TED2019
Brandon Clifford: The architectural secrets of the world's ancient wonders
Brandon Clifford: Os segredos arquitectónicos das marabillas do mundo antigo
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Como movían as civilizacións antigas pedras enormes para construir Stonhenge, as pirámides a as estatuas da Illa de Pascua? Nesta agradable charla breve, o conferenciante de TED Brandon Clifford revela os segredos arquitectónicos do pasado e mostra como podemos usar esas inxeniosas técnicas para construir no futuro. "Nunha era onde diseñamos edificios para que duren 30, quizáis 60 anos" di, "encantaríame aprender a crear algo que se puidese admirar eternamente."
Brandon Clifford - Ancient technology architect
TED Fellow Brandon Clifford mines knowledge from the past to design new futures. Full bio
TED Fellow Brandon Clifford mines knowledge from the past to design new futures. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
Do you think the things we build today
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Credes que as cousas que construímos hoxe
00:15
will be considered wonders in the future?
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serán consideradas marabillas no futuro?
00:19
Think of Stonehenge,
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Pensade en Stonhenge,
00:20
the Pyramids,
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as pirámides,
00:22
Machu Picchu and Easter Island.
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Machu Picchu e a Illa de Pascua.
00:26
Now, they're all pretty different
from what we're doing today,
from what we're doing today,
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Son bastante diferentes
ó que facemos hoxe en día,
ó que facemos hoxe en día,
00:30
with those massive stones,
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con esas pedras enormes,
00:32
assembled in complex
but seemingly illogical ways,
but seemingly illogical ways,
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xuntadas de xeitos complexos
pero aparentemente ilóxicos,
pero aparentemente ilóxicos,
00:38
and all traces of their construction
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e sen rastro ningún da súa construción,
00:41
erased,
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00:43
shrouding them in mystery.
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envolvéndoas en misterio.
00:47
It seems like people could not
have possibly built these things,
have possibly built these things,
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Semella que ninguén podería
construír estas cousas,
construír estas cousas,
00:52
because people didn't.
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porque non o fixeron.
00:54
They were carefully crafted
by a primordial race of giants
by a primordial race of giants
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Foron coidadosamente creadas
por unha raza orixinal de xigantes
por unha raza orixinal de xigantes
00:59
known as Cyclops.
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coñecida coma Ciclopes.
01:00
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
01:01
And I've been collaborating
with these monsters
with these monsters
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E estiven colaborando con eses monstros
01:04
to learn their secrets
for moving those massive stones.
for moving those massive stones.
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para coñecer os segredos
sobre como mover esas pedras inmensas.
sobre como mover esas pedras inmensas.
01:08
And as it turns out,
Cyclops aren't even that strong.
Cyclops aren't even that strong.
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Resulta que os ciclopes non son
tan sequera tan fortes.
tan sequera tan fortes.
01:13
They're just really smart
about getting material to work for them.
about getting material to work for them.
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Só pensan moi ben como facer
que o material lles funcione.
que o material lles funcione.
01:19
Now, the videos you see behind me
of large, stone-like, wobbly creatures
of large, stone-like, wobbly creatures
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Os vídeos que vedes detrás de min
de grandes criaturas de pedra abaneando
de grandes criaturas de pedra abaneando
01:23
are the results of this collaboration.
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son o resultado desta colaboración.
01:26
OK, so Cyclops might be
a mythical creature,
a mythical creature,
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Vale, pode ser que os ciclopes
sexan criaturas mitolóxicas,
sexan criaturas mitolóxicas,
01:30
but those wonders are still real.
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pero estas marabillas seguen sendo reais.
01:33
People made them.
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Están feitas por persoas.
01:35
But they also made the myths
that surround them,
that surround them,
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Pero tamén fixeron os mitos que as rodean,
01:39
and when it comes to wonders,
there's this thick connective tissue
there's this thick connective tissue
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e cando se trata das marabillas,
hai un groso tecido conectivo
hai un groso tecido conectivo
01:43
between mythology and reality.
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entre mitoloxía e realidade.
01:47
Take Easter Island, for example.
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Tomade o exemplo da Illa de Pascua.
01:49
When the Dutch explorers
first encountered the island,
first encountered the island,
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Cando os exploradores holandeses
a atoparon por primeira vez,
a atoparon por primeira vez,
01:53
they asked the people of Rapa Nui
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preguntáronlle á xente de Rapa Nui
01:55
how their ancestors could have possibly
moved those massive statues.
moved those massive statues.
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como os ancestros moveran
semellantes estatuas.
semellantes estatuas.
01:59
And the Rapa Nui said,
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E os Rapa Nui dixeron,
02:01
"Our ancestors didn't move the statues,
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"Os nosos ancestros
non moveron as estatuas,
non moveron as estatuas,
02:05
because the statues walked themselves."
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porque as estatuas camiñaban".
02:09
For centuries, this was dismissed,
but actually it's true.
but actually it's true.
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Durante séculos, isto foi descartado,
pero é verdade.
pero é verdade.
02:13
The statues, known as moai,
were transported standing,
were transported standing,
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As estatuas, coñecidas como moais,
transportáronse de pé,
transportáronse de pé,
02:18
pivoting from side to side.
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pivotando de lado a lado.
02:21
OK?
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De acordo?
02:23
As spectacular as the moai are
for visitors today,
for visitors today,
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Por moi espectacular que sexan os moais
para os turistas hoxe en día,
para os turistas hoxe en día,
02:27
you have to imagine being there then,
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tedes que imaxinar estar alí entón,
02:29
with colossal moai
marching around the island.
marching around the island.
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cos enormes moais camiñando pola illa.
02:32
Because the real memorial
was not the objects themselves,
was not the objects themselves,
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Porque a verdadeira homenaxe
non eran os obxectos propiamente,
non eran os obxectos propiamente,
02:38
it was the cultural ritual
of bringing a stone to life.
of bringing a stone to life.
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era o ritual cultural
de darlle vida a unha pedra.
de darlle vida a unha pedra.
02:43
So as an architect,
I've been chasing that dream.
I've been chasing that dream.
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Así que coma arquitecto, persigo ese soño.
02:47
How can we shift our idea of construction
to accommodate that mythical side?
to accommodate that mythical side?
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Como podemos transformar a idea da
construción para adaptar a parte mítica?
construción para adaptar a parte mítica?
02:53
So what I've been doing
is challenging myself
is challenging myself
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O que estiven facendo foi
retarme a mín mesmo
retarme a mín mesmo
02:55
with putting on a series of performances
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poñendo en marcha
unha serie de representacións
unha serie de representacións
02:58
of the ancient but
pretty straightforward task
pretty straightforward task
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da tarefa antiga pero sinxela
03:01
of just moving and standing
big heavy objects,
big heavy objects,
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de mover e pór de pé
grandes obxectos pesados,
grandes obxectos pesados,
03:05
like this 16-foot-tall megalith
designed to walk across land
designed to walk across land
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coma este megálito de 5 metros de altura
deseñado para camiñar
deseñado para camiñar
03:09
and stand vertically;
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e manterse verticalmente;
03:12
or this 4,000-pound behemoth
that springs itself to life
that springs itself to life
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ou este mastodonte de 2 toneladas
que cobra vida
que cobra vida
03:16
to dance onstage.
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para bailar sobre o escenario.
03:19
And what I've found is
that by thinking of architecture
that by thinking of architecture
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E o que atopei é que pensando
na arquitectura
na arquitectura
03:23
not as an end product but as a performance
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non coma un produto final
senón coma unha obra
senón coma unha obra
03:26
from conception to completion,
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dende a concepción ata a compleción,
03:30
we end up rediscovering some really smart
ways to build things today.
ways to build things today.
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acabamos redescubrindo xeitos
moi astutos de construír cousas hoxe.
moi astutos de construír cousas hoxe.
03:35
You know, so much of the discussion
surrounding our future
surrounding our future
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Sabedes, gran parte da discusión
arredor do noso futuro
arredor do noso futuro
03:38
focuses on technology,
efficiency and speed.
efficiency and speed.
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céntrase na tecnoloxía,
a eficiencia e a velocidade.
a eficiencia e a velocidade.
03:42
But if I've learned anything from Cyclops,
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Pero se aprendín algo dos ciclopes,
03:44
it's that wonders
can be smart, spectacular
can be smart, spectacular
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é que as marabillas poden ser astutas,
espectaculares
espectaculares
03:48
and sustainable --
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e sostibles
03:50
because of their mass and their mystery.
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polo seu tamaño e misterio.
03:54
And while people still want to know
how those ancient wonders were built,
how those ancient wonders were built,
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E mentres a xente aínda quere saber como
se construíron esas marabillas antigas,
se construíron esas marabillas antigas,
03:57
I've been asking Cyclops
how to create the mystery
how to create the mystery
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eu pregunteilles ós ciclopes
como crear o misterio
como crear o misterio
04:00
that compels people
to ask that very question.
to ask that very question.
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que leva á xente
a preguntarse esa mesma cuestión.
a preguntarse esa mesma cuestión.
04:04
Because in an era
where we design buildings
where we design buildings
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Porque nunha era
en que deseñamos edificios
en que deseñamos edificios
04:06
to last 30, maybe 60 years,
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para que duren 30, quizais 60 anos,
04:09
I would love to learn
how to create something
how to create something
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encantaríame aprender a crear algo
04:12
that could entertain for an eternity.
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que se pudiese admirar eternamente.
04:15
Thank you.
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Grazas.
04:16
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Brandon Clifford - Ancient technology architectTED Fellow Brandon Clifford mines knowledge from the past to design new futures.
Why you should listen
Brandon Clifford is best known for bringing megalithic sculptures to life to perform tasks. He is the director and cofounder of Matter Design, where his work focuses on advancing architectural research through spectacle and mysticism. He creates new ideas by critically evaluating ancient ways of thinking and experimenting with their value today. This work ranges from an award-winning play structure for kids to a colossal system of construction elements that can be guided into place with ease by mere mortals. He is dedicated to reimagining the role of the architect, and his speculative work continues to provoke new directions for design in the digital era.
Clifford is also an assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His most recent authored work, The Cannibal's Cookbook, demonstrates his dedication to bringing ancient knowledge into contemporary practice with theatrical captivation. He received his Master of Architecture from Princeton University and his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Georgia Tech. For his work as a designer and researcher, he has received recognition with prizes such as the American Academy in Rome Prize, the SOM Prize, the Design Biennial Boston Award and the Architectural League Prize for Young Architects & Designers.
Brandon Clifford | Speaker | TED.com