mumbai, many opportunists see the aging neighborhood as nothing more than a nuisance that’s preventing good money to be made. The wash pens of Dhobi Ghat is protected as a heritage site, but the surrounding neighborhood isn’t as fortunate. Over 200 families are still living in Dhobi Ghat but certain areas of the neighborhood have already been demolished.

“This is the 3rd generation of my family living here,” says Bala, a 20-year-old dhobi living in the neighborhood. “I work here in the morning and then go to college later in the day. This place has helped my family sustain a livelihood.”


尽管 Dhobi Ghat 洗衣坊拥有着很多机会和历史意义,但对快速发展的孟买城市来说,它所在的这块土地被认为是房地产开发的黄金地段。许多机会主义者认为,这个老龄化的街区不过是个妨碍赚钱的麻烦罢了。虽然现在 Dhobi Ghat 的洗衣池已经被作为文化遗产保护起来,但周围街区却没这么走运了。如今,在 Dhobi Ghat 洗衣坊地区附近依然生活着 200 多户家庭,但该地区的许多楼房已经被拆毁。

20 岁的洗衣工 Bala 就生活在这片地区。Bala 说:我们家三代都在这里生活。我白天在这里工作,晚些时候再去大学上课。正是因为这洗衣坊,我的家庭才得以在这座城市里维持生计。

One of the best vantage points of Dhobi Ghat is from an overpass directly above the wash pens where you can observe the washermen below, all moving with speed and purpose like a beautiful, choreographed dance. However, from the same vantage point, Mumbai’s growing skyline looms in the distance, casting a solemn gaze at the dilapidated housing before it, almost as if willing Dhobi Ghat to succumb to the forces of modernization. As greed and modernization continue encroaching on traditional ways of life, those still living in Dhobi Ghat face an uncertain future.


参观 Dhobi Ghat 的最佳地点之一,是在洗衣池正上方的一座桥。在那里,你可以俯瞰整个洗衣坊,洗衣工穿梭来去,像一组美丽且有序的舞蹈。而同样地,站在桥上,你也能看到孟买迅速崛起的城市天际线在远处若隐若现,它的光芒笼罩住面前破旧的房屋,就好像要让 Dhobi Ghat 洗衣坊屈服于现代化的力量一样。人们对财富的贪婪,加之现代化的逐步侵蚀,让这些还在 Dhobi Ghat 洗衣坊努力维持生计的人们,不得不面对难以确定的未来。

Contributor, Videographer & Photographer: Omkar Phatak


供稿人、视频与图片摄影师: Omkar Phatak

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