When I was a little boy,

當我還小時，

I had an experience that changed my life,

我經歷一個改變我人生的經驗，

and is in fact why I'm here today.

也是為何我會站在這裡的原因。

That one moment

那個經驗

profoundly affected how I think about

深深地影響我如何看待

art, design and engineering.

藝術，設計和工程。

As background, I was fortunate enough to grow up

我很幸運地在世界最偉大的城市之一，

in a family of loving and talented artists

在一個充滿愛和有天賦藝術家的家庭中

in one of the world's great cities.

長大成人。

My dad, John Ferren, who died when I was 15,

我的父親，約翰·費倫，在我 15 歲時過世

was an artist by both passion and profession,

跟我的母親，瑞，一樣，

as is my mom, Rae.

是一位兼具熱情和專業的藝術家。

He was one of the New York School

他是約紐畫派 (New York School)

abstract expressionists who,

抽象表現主義畫家，

together with his contemporaries,

融合他的當代思維，

invented American modern art,

創造了美國現代藝術，

and contributed to moving the American zeitgeist

引領美國的時代精神

towards modernism in the 20th century.

進入到 20 世紀的現代主義。

Isn't it remarkable that, after thousands of years

這不是很偉大嗎？數千年以來，

of people doing mostly representational art,

人類藝術一直大部分都是寫實主義，

that modern art, comparatively speaking,

而現代藝術，相對來說，

is about 15 minutes old,

大約只有 15 分鐘的生命

yet now pervasive.

而仍然在漫延中。

As with many other important innovations,

就像其它重要的創新一樣，

those radical ideas required no new technology,

這些全新的想法不需要新的技術，

just fresh thinking and a willingness to experiment,

只要重新思索和有嘗試的意願，

plus resiliency in the face of near-universal criticism

加上能面對幾乎一面倒的評判

and rejection.

和拒絕的韌性。

In our home, art was everywhere.

在我們家裡，到處都是藝術，

It was like oxygen,

就像氧氣一樣，

around us and necessary for life.

圍繞著我們，是生命的必需品。

As I watched him paint,

當我看著我父親作畫，

Dad taught me that art

他告訴我

was not about being decorative,

藝術不是裝飾用，

but was a different way of communicating ideas,

而是想法交流的另一種形式，

and in fact one that could bridge the worlds

事實上，它是連結世界的

of knowledge and insight.

知識和眼光的橋梁。

Given this rich artistic environment,

在這個充滿藝術氣息的環境，

you'd assume that I would have been compelled

你或許認為我會不得已的

to go into the family business,

加入這個家族的事業。

but no.

但我並沒有。

I followed the path of most kids

我跟其它的小孩一樣，

who are genetically programmed

從基因中就被設定好

to make their parents crazy.

是會讓父每抓狂的。

I had no interest in becoming an artist,

我對成為藝術家一點興趣也沒有，

certainly not a painter.

更不用說畫家了。

What I did love was electronics and machines --

我喜愛的是電子和機械，

taking them apart, building new ones,

拆解，組裝成新的，

and making them work.

讓它們能運作。

Fortunately, my family also had engineers in it,

幸運地，我的家族裡有搞工程的，

and with my parents,

和我父母一樣，

these were my first role models.

他們是我的人生導師。

What they all had in common

他們都有一個共通點，

was they worked very, very hard.

就是非常非常努力地工作。

My grandpa owned and operated a sheet metal

我的爺爺擁在布魯克林有一座

kitchen cabinet factory in Brooklyn.

餐具櫃的金屬工廠。

On weekends, we would go together to Cortlandt Street,

在週末，我們會一起去特克蘭街 (Cortlandt Street)，

which was New York City's radio row.

那是約紐的電子商街，

There we would explore massive piles

我們在成堆的

of surplus electronics,

電子零件中挖寶，

and for a few bucks bring home treasures

用幾塊錢把一些寶買回家，

like Norden bombsights

像是諾頓投彈瞄準器，

and parts from the first IBM tube-based computers.

和 IBM 第一台真空管電腦的零件。

I found these objects both useful and fascinating.

我覺得這些東西有用又有趣，

I learned about engineering and how things worked,

我學會了工程學和其原理，

not at school

不是在學校，

but by taking apart and studying

而且在拆解和研究

these fabulously complex devices.

這些絕妙的複雜設備。

I did this for hours every day,

我每天花上數小時做這些事，

apparently avoiding electrocution.

還好我沒有觸電身亡，

Life was good.

生命是美好的。

However, every summer, sadly,

但是令人難過地，每個暑假，

the machines got left behind

這些機械離我而去，

while my parents and I traveled overseas

因為我父母帶我出國旅遊，

to experience history, art and design.

體驗歷史，藝術和設計。

We visited the great museums and historic buildings

我們在歐洲和中東參觀

of both Europe and the Middle East,

博物館和歷史建築。

but to encourage my growing interest

但為了鼓勵我在科學

in science and technology,

和工藝上的興趣，

they would simply drop me off in places

他們會讓我去像是

like the London Science Museum,

倫敦科學博物館之類的地方。

where I would wander endlessly for hours by myself

我在那裡可以待上一整天，

studying the history of science and technology.

研究科學工藝的歷史。

Then, when I was about nine years old,

在我大約九歲的時候，

we went to Rome.

我們去了羅馬。

On one particularly hot summer day,

在炎熱夏天的某一天，

we visited a drum-shaped building that from the outside

我們參觀了一棟像鼓一樣的建築，

was not particularly interesting.

外觀上一點也不起眼。

My dad said it was called the Pantheon,

我爸說這是萬神廟 (Pantheon)，

a temple for all of the gods.

眾神的廟宇。

It didn't look all that special from the outside,

就像我說的，從外面看來一點也不特別，

as I said, but when we walked inside,

但當我們走進去時，

I was immediately struck by three things:

我馬上被三件事情震驚到：

First of all, it was pleasantly cool

第一，跟外頭的熱度相比，

despite the oppressive heat outside.

裡面是透心涼快。

It was very dark, the only source of light

裡頭非常的暗，唯一的光源，

being an big open hole in the roof.

來自天花板的一個大洞。

Dad explained that this wasn't a big open hole,

父親解釋，那不是一個大洞，

but it was called the oculus,

它叫作「眼睛」 (oculus)，

an eye to the heavens.

能見到天堂的眼睛。

And there was something about this place,

這個地方有些什麼特別之處，

I didn't know why, that just felt special.

我不知道是什麼，就是覺得特別。

As we walked to the center of the room,

當我們走到房屋的中央時，

I looked up at the heavens through the oculus.

我透過「眼睛」向上觀看天空，

This was the first church that I'd been to

這是我到過的第一個教堂，

that provided an unrestricted view

在上帝與人間，

between God and man.

提供一個無遮蔽的視野。

But I wondered, what about when it rained?

但我很好奇，下雨時會怎麼樣？

Dad may have called this an oculus,

父親或許稱它是「眼睛」，

but it was, in fact, a big hole in the roof.

但它實際上是一個天花板的大洞。

I looked down and saw floor drains

我低頭看到地板排水孔，

had been cut into the stone floor.

鑲在石頭地板中。

As I became more accustomed to the dark,

當我更加適應裡頭的黑暗，

I was able to make out details of the floor

我能更加看清楚地板和

and the surrounding walls.

周圍牆壁的細節。

No big deal here, just the same statuary stuff

沒啥特別的，跟我們在羅馬其它地方

that we'd seen all over Rome.

看到的雕像一樣。

In fact, it looked like the Appian Way

事實上，看起來像是亞壁古道 (Appian Way)。

marble salesman showed up

大理石雕刻的商人

with his sample book, showed it to Hadrian,

拿著他的目錄給哈德良看。 （註：哈德良為羅馬帝國五賢帝之一）

and Hadrian said, "We'll take all of it."

哈德良說「我們全買了。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But the ceiling was amazing.

但天花板令人驚奇，

It looked like a Buckminster Fuller geodesic dome.

看起來像是巴克敏斯特·富勒的球形屋頂。 （註：巴克敏斯特·富勒是美國建築家）

I'd seen these before,

我以前見過這種的，

and Bucky was friends with my dad.

巴克是我父親的朋友。

It was modern, high-tech, impressive,

現代的，高技科，令人印深刻，

a huge 142-foot clear span

巨大的，142 英呎，沒有任何樑柱，

which, not coincidentally, was exactly its height.

不是巧合的，剛好就這麼高。

I loved this place.

我喜歡這個地方。

It was really beautiful and unlike anything I'd ever seen before,

它真的很美，而且跟其它地方不一樣。

so I asked my dad, "When was this built?"

我就問我父親 "這是何時建造的？”

He said, "About 2,000 years ago."

他回答 "大約兩千年前左右。”

And I said, "No, I mean, the roof."

我說 "不，我指的是屋頂。”

You see, I assumed that this was a modern roof

看，我以為這是一個現代的屋頂，

that had been put on because the original

原有的屋頂因被戰火摧毀，

was destroyed in some long-past war.

而再另外蓋一個。

He said, "It's the original roof."

我父親說 "這是原本的屋頂。”

That moment changed my life,

從此刻我的人生就改變了，

and I can remember it as if it were yesterday.

就像昨天一樣記得很清楚。

For the first time, I realized people were smart

第一次，我認知到兩千年前的人類

2,000 years ago. (Laughter)

是如此聰明的。（笑聲）

This had never crossed my mind.

這事在我腦中揮之不去。

I mean, to me, the pyramids at Giza,

我的意思是，在埃及吉薩的金字塔

we visited those the year before,

前一年我們去看過了，

and sure they're impressive, nice enough design,

當然是很壯觀，完美的設計，

but look, give me an unlimited budget,

但只要我有夠多的預算，

20,000 to 40,000 laborers, and about 10 to 20 years

兩萬到四萬個工人，花十到二十年，

to cut and drag stone blocks across the countryside,

在各地把石塊切割運過來，

and I'll build you pyramids too.

我也可以造一座金字塔。

But no amount of brute force

但只是靠蠻力，

gets you the dome of the Pantheon,

無論是兩千年前或是今天，

not 2,000 years ago, nor today.

你無法建一個萬神廟的穹頂。

And incidentally, it is still the largest

而且它是現在最大的

unreinforced concrete dome that's ever been built.

未經強化過的混泥土穹頂。

To build the Pantheon took some miracles.

建造萬神廟需要一些奇蹟。

By miracles, I mean things that are

我所謂的奇蹟，是指

technically barely possible,

在技術上近乎是不可能的，

very high-risk, and might not be

高風險的，就算是今天，

actually accomplishable at this moment in time,

也不見得可以完成的，

certainly not by you.

當然也不可能是由你完成的。

For example, here are some of the Pantheon's miracles.

舉幾個萬神廟的奇蹟：

To make it even structurally possible,

要建造這樣一個的架構，

they had to invent super-strong concrete,

必須要有非常強力的混凝土，

and to control weight,

而且要控制好重量，

varied the density of the aggregate

隨著建造的高度，

as they worked their way up the dome.

要調整混凝土的密度。

For strength and lightness, the dome structure

達到需要的強度和輕量，穹頂的結構使用了

used five rings of coffers,

五圈的鑲板，

each of diminishing size,

每一個的尺寸逐漸縮小，

which imparts a dramatic forced perspective

依設計來看，

to the design.

分散掉絕大部分的壓力。

It was wonderfully cool inside

穹頂下異常的涼爽，

because of its huge thermal mass,

因為其內部巨大的空間，

natural convection of air rising up

上升氣流可經由 ”眼睛” 排出

through the oculus,

的自然對流，

and a Venturi effect when wind blows across

和外部空氣吹過圓頂的

the top of the building.

文丘里效應 (Venturi effect)。

I discovered for the first time that light itself

我第一次發現

has substance.

光是物質的。

The shaft of light beaming through the oculus

經 "眼睛" 進來的一道光束，

was both beautiful and palpable,

是如此美麗及可觸摸的，

and I realized for the first time

我第一次發現

that light could be designed.

光線也可以被設計的。

Further, that of all of the forms of design,

更甚，這裡所有形式的設計，

visual design,

視覺設計，

they were all kind of irrelevant without it,

全都脫離不了光線，

because without light, you can't see any of them.

因為沒有了光，你啥也看不到。

I also realized that I wasn't the first person

我也發現我不是第一位

to think that this place was really special.

認為這個地方是如此的特別。

It survived gravity, barbarians, looters, developers

它撐過重力、野蠻人、掠奪者、建造者，

and the ravages of time to become

還有時間的蹂躪，

what I believe is the longest

成為我認為是

continuously occupied building in history.

史上最長壽的建築。

Largely because of that visit,

因為這次的造訪，

I came to understand that,

我開始了解到，

contrary to what I was being told in school,

相對於我在學校所學到的，

the worlds of art and design

藝術和設計的世界

were not, in fact, incompatible

實際上，並不會不相容於

with science and engineering.

科學工藝的世界。

I realized, when combined,

我發現當這兩個結合時，

you could create things that were amazing

你可以創造出在單一領域中

that couldn't be done in either domain alone.

無法達到的效果。

But in school, with few exceptions,

但在學校裡，除了少數例外，

they were treated as separate worlds,

它們是被區分開來的，

and they still are.

現在也還是這樣。

My teachers told me that I had to get serious

我的老師們都告訴我要認真

and focus on one or the other.

專注在其中一個領域，

However, urging me to specialize

但是，力促我只精通一個領域，

only caused me to really appreciate those polymaths

讓我對憧景那像博學的人們

like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci,

像米開朗基羅、達文西

Benjamin Franklin,

本傑明·富蘭克林，

people who did exactly the opposite.

他們都不只是精通單一領域。

And this led me to embrace

這讓我更加嚮往

and want to be in both worlds.

同時身處在兩種領域。

So then how do these projects of unprecedented creative vision and technical complexity

所以像萬神廟這種史無前例的創新和精妙

like the Pantheon actually happen?

是如何達成的呢？

Someone themselves, perhaps Hadrian,

有些人，像是哈德良 (Hadrian)，

needed a brilliant creative vision.

需要有傑出的創新願景，

They also needed the storytelling and leadership skills

他們也需要說故事和領導的才能，

necessary to fund and execute it,

來實現這個願景，

and a mastery of science and technology

還有在科學工藝上的專精，

with the ability and knowhow

專業能力和技術，

to push existing innovations even farther.

來延伸現有的創新。

It is my belief that to create these rare game changers

我相信，提供這種的規則改變者，

requires you to pull off at least five miracles.

需要你至少五個奇蹟。

The problem is, no matter how talented,

但問題是，無論你多聰明，

rich or smart you are,

或是多有錢，

you only get one to one and a half miracles.

你只能頂多有一個半的奇蹟。

That's it. That's the quota.

就是只有這麼多了。

Then you run out of time, money, enthusiasm,

你會耗盡你的時間、金錢、熱情，

whatever.

還有其它的一切。

Remember, most people can't even imagine

記得，大部分的人都沒有辦法

one of these technical miracles,

想像任何一種工藝上的奇蹟，

and you need at least five to make a Pantheon.

而你卻需要至少五個奇蹟來建造萬神廟。

In my experience, these rare visionaries

在我的經驗中，只有少數的夢想家

who can think across the worlds of art,

能遊走在藝術設計

design and engineering

和科學工藝之間，

have the ability to notice

他們能夠注意到

when others have provided enough of the miracles

何時其它方面的奇蹟

to bring the goal within reach.

已經足夠來實現這個夢想。

Driven by the clarity of their vision,

對於他們願景的明確了解，

they summon the courage and determination

他們喚起勇氣和意志力，

to deliver the remaining miracles

創造剩下需要的奇蹟，

and they often take what other people think to be

他們通常把其它人認為

insurmountable obstacles

不可跨越的障礙，

and turn them into features.

化為願景的特色。

Take the oculus of the Pantheon.

以萬神廟的”眼睛”為例，

By insisting that it be in the design,

要堅持這樣的設計，

it meant you couldn't use much of the structural technology

你勢必無法使用

that had been developed for Roman arches.

在羅馬拱門上發展出來的結構技術。

However, by instead embracing it

然而，相對於

and rethinking weight and stress distribution,

重新去思考重量和壓力的分佈，

they came up with a design that only works

他們用一種僅適用於天花板有一個洞的

if there's a big hole in the roof.

全新設計。

That done, you now get the aesthetic