TED2002
Ben Katchor: Comics of bygone New York
Stripovi Bena Katchora o New Yorku prošlosti
Filmed:
Readability: 4.6
329,078 views
U ovom zanosnom govoru iz TED arhive, crtač Ben Katchor čita iz svojih stripova. Ove perceptivne, nestvarne priče pronalaze nade i mane povijesti (i modernog New Yorka) očuvane u predmetima kao što su prekidači za svjetlo i znakovi.
Ben Katchor - Cartoonist
The first MacArthur-winning cartoonist, Ben Katchor has collected both cult and mainstream hat tips for his wry, poetic creations that find uncanny humor (and color) in the commonplace deeds of a bygone New York City. Full bio
The first MacArthur-winning cartoonist, Ben Katchor has collected both cult and mainstream hat tips for his wry, poetic creations that find uncanny humor (and color) in the commonplace deeds of a bygone New York City. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:18
I'm going to read a few strips.
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Pročitat ću vam nekoliko stripova.
00:23
These are, most of these are
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Oni su, većina njih je
00:25
from a monthly page I do
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sa stranice koju radim jednom mjesečno
00:27
in and architecture and design magazine
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u časopisu za arhitekturu i dizajn
00:30
called Metropolis.
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koji se zove Metropolis.
00:32
And the first story is called
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I prva priča zove se
00:34
"The Faulty Switch."
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"Prekidač s greškom".
00:36
Another beautifully designed new building
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Još jedna prekrasno dizajnirana nova zgrada
00:40
ruined by the sound of a common wall light switch.
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uništena zvukom običnog zidnog prekidača za svjetlo.
00:45
It's fine during the day
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Sve je u redu preko dana
00:47
when the main rooms are flooded with sunlight.
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kada su glavne sobe preplavljene svjetlošću.
00:51
But at dusk
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Ali u sumrak
00:53
everything changes.
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sve se mijenja.
00:55
The architect spent hundreds of hours
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Arhitekt je potrošio stotine sati
00:58
designing the burnished brass switchplates
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kako bi dizajnirao uglačane brončane prekrivače za prekidače
01:02
for his new office tower.
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za svoj novi uredski toranj.
01:05
And then left it to a contractor
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I onda prepustio izvođaču radova
01:07
to install these 79-cent switches behind them.
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da instalira ove prekidače od 79 centi iza njih.
01:12
We know instinctively where to reach
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Znamo po instinktu gdje posegnuti
01:15
when we enter a dark room.
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kada uđemo u mračnu sobu.
01:17
We automatically throw the little nub of plastic upward.
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Automatski prebacujemo malu ručicu od plastike prema gore.
01:21
But the sound we are greeted with,
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Ali zvuk s kojim smo pozdravljeni,
01:24
as the room is bathed in the simulated glow
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dok se soba kupa u umjetnom sjaju
01:27
of late-afternoon light,
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kasno popodnevnog svjetla,
01:30
recalls to mind
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prisjećamo se
01:32
a dirty men's room
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prljavog muškog toaleta
01:34
in the rear of a Greek coffee shop.
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u stražnjem dijelu grčkog kafića.
01:37
(Laughter)
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(Smijeh)
01:39
This sound colors our first impression of any room;
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Ovaj zvuk stvara naš prvi dojam bilo koje sobe;
01:43
it can't be helped.
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tome se ne može pomoći.
01:45
But where does this sound,
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Ali odakle ovaj zvuk,
01:47
commonly described as a click, come from?
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uobičajeno opisan kao klik, dolazi?
01:51
Is it simply the byproduct of a
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Je li on jednostavno nusproizvod
01:54
crude mechanical action?
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grube mehaničke akcije?
01:56
Or is it an imitation
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Ili je imitacija
01:58
of one half the set of sounds we make
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jedne polovice seta zvukova koji proizvodimo
02:01
to express disappointment?
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kako bismo izrazili razočarenje?
02:04
The often dental consonant
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Česti zubni suglasnik
02:07
of no Indo-European language.
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niti jednog indo-europskog jezika.
02:10
Or is it the amplified sound
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Ili je to pojačani zvuk
02:12
of a synapse firing
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sinapse koja puca
02:14
in the brain of a cockroach?
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u mozgu žohara?
02:17
In the 1950s they tried their best
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1950ih godina pokušali su
02:21
to muffle this sound
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utišati taj zvuk
02:23
with mercury switches
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prekidačima od žive
02:25
and silent knob controls.
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i tihim kontrolama prekidača.
02:28
But today these improvements
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Ali danas ta poboljšanja
02:31
seem somehow inauthentic.
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se čine pomalo neautentičnima.
02:34
The click is the modern
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Klik je moderni
02:36
triumphal clarion
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zvuk pobjedničke trublje
02:38
proceeding us through life,
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koji nas vodi kroz život,
02:41
announcing our entry into every lightless room.
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najavljujući naš ulazak u svaku sobu bez svjetlosti.
02:45
The sound made flicking a wall switch off
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Zvuk koji nastaje gašenjem prekidača
02:49
is of a completely different nature.
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je potpuno druge prirode.
02:52
It has a deep melancholy ring.
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Ima dug melankoličan zvon.
02:56
Children don't like it.
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Djeca ga ne vole.
02:59
It's why they leave lights on around the house. (Laughter)
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Zbog toga ostavljaju svjetla upaljena po kući. (Smijeh)
03:03
Adults find it comforting.
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Odraslima je taj zvuk umirujući.
03:05
But wouldn't it be an easy matter
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Međutim, ne bi li jednostavna stvar bila
03:07
to wire a wall switch
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spojiti žicu prekidača na zidu
03:10
so that it triggers the muted horn of a steam ship?
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tako da pokreće utišanu trubu parobroda?
03:14
Or the recorded crowing of a rooster?
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Ili snimljeno kukurikanje pijetla?
03:19
Or the distant peel of thunder?
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Ili udaljeni topot grmljavine?
03:23
Thomas Edison went through
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Thomas Edison prošao je
03:25
thousands of unlikely substances
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tisuće neizvjesnih supstanci
03:28
before he came upon the right one
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dok nije naišao na pravu
03:30
for the filament of his electric light bulb.
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za sijalično vlakno svoje žarulje.
03:35
Why have we settled so quickly
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Zašto smo se tako brzo pomirili
03:37
for the sound of its switch?
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sa zvukom njenog prekidača?
03:40
That's the end of that.
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To je kraj toga.
03:42
(Applause)
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(Pljesak)
03:45
The next story is called
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Sljedeća priča zove se
03:48
"In Praise of the Taxpayer."
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"U čast poreznog obveznika."
03:51
That so many of the city's most venerable taxpayers
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Činjenica da je toliko najrevnijih gradskih poreznih obveznika
03:55
have survived yet another commercial building boom,
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preživjelo još jednu komercijalnu eksploziju gradnje,
04:00
is cause for celebration.
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je razlog za slavlje.
04:02
These one or two story structures,
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Ove građevine s jednim ili dva kata,
04:06
designed to yield only enough income
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dizajnirane kako bi stvorile dovoljno prihoda
04:09
to cover the taxes on the land
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da pokriju poreze na zemljište
04:11
on which they stand,
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na kojem su izgrađene,
04:13
were not meant to be permanent buildings.
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nisu namijenjene da budu stalne zgrade.
04:17
Yet for one reason or another
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Ali ipak zbog jednog ili drugog razloga
04:19
they have confounded the efforts of developers
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pobrinuli su se da trud graditelja stambenih naselja
04:23
to be combined into lots
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bude kombiniran u parcele
04:25
suitable for high-rise construction.
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pogodne za visoku gradnju.
04:30
Although they make no claim to architectural beauty,
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Iako nemaju arhitektonsku ljepotu,
04:34
they are, in their perfect temporariness,
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one su, u svojoj savršenoj privremenosti,
04:37
a delightful alternative
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oduševljavajuća alternativa
04:40
to the large-scale structures
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strukturama velikih razmjera
04:42
that might someday take their place.
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koje će možda jednog dana zauzeti njihovo mjesto.
04:46
The most perfect examples
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Najsavršeniji primjeri
04:49
occupy corner lots.
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zauzimaju parcele u uglovima.
04:52
They offer a pleasant respite
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Nude ugodan predah
04:54
from the high-density development around them.
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od razvoja visokog intenziteta koji se nalazi oko njih.
04:57
A break of light and air,
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Komadić svijetla i zraka,
05:00
an architectural biding of time.
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arhitektonsko zaustavljanje vremena.
05:03
So buried in signage
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Tako su zakopane u znakovlje
05:05
are these structures,
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ove strukture,
05:07
that it often takes a moment
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da često trebate trenutak
05:09
to distinguish the modern
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kako biste razlikovali modernog
05:11
specially constructed taxpayer
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posebno konstruiranog poreznog obveznika
05:14
from its neighbor:
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od svog susjeda:
05:16
the small commercial building
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male komercijalne zgrade
05:19
from an earlier century,
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iz ranijeg stoljeća,
05:21
whose upper floors have been sealed,
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čiji su gornji katovi zapečaćeni,
05:24
and whose groundfloor space
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i čije prizemlje
05:26
now functions as a taxpayer.
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sada funkcionira kao porezni obveznik.
05:30
The few surfaces not covered by signs
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Nekoliko površina koje nisu pokrivene znakovima
05:33
are often clad in a distinctive, dark
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često su odjevene u karakteristične, tamne
05:36
green-gray, striated aluminum siding.
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zeleno-sive, izbrazdane aluminijske stranice.
05:41
Take-out sandwich shops,
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Trgovine sa sendvičima za ponijeti,
05:43
film processing drop-offs,
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radionice za izradu filmova,
05:46
peep-shows and necktie stores.
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peep show i trgovine kravatama.
05:49
Now these provisional structures have,
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Sada su ove privremene strukture,
05:52
in some cases,
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u nekim slučajevima,
05:54
remained standing
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ostale stajati
05:56
for the better part of a human lifetime.
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za duži dio ljudskog životnog vijeka.
06:00
The temporary building
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Privremena zgrada
06:02
is a triumph of modern industrial organization,
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je trijumf moderne industrijske organizacije,
06:06
a healthy sublimation
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zdrava sublimacija
06:08
of the urge to build,
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potrebe da se gradi,
06:11
and proof that not every
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i dokaza da se svaku
06:13
architectural idea
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arhitektonsku ideju
06:15
need be set in stone.
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ne treba staviti u kamen.
06:19
That's the end.
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To je kraj.
06:21
(Laughter)
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(Smijeh)
06:23
And the next story is called, "On the Human Lap."
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I sljedeća priča zove se, "Na ljudskom krilu."
06:26
For the ancient Egyptians
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Za stare Egipćane
06:29
the lap was a platform
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krilo je bila platforma
06:31
upon which to place
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na koju su postavljali
06:33
the earthly possessions of the dead --
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zemaljske predmete mrtvih --
06:36
30 cubits from foot to knee.
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30 kubita od stopala do koljena.
06:39
It was not until the 14th century
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Sve do 14-og stoljeće
06:42
that an Italian painter
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kada je jedan talijanski slikar
06:44
recognized the lap
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prepoznao krilo
06:46
as a Grecian temple,
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kao Grčki hram,
06:48
upholstered in flesh and cloth.
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koji se manifestira u tijelu i tkanini.
06:52
Over the next 200 years
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Kroz sljedećih 200 godina
06:55
we see the infant Christ
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vidimo dijete Krista
06:57
go from a sitting to a standing position
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kako prelazi iz sjedećeg u stajaći položaj
07:00
on the Virgin's lap,
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na Djevičinom krilu,
07:02
and then back again.
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i onda ponovno natrag.
07:04
Every child recapitulates this ascension,
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Svako dijete rekapitulira svoje uzdizanje,
07:08
straddling one or both legs,
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sjedeći na jednoj ili obje noge,
07:11
sitting sideways,
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sjedeći postrance,
07:13
or leaning against the body.
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ili oslanjajući se na tijelo.
07:16
From there, to the modern ventriloquist's dummy,
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Od tada, pa do moderne trbuhozborne lutke,
07:20
is but a brief moment in history.
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samo je kratak trenutak povijesti.
07:23
You were late for school again this morning.
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Kasnili ste u školu ponovno ovo jutro.
07:26
The ventriloquist must first make us believe
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Trbuhozborac nas prvo mora uvjeriti
07:30
that a small boy is sitting on his lap.
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da mali dječak sjedi na njegovom krilu.
07:34
The illusion of speech follows incidentally.
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Iluzija govora slijedi.
07:37
What have you got to say for yourself, Jimmy?
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Što imaš reći za sebe Jimmy?
07:41
As adults we admire the lap
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Kao odrasli divimo se krilu
07:44
from a nostalgic distance.
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s nostalgične udaljenosti.
07:48
We have fading memories
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Imamo blijedeća sjećanja
07:50
of that provisional temple,
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tog hrama,
07:52
erected each time an adult sat down.
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koji se podiže svaki put kada bi odrasla osoba sjela.
07:56
On a crowded bus there was always a lap to sit on.
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U prepunom busu uvijek postoji krilo u koje se može sjesti.
08:01
It is children and teenage girls
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Djeca i djevojčice su oni
08:04
who are most keenly aware
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koji su najviše svjesni
08:06
of its architectural beauty.
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ove arhitekturalne ljepote.
08:10
They understand the structural integrity
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Razumiju strukturalni integritet
08:13
of a deep avuncular lap,
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dubokog ujačkog krila,
08:16
as compared to the shaky arrangement
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u usporedbi s ovim klimavim aranžmanom
08:19
of a neurotic niece in high heels.
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neurotične nećakinje u visokim petama.
08:24
The relationship between the lap and its owner
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Veza između krila i vlasnika
08:28
is direct and intimate.
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je direktna i intimna.
08:31
I envision a 36-story,
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Zamišljam zgradu od 36 katova
08:33
450-unit residential high-rise --
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neboder s 450 stambenih jedinica --
08:38
a reason to consider the mental health
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razlog za promisliti o mentalnom zdravlju
08:41
of any architect before granting
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bilo kojeg arhitekta prije nego mu damo
08:43
an important commission.
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važnu proviziju.
08:46
The bathrooms and kitchens will,
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Kupaonice i kuhinje će,
08:48
of course, have no windows.
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naravno, biti bez prozora.
08:51
The lap of luxury
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Krilo luksuza
08:54
is an architectural construct of childhood,
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je arhitektonsko konstruiranje djetinjstva,
08:58
which we seek, in vain,
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koje tražimo, uzalud,
09:00
as adults, to employ.
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kao odrasli, kako bismo zaposlili.
09:03
That's the end.
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To je kraj.
09:05
(Laughter)
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(Smijeh)
09:08
The next story is called "The Haverpiece Collection"
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Sljedeća priča zove se "Haverpiece kolekcija"
09:11
A nondescript warehouse,
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Neopisivo skladište,
09:14
visible for a moment
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vidljivo na trenutak
09:16
from the northbound lanes of the Prykushko Expressway,
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sa sjevernih strana Prykushko autoceste,
09:21
serves as the temporary resting place
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služi kao privremeno odmaralište
09:25
for the Haverpiece collection
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za Haverpiece kolekciju
09:28
of European dried fruit.
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Europskog osušenog voća.
09:32
The profound convolutions
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Profinjene vijuge
09:34
on the surface of a dried cherry.
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na površini osušene višnje.
09:37
The foreboding sheen of an extra-large date.
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Zlosutni sjaj posebno velike datulje.
09:42
Do you remember wandering as a child
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Sjećate li se kako ste lutali kao dijete
09:45
through those dark wooden
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kroz te tamne drvene
09:47
storefront galleries?
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galerije u predvorjima dućana?
09:49
Where everything was displayed
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Gdje je sve bilo prikazano
09:51
in poorly labeled roach-proof bins.
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u loše označenim kutijama otpornim na žohare.
09:56
Pears dried in the form
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Šljive osušene u obliku
09:58
of genital organs.
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genitalija.
10:01
Apricot halves
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Polovice marelice
10:03
like the ears of cherubim.
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kao uši kerubina.
10:05
In 1962 the unsold stock
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1962. godine neprodana zaliha
10:10
was purchased by Maurice Haverpiece,
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kupljena je od strane Mauricea Haverpiecea,
10:13
a wealthy prune juice bottler,
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bogatog proizvođača soka od suhih šljiva,
10:15
and consolidated to form the core collection.
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i ujedinjena kako bi stvorila osnovnu kolekciju.
10:20
As an art form it lies somewhere between
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Kao umjetnički oblik koji leži negdje između
10:23
still-life painting and plumbing.
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slikanja mrtve prirode i vodoinstalaterstva.
10:27
Upon his death in 1967,
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Kada je umro 1967,
10:31
a quarter of the items were sold off for compote
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četvrtina predmeta prodana je za kompot
10:35
to a high-class hotel restaurant.
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restoranu hotela visoke kategorije.
10:38
(Laughter)
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(Smijeh)
10:39
Unsuspecting guests were served
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Gostima koji ništa nisu sumnjali posluženo su
10:42
stewed turn-of-the-century
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prokuhane sa kraja stoljeća
10:44
Turkish figs for breakfast.
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turske smokve za doručak.
10:47
(Laughter)
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(Smijeh)
10:48
The rest of the collection remains here,
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Ostatak kolekcije ostaje ovdje,
10:51
stored in plain brown paper bags
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spremljen u obične smeđe vrećice
10:55
until funds can be raised
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dok se ne prikupe sredstva
10:58
to build a permanent museum
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da se izgradi trajni muzej
11:00
and study center.
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i centar za proučavanje.
11:02
A shoe made of apricot leather
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Cipela napravljena od kože marelice
11:05
for the daughter of a czar.
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za kćer cara.
11:08
That's the end. Thank you.
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To je kraj. Hvala vam.
11:11
(Applause)
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(Pljesak)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Ben Katchor - CartoonistThe first MacArthur-winning cartoonist, Ben Katchor has collected both cult and mainstream hat tips for his wry, poetic creations that find uncanny humor (and color) in the commonplace deeds of a bygone New York City.
Why you should listen
In the antique buildings of New York City now overgrown with tawdry fixtures and the modernized hopes of its denizens, Ben Katchor listens for the stories that fill his wry, perceptive (and slightly surreal) comic strips of urban life. Downtrodden characters and objects get equal time in a slant spotlight, and while their interplay is often pathetic, it points to profound truths about history, memory and human hopes.
Katchor is author of several comics collections, including Cheap Novelties: The Pleasures of Urban Decay, The Jew of New York, and Julius Knipl: Real Estate Photographer. He's been a Guggenheim Fellow and has also written for the stage works such as The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island. In May, he premieres A Check-room Romance, a musical tragicomedy co-written with Mark Mulcahy
Ben Katchor | Speaker | TED.com