TEDxYouth@Sydney
Emily Parsons-Lord: Art made of the air we breathe
艾米丽·帕森斯-洛德: 我们呼吸的空气创造的艺术
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艾米丽·帕森斯-洛德对地球历史上的特定时期的空气进行重新制备，从纯净清新的石炭纪时期，到大灭绝时期的苏打水般的空气，再到我们创造的厚重的有毒的未来空气。通过把空气转变为艺术，她邀请我们了解身边看不见的世界。在这场充满想象力的魔幻森林般的演讲中呼吸地球上过去和未来的空气吧。
Emily Parsons-Lord - Artist
Emily Parsons-Lord makes cross-disciplinary contemporary art that is informed by research and critical dialogue with materials and climate science. Full bio
Emily Parsons-Lord makes cross-disciplinary contemporary art that is informed by research and critical dialogue with materials and climate science. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
If I asked you to picture the air,
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如果让你描绘一下空气，
00:17
what do you imagine?
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你会想到什么？
00:20
Most people think about either empty space
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大多数人想到的或是虚无的空间，
00:24
or clear blue sky
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或是湛蓝的天空，
或是随风摇曳的树木。
00:26
or sometimes trees dancing in the wind.
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00:29
And then I remember my high school
chemistry teacher with really long socks
chemistry teacher with really long socks
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而我回想起我的高中化学老师，
穿着长袜站在黑板前，
00:33
at the blackboard,
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画着彼此相连的泡泡的示意图，
00:34
drawing diagrams of bubbles
connected to other bubbles,
connected to other bubbles,
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讲述着空气分子好似在沸腾的热汤中
如何颤动如何碰撞。
如何颤动如何碰撞。
00:38
and describing how they vibrate
and collide in a kind of frantic soup.
and collide in a kind of frantic soup.
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00:44
But really, we tend not to think
about the air that much at all.
about the air that much at all.
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不过说真的，我们并不十分在意
我们身边的空气。
我们身边的空气。
00:48
We notice it mostly
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只有当空气中混杂着令人不快的
刺激我们感官的东西，
刺激我们感官的东西，
00:50
when there's some kind of unpleasant
sensory intrusion upon it,
sensory intrusion upon it,
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比如难闻的气味或是烟雾熏人
我们才会有所在意。
00:54
like a terrible smell
or something visible like smoke or mist.
or something visible like smoke or mist.
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01:00
But it's always there.
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但是空气一直存在着。
01:03
It's touching all of us right now.
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它就在我们身边。
01:05
It's even inside us.
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它甚至存在于我们体内。
01:09
Our air is immediate, vital and intimate.
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我们的空气与我们息息相关。
01:15
And yet, it's so easily forgotten.
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不过却总是被忽略。
01:20
So what is the air?
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那么究竟空气是什么？
01:22
It's the combination of the invisible
gases that envelop the Earth,
gases that envelop the Earth,
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它是各种不可见气体的混合，
01:25
attracted by the Earth's
gravitational pull.
gravitational pull.
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受到地球引力覆盖在地球表面。
01:29
And even though I'm a visual artist,
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尽管我是个视觉艺术家，
我对于空气的不可见性也很感兴趣。
01:32
I'm interested in
the invisibility of the air.
the invisibility of the air.
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01:36
I'm interested in how we imagine it,
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我很好奇我们怎样去想象它，
01:39
how we experience it
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我们怎样去体验它，
01:41
and how we all have an innate
understanding of its materiality
understanding of its materiality
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以及我们怎样通过呼吸
对空气的重要性产生天生的理解。
01:45
through breathing.
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01:48
All life on Earth changes the air
through gas exchange,
through gas exchange,
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所有生物都通过气体交换
改变着地球上的空气，
改变着地球上的空气，
此时此刻我们也正这么做。
01:54
and we're all doing it right now.
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01:56
Actually, why don't we all
right now together take
right now together take
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说实在的，我们何不一起
01:59
one big, collective, deep breath in.
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做一次大型的集体深呼吸呢？
准备好了吗？吸气。
02:02
Ready? In. (Inhales)
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02:07
And out. (Exhales)
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然后呼气。
02:10
That air that you just exhaled,
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你们刚刚呼出的气体，
02:13
you enriched a hundred times
in carbon dioxide.
in carbon dioxide.
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与呼入之前比二氧化碳的含量提高了一百倍。
02:18
So roughly five liters of air per breath,
17 breaths per minute
17 breaths per minute
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粗略估计每次呼吸5升的空气，
每分钟17次呼吸，
02:24
of the 525,600 minutes per year,
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每年525600分钟，
总计大约4500万升空气，
02:30
comes to approximately
45 million liters of air,
45 million liters of air,
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因为你一人，
02:35
enriched 100 times in carbon dioxide,
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其中二氧化碳提高了一百倍。
02:39
just for you.
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02:41
Now, that's equivalent to about 18
Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Olympic-sized swimming pools.
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那就相当于18个奥林匹克泳池的体积。
02:48
For me, air is plural.
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对我而言，空气是多层次的。
02:50
It's simultaneously
as small as our breathing
as small as our breathing
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小的方面它与我们呼吸相关，
大的方面它可以和星球相关。
02:53
and as big as the planet.
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02:56
And it's kind of hard to picture.
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所以很难描绘它。
03:00
Maybe it's impossible,
and maybe it doesn't matter.
and maybe it doesn't matter.
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也许是不可能完成的，
但这或许并不重要。
但这或许并不重要。
03:03
Through my visual arts practice,
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通过我的视觉艺术实践，
03:06
I try to make air, not so much picture it,
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我试着不去浓墨重彩地描绘空气，
而是试着使它变得真实可感。
03:10
but to make it visceral
and tactile and haptic.
and tactile and haptic.
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03:15
I try to expand this notion
of the aesthetic, how things look,
of the aesthetic, how things look,
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我试图拓展美学的概念，
03:20
so that it can include things
like how it feels on your skin
like how it feels on your skin
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这样它能包括你的知觉，
你的皮肤和肺对于空气的感觉，
03:23
and in your lungs,
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以及你的声音在空气中传播后的情况。
03:25
and how your voice sounds
as it passes through it.
as it passes through it.
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03:30
I explore the weight, density and smell,
but most importantly,
but most importantly,
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我探索着空气的重量、密度和气味，
最重要的一点，
03:34
I think a lot about the stories we attach
to different kinds of air.
to different kinds of air.
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关于不同的空气衍生的各种故事
我思考了很多。
我思考了很多。
03:42
This is a work I made in 2014.
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这是我在2014年完成的一个作品。
03:46
It's called "Different Kinds
of Air: A Plant's Diary,"
of Air: A Plant's Diary,"
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它叫做“不同的空气：地球日记”，
03:49
where I was recreating the air
from different eras in Earth's evolution,
from different eras in Earth's evolution,
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这个作品里我把地球演变中
不同时期的空气进行了重新制备，
不同时期的空气进行了重新制备，
并邀请观众参与其中与我一同呼吸。
03:53
and inviting the audience
to come in and breathe them with me.
to come in and breathe them with me.
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这真的不可思议，非常不同。
03:56
And it's really surprising,
so drastically different.
so drastically different.
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04:01
Now, I'm not a scientist,
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虽然我不是个科学家，
04:03
but atmospheric scientists
will look for traces
will look for traces
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不过大气科学家会找寻
04:06
in the air chemistry in geology,
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空气在地质中留下的痕迹，
比方说岩石如何被氧化，
04:09
a bit like how rocks can oxidize,
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他们会推断并综合整理信息，
04:12
and they'll extrapolate
that information and aggregate it,
that information and aggregate it,
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所以他们能够分析出
04:15
such that they can
pretty much form a recipe
pretty much form a recipe
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不同时期空气的成分配方。
04:18
for the air at different times.
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04:20
Then I come in as the artist
and take that recipe
and take that recipe
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身为艺术家的我获得了这个成分配方，
04:23
and recreate it using the component gases.
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按配方用组分气体进行了再次制备。
04:28
I was particularly interested
in moments of time
in moments of time
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我对于那些生物改变空气的时期十分感兴趣，
04:31
that are examples
of life changing the air,
of life changing the air,
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04:35
but also the air that can influence
how life will evolve,
how life will evolve,
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同时空气也会影响生物的进化，
04:40
like Carboniferous air.
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比方说石炭纪的空气。
04:43
It's from about 300 to 350
million years ago.
million years ago.
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大约3亿5千年前至3亿年前，
04:47
It's an era known
as the time of the giants.
as the time of the giants.
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那是个以巨型生物闻名的时代。
04:51
So for the first time
in the history of life,
in the history of life,
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历史上首次，演化出了木质素。
04:53
lignin evolves.
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04:55
That's the hard stuff
that trees are made of.
that trees are made of.
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那是维持树木硬度的成分。
04:57
So trees effectively invent
their own trunks at this time,
their own trunks at this time,
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因此树木有了稳固的树干，
它们逐渐生长，变得越来越大，
05:01
and they get really big,
bigger and bigger,
bigger and bigger,
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散布整个地球，
05:03
and pepper the Earth,
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不断释放着氧气，
05:04
releasing oxygen, releasing
oxygen, releasing oxygen,
oxygen, releasing oxygen,
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那时的氧气含量
05:07
such that the oxygen levels
are about twice as high
are about twice as high
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大约是今天的两倍多。
05:11
as what they are today.
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05:13
And this rich air supports
massive insects --
massive insects --
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这充足的氧气含量孕育了巨型昆虫，
05:17
huge spiders and dragonflies
with a wingspan of about 65 centimeters.
with a wingspan of about 65 centimeters.
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巨型蜘蛛和翼展约65厘米的蜻蜓。
05:24
To breathe, this air is really clean
and really fresh.
and really fresh.
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那时的空气呼吸起来是那么纯净清新。
05:28
It doesn't so much have a flavor,
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它并没有什么特别的味道，
但是它的确可以使你的身体充满能量。
05:30
but it does give your body
a really subtle kind of boost of energy.
a really subtle kind of boost of energy.
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对醒酒很有效（氧气含量高）。
05:34
It's really good for hangovers.
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（笑声）
05:36
(Laughter)
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还有大灭绝时期的空气——
05:38
Or there's the air of the Great Dying --
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那是大约2亿5250万年前，
05:41
that's about 252.5 million years ago,
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恐龙出现之前的时期。
05:44
just before the dinosaurs evolve.
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从地质学上来讲真的是一段短暂的时光，
05:47
It's a really short time period,
geologically speaking,
geologically speaking,
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大约20到20万年时间，
05:50
from about 20- to 200,000 years.
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非常短暂。
05:53
Really quick.
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05:56
This is the greatest extinction event
in Earth's history,
in Earth's history,
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这是地球历史上最大规模的灭绝，
05:58
even bigger than when
the dinosaurs died out.
the dinosaurs died out.
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甚至比恐龙灭绝还要严重。
06:02
Eighty-five to 95 percent of species
at this time die out,
at this time die out,
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这一时期近九成的物种灭绝了，
06:06
and simultaneous to that is a huge,
dramatic spike in carbon dioxide,
dramatic spike in carbon dioxide,
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许多科学家一致认为，
那时空气中的二氧化碳含量剧增
06:11
that a lot of scientists agree
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是由于那时的火山爆发，
06:13
comes from a simultaneous
eruption of volcanoes
eruption of volcanoes
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还有温室效应失控。
06:16
and a runaway greenhouse effect.
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06:20
Oxygen levels at this time go
to below half of what they are today,
to below half of what they are today,
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那时氧气的含量不到今天的一半，
06:24
so about 10 percent.
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大约只有10%。
显然这样的空气并不适合人类生活，
06:25
So this air would definitely not
support human life,
support human life,
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但是勉强能够呼吸。
06:28
but it's OK to just have a breath.
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奇怪的是，它呼吸起来也很舒服。
06:30
And to breathe, it's oddly comforting.
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它使人平静，它给人温暖
06:33
It's really calming, it's quite warm
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它甚至有一点点苏打水的味道（二氧化碳含量高）。
06:36
and it has a flavor a little bit
like soda water.
like soda water.
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它令人愉悦。
06:41
It has that kind of spritz,
quite pleasant.
quite pleasant.
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06:44
So with all this thinking
about air of the past,
about air of the past,
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我们在回顾过去的空气的同时，
06:47
it's quite natural to start thinking
about the air of the future.
about the air of the future.
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自然也会畅想未来的空气。
06:52
And instead of being speculative with air
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在探索空气的路上，
06:54
and just making up what I think
might be the future air,
might be the future air,
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我为了构成可能的未来空气，
我发现了这种人工合成的气体。
06:58
I discovered this human-synthesized air.
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07:02
That means that it doesn't occur
anywhere in nature,
anywhere in nature,
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这意味着它并不是天然产生的，
07:05
but it's made by humans in a laboratory
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而是在实验室中人工合成，
在不同行业中有实际应用。
07:08
for application in different
industrial settings.
industrial settings.
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07:13
Why is it future air?
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它为什么代表了未来的空气？
07:15
Well, this air is a really stable molecule
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这种气体有非常稳定的分子结构，
07:19
that will literally be part of the air
once it's released,
once it's released,
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当它释放后便会与空气融为一体，
07:23
for the next 300 to 400 years,
before it's broken down.
before it's broken down.
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在它分解前有300至400年的稳定寿命。
07:28
So that's about 12 to 16 generations.
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相当于12到16代人。
07:33
And this future air has
some very sensual qualities.
some very sensual qualities.
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而这未来的气体有一些感官上的特点。
07:37
It's very heavy.
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它密度大。
07:39
It's about eight times heavier
than the air we're used to breathing.
than the air we're used to breathing.
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是我们习惯了呼吸的空气密度的8倍。
07:45
It's so heavy, in fact,
that when you breathe it in,
that when you breathe it in,
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实际上当你吸进这厚重的空气，
07:48
whatever words you speak
are kind of literally heavy as well,
are kind of literally heavy as well,
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就连你说的话也会变得低沉厚重，
它从你的下巴滴到地板上，
07:51
so they dribble down your chin
and drop to the floor
and drop to the floor
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渗到裂缝里。
07:55
and soak into the cracks.
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07:57
It's an air that operates
quite a lot like a liquid.
quite a lot like a liquid.
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这是一种很像液体的空气。
08:02
Now, this air comes
with an ethical dimension as well.
with an ethical dimension as well.
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如今这种气体也遇到了伦理问题。
08:06
Humans made this air,
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人类制造了这种气体，
08:08
but it's also the most potent
greenhouse gas
greenhouse gas
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同时它也是截至目前
温室效应最明显的气体。
08:12
that has ever been tested.
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08:15
Its warming potential is 24,000 times
that of carbon dioxide,
that of carbon dioxide,
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它的保温性能是二氧化碳的24000倍，
并且它的持续时间有300至400年时间。
08:20
and it has that longevity
of 12 to 16 generations.
of 12 to 16 generations.
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08:25
So this ethical confrontation
is really central to my work.
is really central to my work.
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所以这一伦理上的矛盾是我工作的重点。
08:43
(In a lowered voice) It has
another quite surprising quality.
another quite surprising quality.
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（以低沉的声音）它有另一令人惊讶的特性。
08:47
It changes the sound of your voice
quite dramatically.
quite dramatically.
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它可以神奇地改变你的声音。
（笑声）
08:50
(Laughter)
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08:57
So when we start to think -- ooh!
It's still there a bit.
It's still there a bit.
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所以当我们开始思考——
哦，它还在对我的音调产生影响，
哦，它还在对我的音调产生影响，
09:00
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
当我们思考气候问题，
09:01
When we think about climate change,
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我们也许并不会考虑
巨型昆虫和火山爆发
巨型昆虫和火山爆发
09:04
we probably don't think about
giant insects and erupting volcanoes
giant insects and erupting volcanoes
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或是滑稽的音调变化。
09:10
or funny voices.
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09:13
The images that more readily come to mind
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我们心头浮现的画面更多的是
09:15
are things like retreating glaciers
and polar bears adrift on icebergs.
and polar bears adrift on icebergs.
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冰川消融，漂浮在冰山上的北极熊。
09:21
We think about pie charts
and column graphs
and column graphs
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我们想起饼状图和柱状图
09:24
and endless politicians
talking to scientists wearing cardigans.
talking to scientists wearing cardigans.
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还有无止境的政治家和科学家之间的对话。
09:30
But perhaps it's time we start
thinking about climate change
thinking about climate change
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也许是时候开始换个角度，
09:34
on the same visceral level
that we experience the air.
that we experience the air.
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从我们感受空气的本能角度来思考气候变化。
09:39
Like air, climate change is simultaneously
at the scale of the molecule,
at the scale of the molecule,
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与空气类似，气候变化也是发生在分子层面、
呼吸的层面和星球的层面。
09:45
the breath and the planet.
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09:49
It's immediate, vital and intimate,
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它与我们息息相关，
09:52
as well as being amorphous and cumbersome.
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却又令人难以捉摸。
09:58
And yet, it's so easily forgotten.
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同时，它也容易被忽视。
10:03
Climate change is the collective
self-portrait of humanity.
self-portrait of humanity.
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气候变化是人类共同的自画像。
10:07
It reflects our decisions as individuals,
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它反映着我们作为个体、
作为政府和作为企业作出的决策。
10:10
as governments and as industries.
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10:13
And if there's anything
I've learned from looking at air,
I've learned from looking at air,
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如果说我从凝视空气中学到了什么，
那就是即使它变化莫测，
它依然存在。
它依然存在。
10:16
it's that even though
it's changing, it persists.
it's changing, it persists.
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10:20
It may not support the kind of life
that we'd recognize,
that we'd recognize,
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它也许不适合我们所熟知的生物生存，
但它定会适合一些东西生存的。
10:24
but it will support something.
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10:27
And if we humans are such a vital
part of that change,
part of that change,
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如果说我们人类在这一变化中
起着重要的作用，
起着重要的作用，
10:30
I think it's important
that we can feel the discussion.
that we can feel the discussion.
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我想能够感受这种讨论是重要的。
10:35
Because even though it's invisible,
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因为即使无影无形，
10:39
humans are leaving
a very vibrant trace in the air.
a very vibrant trace in the air.
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人类在空气中留下着
鲜明的不可磨灭的印记。
鲜明的不可磨灭的印记。
10:44
Thank you.
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谢谢。
10:46
(Applause)
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（掌声）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Emily Parsons-Lord - ArtistEmily Parsons-Lord makes cross-disciplinary contemporary art that is informed by research and critical dialogue with materials and climate science.
Why you should listen
Through investigation into air and light, both conceptually, and culturally, Emily Parsons-Lord interrogates the materiality of invisibility, magic and the stories we tell about reality, the universe and our place in time and space. Tragi-humour, scale and invisibility are often used as access points her conceptual art practice.
Based in Sydney, Australia, Parsons-Lord's recent work includes recreating the air from past eras in Earth's evolution, recreating starlight in colored smoke, created multi-channel video and experimenting with pheromones, aerogel and chemistry. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally and participated in the Bristol Biennial – In Other Worlds, 2016, Primavera 2016 (Australia's flagship emerging art exhibition), Firstdraft Sydney and Vitalstatistix, Adelaide.
Parsons-Lord completed a bachelor of digital media (First Class Honours) 2008 at UNSW Art & Design, and a masters of peace and conflict studies from University of Sydney, 2010. She has been a researcher in residence at SymbioticA, at the Univeristy of Western Australia, and has had solo exhibitions at (forthcoming) Wellington St Projects 2017, Firstdraft in 2015, Gallery Eight in 2013 and the TAP Gallery in 2007, among many others.
Emily Parsons-Lord | Speaker | TED.com