I have produced what I call "The Dead Mall Series,"

在過去幾年裡，

32 short films and counting about dead malls.

我製作了一個短片影集； 稱為「商場廢墟實錄」。

Now, for those of you who are not familiar with what a dead mall is,

紀錄下來的廢棄商場影片， 算起來有 32 支。

it's basically a shopping mall

對於不太了解甚麼是 商場廢墟的各位，

that has fallen into hard times.

其實我指的

So it either has few shops and fewer shoppers,

是那種逐漸沒落的購物商場。

or it's abandoned and crumbling into ruin.

它們不是裡面沒幾家商店， 就是門口羅雀；

No sale at Penny's.

要不然就是被棄置， 慢慢變成廢墟的商場。

(Laughter)

潘尼沒生意了。 (美國平價連鎖百貨)。

I started producing this series

（笑聲）

in early 2015

我從 2015 年早期， 開始錄製這些影集，

after going through kind of a dark period in my life

那時候我的人生有點黯淡，

where I just didn't want to create films anymore.

不想再碰攝影機。

I put my camera away

我把攝影機收起來，

and I just stopped.

然後就不再拍了。

So in 2015, I decided to make a short film about the Owings Mills Mall.

直到 2015 年，我想替 歐溫斯商場錄一支紀錄片，

Owings Mills Mall opened in 1986.

歐溫斯購物商場 在 1986 開始營業。

I should know because I was there on opening day.

我應該沒記錯， 因為開幕那天我在現場。

I was there with my family,

我跟家人一起去，

along with every other family in Baltimore,

還有巴爾的摩市的所有親人，

and you had to drive around

抵達時，車子繞了大約 45 分鐘；

for 45 minutes

光是為了找一個停車位置。

just to find a parking spot.

所以你們可想而知今天 盛況已難重現。

So if you can imagine,

我十幾歲時的第一個商場工作，

that's not happening at the malls today.

是在一家「赫爾門運動世界」 運動器材店打工。

My first mall job that I had as a teenager

也許你們還記得。

was at a sporting goods store called Herman's World of Sports.

赫爾門運動世界… （唱廣告歌）

Maybe you remember.

還記得嗎？

(Singing) Herman's World of Sports.

（笑聲）

You guys remember that?

後來我又在一家女士鞋店工作；

(Laughter)

一家皮革商品店工作；

Yeah, so I worked in a lady's shoe store.

也在一家錄影帶店工作，

I worked in a leather goods store,

但我不是做「零售藝術」的材料，

and I also worked in a video store,

（笑聲）

and not being one who was very fond of the retail arts --

我幾乎做到哪裡就被炒到哪裡。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I got fired from every single job.

在那段低薪打工的空檔裡，

(Laughter)

我跟其他年輕小伙一樣，

In between these low-paying retail jobs,

在 1990 年代，

I did what any normal teenager did

我順手牽羊。

in the 1990s.

我只是開個玩笑啦。

I shoplifted.

其實我只是跟朋友在商場沒事閒晃。

I'm just kidding.

（笑聲）

I hung out with my friends at the mall.

你們就像這樣， 「我的天！這是甚麼鬼演講啊？」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Everyone's like, "Oh my God, what kind of talk is this?"

在商場閒晃很有趣， 但有的時候也很憋，

(Laughter)

像是晚上跟一個 40 歲失業、 成天泡商場的傢伙合抽一支菸，

Hanging out at the mall could be fun, but it could be really lame, too,

而且他晚上還擦了黑色唇膏；

like sharing a cigarette with a 40-year-old unemployed mall rat

在那領最低工資工作的休息時間裡。

who has put on black lipstick for the night

（笑聲）

while you're on your break from your crappy minimum wage job.

就在我站在這裡的同時，

As I stand here today,

歐溫斯購物商場已經被清空了，

Owings Mills has been gutted

只等著大鐵球來拆他。

and it's ready for the wrecking ball.

我上次去的時間是傍晚，

The last time I was there, it was in the evening,

剛好是他們決定歇業的三天前。

and it was about three days before they closed the mall for good.

感覺有點像…

And you kind of felt --

他們從未對外宣布歇業的事情，

they never announced the mall was closing,

當時心中已經有種不祥的預兆，

but you had this sort of feeling, this ominous feeling,

似乎有甚麼重大事情要發生的感覺，

that something big was going to happen,

好像已經走到窮途末路的感覺。

like it was the end of the road.

走過商場令人感到很毛骨悚然。

It was a very creepy walk through the mall.

讓我放給你們看。

Let me show you.

（音樂）

(Music)

所以當我開始錄製 「商場廢墟實錄」時，

So when I started producing "The Dead Mall Series,"

我把它上傳到 YouTube，

I put the videos up onto YouTube,

當時想或許人們有興趣看，

and while I thought they were interesting,

坦白說，我並不知道 其他人會有熱情，

frankly I didn't think others would share the enthusiasm

將這種死氣沉沉、 郁悶的東西分享出去，

for such a drab and depressing topic.

但是很顯然我錯了，

But apparently I was wrong,

因為一大堆人開始留言。

because a lot of people started to comment.

開剛始的留言有點像是

And at first the comments were like --

「天啊！那是我小時候常去的商場，

basically like, "Oh my God, that's the mall from my childhood.

怎麼搞的？」

What happened?"

然後也有人這樣說：

And then I would get comments from people who were like,

「我家附近有家購物商場要關了， 你們應該來拍點影片。」

"There's a dead mall in my town. You should come and film it."

所以我開始遊歷中大西洋地區，

So I started to travel around the mid-Atlantic region

拍攝這些死亡的大賣場。

filming these dead malls.

有些是還開業的。

Some were open.

有些是被放棄的。

Some were abandoned.

那些被拋棄的商場很難進去，

It was kind of always hard to get into the ones that were abandoned,

但是我總是有辦法混進去。

but I somehow always found a way in.

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

那些仍然開業的商場，

The malls that are still open,

他們總是做些詭異的事； 好像快要死掉似的。

they always do this weird thing -- like the dead malls.

他們留下三家商店，

They'll have three stores left,

裝潢得很漂亮，

but they try to spruce it up

看起來營業很正常的樣子。

to make it appear like things are on the up-and-up.

舉個例，

For example,

你看到的是一家裡面沒東西的商店，

you'll have an empty store

他們把門拉下來。

and they bring the gate down.

像歐溫斯購物商場， 把門用防水布蓋起來。

So at Owings Mills, for example, they put this tarp over the gate.

沒錯吧？

Right?

他們還有一張廣告圖片，

And it's got a stock photo

上面的女士看起來很開心，

of a woman who is so happy

手上拿著女襯衫

and she's holding a blouse,

看起來像這樣…

and she's like --

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

身邊站著一個人，手上有…

And then there's a guy standing next to her, with, like,

一杯濃縮咖啡，看起是這樣…

an espresso cup, and he's like --

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

上面還寫： 「甚麼風把你吹過來的呢？」

And it says, "What brings you today?"

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

我一點都不想被嚇到和沮喪。

I wanted to be scared and depressed.

謝謝喔！

Thank you.

然後影片的留言開始流進來，

So the comments just kept pouring in

來自國內各地，還有世界各地。

on the videos,

我開始考慮把這件事做得具有意義，

from all over the country, and then all over the world.

但我必須更有創意，因為我在想，

And I started to think, this could really be something,

觀眾願意花多久， 看我拍一間空無一物的商場呢？

but I had to get creative, because I'm like,

（笑聲）

how long are people going to sit and watch me waddling through an empty mall?

起初的想法是利用 iPhone 來拍攝，

(Laughter)

所以我手拿 iPhone ，

So the original episodes I filmed with an iPhone.

像這樣子拍。

So I'd walk through the mall with an iPhone, and, you know.

（笑聲）

Like that.

後來保全… 因為賣場不希望有人拍攝…

(Laughter)

所以保全過來對我說： 「把它收起來」。

And security -- because malls, they don't like photography --

於是我就說：「好的」。

so the security would come up and be like, "Put that away," and I'm like, "OK."

所以我必須有點創意和偷偷摸摸的，

So I had to get creative and sneaky,

於是開始利用 隱藏式攝影機和其他技巧，

so I started using a hidden camera and different techniques

來拍到我要的東西。

to get the footage that I needed,

基本上要做的是

and basically what I wanted to do

把它製作成影片，

was make the video

讓它看起來像是親身經歷的影片，

like it was a first-person experience,

像是你坐著

like you are sitting --

戴上耳機看著螢幕；

put your headphones on watching the screen --

就像是親臨現場一樣，

it's like, you're there in the video,

跟玩電腦遊戲一樣。

like a video game, basically.

我也加入音樂效果，

I also started to use music,

和建立「蒸氣波」 網路音樂的藝術家合作，

collaborating with artists who create music called vaporwave.

蒸氣波是一種音樂類型，

And vaporwave is a music genre

在 2010 年代網路社群中冒出來，

that emerged in the early 2010s among internet communities.

像這樣。

Here's an example.

（音樂）

(Music)

創作者的名字是 「輕意識」(Disconscious)

That's by an artist named Disconscious

從他的專輯《全像廣場》挑出的。 (Hologram Plaza)

from an album he did called "Hologram Plaza."

搜尋一下你就可聽到 更多他們的音樂，

So if you look that up, you can hear more of those tunes.

蒸氣波不只是一種藝術形式， 更像是一種運動，

Vaporwave is more than an art form. It's like a movement.

它是種虛無主義的、很焦慮的意思，

It's nihilistic, it's angsty,

但是聽起來很舒服。

but it's somehow comforting.

以審美的眼光看， 它描述的是那種無能為力的感觸，

The whole aesthetic is a way of dealing with things you can't do anything about,

有點像失業住在你父母的地下室， 吃拉麵的那種失落感。

like no jobs, or sitting in your parents' basement eating ramen noodles.

蒸氣波曲風代表這個世代的慾望， 想要表達他們的絕望，

Vaporwave came out of this generation's desire to express their hopelessness,

與網路誕生前的世代相似，

the same way that the pre-internet generation did

坐在商場內飲食區座位上那樣。

sitting around in the food court.

我最喜歡去的購物商場，

One of my favorite malls

我去過的，

I've been to

是位於德州聖體市的日出購物商場。

is in Corpus Christi, and it's called the Sunrise Mall.

小時候我最喜歡去看電影，

When I was a kid,

我一遍又一遍的看。

my favorite thing to do was watch movies,

其中我最喜歡的電影是 《比利金傳奇》。

and I used to watch movies over and over and over again.

在座看過那支影片的人，

And one of my favorite films was "The Legend of Billie Jean."

都知道那是一部很棒的電影。

Now, for those of you who have seen "The Legend of Billie Jean,"

我愛它。

you'll know that it's a great film.

主角海倫．史萊特 和克利斯汀．史萊特──

I love it.

你們可能不知道，他們不是親戚。

And Helen Slater and Christian Slater --

很多人以為他們是兄妹，其實不是。

and if you didn't know, they are not related.

總之日出購物商場 被當成影片中的場景。

Many people thought that they were brother and sister. They're not.

現在那個購物商場 跟 1984 年完全一樣。

But anyway, Sunrise Mall was used in the film as a filming location.

我講的是 32 年前的事， 讓我秀給你們看。

The mall is exactly the same as it was in 1984.

（影片） 丹．貝爾： 這是比利金跨過噴水池的情形，

We're talking 32 years later. Let me show you.

哈畢．派亞特的朋友正追著她，

(Video) Dan Bell: And here's Billie Jean running across the fountain,

她跳過這裡。

being chased by Hubie Pyatt's friends.

你們可以看到這裡的畫面， 就是現在的樣貌，

And she jumps over here.

真的很難以相信。

And you can see the shot right here is what it looks like today.

我的意思是，它們幾乎完全沒變。

It's pretty incredible.

他們掉到水池中，

I mean, honestly, it's exactly the same.

然後她跑上樓去，

And there they are falling in the fountain,

這個畫面很棒，整個場面都看得到。

and she runs up the stairs.

丹：我愛死那些了。

This is a nice shot of the whole thing here.

（笑聲）

Dan Bell: I love that so much.

我總是在想， 假如我有一間廢棄商場的話…

(Laughter)

為甚麼們不接納他們原有的外貌呢？

I always think in my head, if I owned a dead mall --

保留吧檯的原樣，

why don't they embrace their vintage look?

或在美食區放些素食，

Put in a bar,

再邀請一些富翁和文青，

like, put vegan food in the food court

來這邊吃吃喝喝，

and invite millennials and hipsters

我保證三周內，

to come and drink and eat,

H&M 和 Levi's 潮牌 一定會競相入駐，

and I guarantee you within three weeks

我不曉得為何他們不那樣做，

H&M and Levi's will be banging on the door trying to get space.

但是顯然的，

I don't know why they don't do this,

它只是一個念頭，整天在腦中轉。

but apparently,

（笑聲）

it's only in my mind, it goes all day.

總之，我要結尾了，

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Anyway, in closing --

他們一開始請我來演講時，

(Laughter)

我說：

When they first asked me to do this talk,

「你沒找錯人吧？」

I said,

（笑聲）

"Do you have the right person?"

因為這些演講應該要激勵人心…

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

These talks are supposed to be kind of inspiring and --

我還記得，

(Laughter)

三、四年前我把攝影機收起來了，

I remembered something, though.

然後它又把我帶去那些購物商場，

I put my camera down three or four years ago,

讓我能夠再度受到啟發。

and it took going to these malls

而且見到我的觀眾，

for me to be inspired again.

和來自世界各處的信息對我說：

And to see my audience

「天！我超愛你的那些影片！」

and people from all over the world writing me and saying,

真的難以置信。

"God, I love your videos,"

我甚至無以言喻，

is incredible.

作為一個藝術家，

I don't know how to even explain it,

這是多麼令人滿足的一件事。

as an artist,

如果你們一年前告訴我說，

how fulfilling that is.

我有一天會站在這個講台上，

If you would have told me a year ago

向你們這麼棒的人演講，

that I would be standing on this stage

我絕對不會相信。

talking to all of you wonderful people,

我滿懷卑微，

I would have never believed it.

並充滿感恩。

I am humbled

謝謝你們。

and so appreciative.

（掌聲）

Thank you very much.

(Applause)