(Applause)

(掌聲)

I am a papercutter.

(掌聲)

(Laughter)

我是個剪紙師。

I cut stories.

(笑聲)

So my process is very straightforward.

我剪出故事。

I take a piece of paper,

所以製作過程非常明確。

I visualize my story,

我拿一張紙，

sometimes I sketch, sometimes I don't.

我將我的故事視覺化，

And as my image

有時我先畫草圖，有時我不會。

is already inside the paper,

當我的影像

I just have to remove

都在紙上後，

what's not from that story.

我只要去除掉

So I didn't come to papercutting

不是故事中的那部分。

in a straight line.

我並不是從一開始

In fact,

就投入剪紙的。

I see it more as a spiral.

事實上，

I was not born

我繞了迂迴的路才走到這一步。

with a blade in my hand.

我不是出生

And I don't remember papercutting as a child.

手上就拿著一把刀。

As a teenager,

我也不記得小時候有剪紙過。

I was sketching, drawing,

青少年時期，

and I wanted to be an artist.

我會素描、畫畫，

But I was also a rebel.

而且我想要成為一位藝術家。

And I left everything

但我也很叛逆。

and went for a long series of odd jobs.

於是我拋下一切

So among them,

去從事一連串奇怪的工作。

I have been a shepherdess,

例如，

a truck driver,

我當過牧羊女、

a factory worker,

卡車司機、

a cleaning lady.

工廠員工、

I worked in tourism for one year

清潔婦。

in Mexico,

我從事旅遊業，

one year in Egypt.

一年在墨西哥，

I moved for two years

一年在埃及。

in Taiwan.

我搬到台灣去

And then I settled in New York

待了兩年。

where I became a tour guide.

然後我定居在紐約，

And I still worked as a tour leader,

在這裡當起導遊。

traveled back and forth

我同時也帶團出國旅遊，

in China, Tibet and Central Asia.

來回奔波於

So of course, it took time, and I was nearly 40,

大陸、西藏和中亞。

and I decided it's time

當然，這花了很多時間，而我快40歲了，

to start as an artist.

所以我決定是時候

(Applause)

開始當一位藝術家。

I chose papercutting

(掌聲)

because paper is cheap,

我選擇剪紙

it's light,

因為紙很便宜，

and you can use it

又輕，

in a lot of different ways.

而且你可以

And I chose the language of silhouette

透過很多不同方法使用它。

because graphically it's very efficient.

我採用黑色輪廓像的表達方式，

And it's also just getting to the essential of things.

因為這是非常有成效的圖像。

So the word "silhouette"

只需要放入必要的元素。

comes from a minister of finance,

「輪廓 (silhouette)」這個字

Etienne de Silhouette.

典故來自一位法國財務大臣

And he slashed so many budgets

Etienne de Silhouette。

that people said they couldn't afford

他砍掉很多預算

paintings anymore,

以至於人們說他們再也無法負擔

and they needed to have their portrait

畫肖像的費用，

"a la silhouette."

於是必需畫肖像時，

(Laughter)

只能畫「一個黑色輪廓」。

So I made series of images, cuttings,

(笑聲)

and I assembled them in portfolios.

於是我做了一系列的圖像、剪紙，

And people told me --

把它們集合成作品集。

like these 36 views of the Empire State building --

人們告訴我 --

they told me, "You're making artist books."

這像是帝國大廈的36景 --

So artist books have a lot of definitions.

他們告訴我；「你在做藝術家的書。」

They come in a lot of different shapes.

藝術家的書可以有很多的解釋，

But to me,

有很多的不同表現形式。

they are fascinating objects

對我而言，

to visually narrate a story.

這些是非常棒的實體

They can be with words

可用來視覺化呈現一個故事。

or without words.

它們可以和文字結合，

And I have a passion

或者沒有文字。

for images and for words.

而我很喜歡

I love pun

圖像和字。

and the relation to the unconscious.

我愛雙關語

I love oddities of languages.

和其與無意識的關聯。

And everywhere I lived, I learned the languages,

我愛語言的古怪。

but never mastered them.

每到一個地方居住，我就學習當地的語言，

So I'm always looking

但我未曾精通任何一種。

for the false cognates

因此我總是在找尋

or identical words in different languages.

假的同源詞

So as you can guess, my mother tongue is French.

或者是不同語言中相同的字。

And my daily language is English.

你可能猜到，我的母語是法文。

So I did a series of work

我每天使用的語言是英文。

where it was identical words

於是我做了一連串的工作

in French and in English.

有關法文和英文中

So one of these works

相同的詞語。

is the "Spelling Spider."

其中有一些確實有成效，

So the Spelling Spider

像是「拼字蜘蛛。」

is a cousin of the spelling bee.

拼字蜘蛛

(Laughter)

是拼字蜜蜂的親戚 (拼字蜜蜂是美國法國都有舉辦的拼字比賽)

But it's much more connected to the Web.

(笑聲)

(Laughter)

但牠跟網子更有關連性。

And this spider

(笑聲)

spins a bilingual alphabet.

而這隻蜘蛛

So you can read "architecture active"

吐絲結網成了一張雙語字母表。

or "active architecture."

所以你可以讀成「建築在進展中」(法文於此，形容詞放在名詞後)

So this spider goes through the whole alphabet

或者「進展中的建築。」(英文於此，形容詞放在名詞前)

with identical adjectives and substantives.

所以這隻蜘蛛從整個字母表中

So if you don't know one of these languages,

串連起相同的形容詞和名詞性實詞。

it's instant learning.

如果你不知道其中一個語言的說法，

And one ancient form of the book

馬上就可以學習。

is scrolls.

書的一種古老形式

So scrolls are very convenient,

是卷軸。

because you can create a large image

卷軸非常方便，

on a very small table.

因為你可以在一張非常小的桌子上

So the unexpected consequences of that

創造出一個大圖像。

is that you only see one part of your image,

你想不到的是

so it makes a very freestyle architecture.

你眼睛所見只是你的圖像的一部分，

And I'm making all those kinds of windows.

但它構成了非常自由的結構。

So it's to look beyond the surface.

我做了這些窗戶。

It's to have a look

所以可以看到超越表象的事物。

at different worlds.

目的是可以

And very often I've been an outsider.

一探不同的世界。

So I want to see how things work

我通常都是一個旁觀者。

and what's happening.

我要看事情如何運作,

So each window

還有發生了什麼事。

is an image

所以每個窗戶

and is a world

是一個影像,

that I often revisit.

也是一個世界

And I revisit this world

是我經常到訪的地方。

thinking about the image

我反覆來到這個世界，

or cliché about what we want to do,

思考有關這些影像

and what are the words, colloquialisms,

還有要如何處理這類的陳腔濫調，

that we have with the expressions.

還有我們用來表達的

It's all if.

字語和口語用法。

So what if we were living in balloon houses?

這全都是假設。

It would make a very uplifting world.

假如我們住在氣球房子內？

And we would leave a very low footprint on the planet.

這會是非常令人振奮的世界。

It would be so light.

我們會在地球上留下很少的足跡。

So sometimes I view from the inside,

感覺如此輕盈。

like EgoCentriCity

於是有時候我從內部往外看，

and the inner circles.

以自我為中心，

Sometimes it's a global view,

還有內部的圓圈。

to see our common roots

有時候是總體的景觀，

and how we can use them to catch dreams.

檢視我們共有的根本

And we can use them also

和我們如何使用它們來抓住夢想。

as a safety net.

而我們也可以將它們

And my inspirations

用來做為一個安全網。

are very eclectic.

而我的靈感

I'm influenced by everything I read,

是非常不拘一格的。

everything I see.

我受我所讀的、所見的

I have some stories that are humorous,

每件事所影響。

like "Dead Beats."

我創造一些幽默的故事，

(Laughter)

像是「死人敲打」。(英文中deadbeat合為一字，意思是賴債不還的人。)

Other ones are historical.

(笑聲)

Here it's "CandyCity."

還有有關歷史的故事。

It's a non-sugar-coated

這是「糖果城市。」

history of sugar.

不加甜蜜謊言的

It goes from slave trade

糖果歷史。

to over-consumption of sugar

從奴隸交易

with some sweet moments in between.

到過度消費糖類

And sometimes I have an emotional response to news,

中間有一些甜美的時刻。

such as the 2010 Haitian earthquake.

有時候，我對新聞做出情感上的回應，

Other times, it's not even my stories.

例如2010年的海地地震。

People tell me their lives,

其它時候，這甚至不是我的故事。

their memories, their aspirations,

人們告訴我他們的遭遇，

and I create a mindscape.

他們的回憶，啟發，

I channel their history

而我創造一個腦內風景。

[so that] they have a place to go back

我為他們的歷史開渠道，

to look at their life and its possibilities.

所以他們有管道

I call them Freudian cities.

可以回顧他們的生命和其可能性。

I cannot speak for all my images,

我將這些稱為佛洛伊德城市。

so I'll just go through a few of my worlds

我無法為我的圖像發聲，

just with the title.

所以我就用標題帶過一些

"ModiCity."

我創造的世界。

"ElectriCity."

「中庸城市。」

"MAD Growth on Columbus Circle."

「電力城市。」

"ReefCity."

「哥倫布圓環的瘋狂成長。」

"A Web of Time."

「暗礁城市。」

"Chaos City."

「時間之網。」

"Daily Battles."

「混亂城市。」

"FeliCity."

「日常生活戰場。」

"Floating Islands."

「幸福城市。」

And at one point,

「漂浮島。」

I had to do "The Whole Nine Yards."

曾經一次，

So it's actually a papercut that's nine yards long.

我做了「九個院子。」(yard有院子和長度碼等不同意思)

(Laughter)

所以它的確是一張九碼長的剪紙。

So in life and in papercutting,

(笑聲)

everything is connected.

在生活和剪紙中，

One story leads to another.

每件事都是有關連的。

I was also interested

一個故事導向另一個。

in the physicality of this format,

我對這個形式的物質性

because you have to walk to see it.

也有興趣，

And parallel to my cutting

因為你必需沿著走才能看見。

is my running.

我用類似剪紙的模式

I started with small images,

來訓練跑步。

I started with a few miles.

剛開始我做小的圖像，

Larger images, I started to run marathons.

我跑幾英哩。

Then I went to run 50K, then 60K.

我做大的圖像，我開始跑馬拉松。

Then I ran 50 miles -- ultramarathons.

然後我跑50公里，接著60公里。

And I still feel I'm running,

然後我跑50英哩 -- 超級馬拉松。

it's just the training

而我仍然感覺我在奔跑。

to become a long-distance papercutter.

這是在訓練我

(Laughter)

成為一個長跑的剪紙師。

And running gives me a lot of energy.

(笑聲)

Here is a three-week papercutting marathon

而且跑步帶很我很多精力。

at the Museum of Arts and Design

這是一個為期三周的剪紙馬拉松

in New York City.

在紐約市的

The result is "Hells and Heavens."

藝術與設計博物館。

It's two panels 13 ft. high.

成果是「地獄和天堂。」

They were installed in the museum on two floors,

這是兩塊13尺高的板子。

but in fact, it's a continuous image.

它們占據了博物館中的兩層樓，

And I call it "Hells and Heavens"

事實上，這是相連的圖像。

because it's daily hells and daily heavens.

而我稱它為「地獄和天堂」

There is no border in between.

因為它是日常生活的地獄和天堂。

Some people are born in hells,

兩者之間沒有邊界。

and against all odds, they make it to heavens.

有些人在地獄出生，

Other people make the opposite trip.

排除萬難，他們成功到達天堂。

That's the border.

其他人則從天堂掉到地獄。

You have sweatshops in hells.

這是邊界。

You have people renting their wings in the heavens.

在地獄有血汗工廠。

And then you have all those individual stories

在天堂有人們出借翅膀。

where sometimes we even have the same action,

於是你看到這些獨立的故事，

and the result puts you in hells or in heavens.

有時候我們也採取一樣的行動，

So the whole "Hells and Heavens"

而結果將置你於地獄或天堂。

is about free will

所以整個「地獄和天堂」

and determinism.

是有關自由意志

And in papercutting,

和宿命論。

you have the drawing as the structure itself.

剪紙時，

So you can take it off the wall.

圖像本身就是結構。

Here it's an artist book installation

所以你可以把圖從牆上移開。

called "Identity Project."

這是個放入藝術家的書中的作品，

It's not autobiographical identities.

稱為「身分企劃。」

They are more our social identities.

這不是自傳形式的本體意識。

And then you can just walk behind them

更像是我們的社會身分。

and try them on.

於是你可以走到它們之後

So it's like the different layers

而且穿上它們。

of what we are made of

所以這就像是

and what we present to the world

我們被組成

as an identity.

且呈現在世界前

That's another artist book project.

不同層次的身分。

In fact, in the picture, you have two of them.

這是另一個藝術家的書的企劃。

It's one I'm wearing

事實上，在這張圖片中，你看到兩個。

and one that's on exhibition

一個是我穿上的，

at the Center for Books Arts in New York City.

還有一個是展覽中的，

Why do I call it a book?

這是在紐約市的書籍藝術中心。

It's called "Fashion Statement,"

為什麼我稱這為一本書？

and there are quotes about fashion,

它被稱為「時尚宣言。」

so you can read it,

上面有跟時尚相關的引言，

and also,

所以你可以讀它，

because the definition of artist book

而且，

is very generous.

因為藝術家的書的定義

So artist books, you take them off the wall.

非常廣泛。

You take them for a walk.

你可以將它們從牆上移下來。

You can also install them as public art.

你可以帶著它們散步。

Here it's in Scottsdale, Arizona,

你可以將它們作成公共藝術。

and it's called "Floating Memories."

這是在美國亞利桑那州史考特戴爾市，

So it's regional memories,

被稱為「漂浮的記憶。」

and they are just randomly moved by the wind.

所以這是片段的記憶，

I love public art.

它們隨機地隨風飄動。

And I entered competitions

我愛公共藝術。

for a long time.

長久以來

After eight years of rejection,

我參與競賽。

I was thrilled to get my first commission

被拒絕八年之後，

with the Percent for Art in New York City.

我非常興奮能夠得到我第一個委託，

It was for a merger station

來自美國紐約市文化事務局百分比藝術專案。

for emergency workers and firemen.

這是為了一個緊急救護員和救火員的

I made an artist book

綜合急救站。

that's in stainless steel

與其用紙，

instead of paper.

我選擇用不鏽鋼

I called it "Working in the Same Direction."

做成一本藝術家之書

But I added weathervanes on both sides

我稱之「朝同個方向努力工作。」

to show that they cover all directions.

但我在兩邊都加上風標

With public art,

以表示它們涵蓋了所有方向。

I could also make cut glass.

我也可用切割玻璃

Here it's faceted glass in the Bronx.

來呈現公共藝術。

And each time I make public art,

這是在布朗克斯的刻面玻璃。

I want something that's really relevant

每次我製作公共藝術時，

to the place it's installed.

我想要創造跟擺置地點

So for the subway in New York,

真正有關聯的東西。

I saw a correspondence

講到紐約的地鐵，

between riding the subway

我看到

and reading.

搭乘地鐵和閱讀

It is travel in time, travel on time.

之間的關聯性。