So when I decided to create an art piece in Manshiyat Naser, the neighborhood of the Cairo garbage collectors in Egypt, I never thought this project would be the most amazing human experience that I would ever live. As an artist, I had this humanist intention of beautifying a poor and neglected neighborhood by bringing art to it and hopefully shining light on this isolated community.
当我决定在曼斯亚特 纳赛尔创建一个艺术品 在埃及开罗附近的垃圾收集处 我从来没有想过这个项目 会是我有生以来最令人惊讶的经历 作为一名艺术家,我有这种人文意愿: 我希望用艺术去美化一个被忽视的贫穷街区 使这个孤立的社区散发希望的光芒
The first time I heard about this Christian Coptic community was in 2009 when the Egyptian authorities under the regime of Hosni Mubarak decided to slaughter 300,000 pigs using the pretext of H1N1 virus. Originally, they are pig breeders. Their pigs and other animals are fed with the organic waste that they collect on a daily basis. This event killed their livelihood. The first time I entered Manshiyat Naser, it felt like a maze. I was looking for the St. Simon Monastery on the top of the Muqattam Mountain. So you go right, then straight, then right again, then left to reach all the way to the top. But to reach there, you must dodge between the trucks overpacked with garbage and slalom between the tuk-tuks, the fastest vehicle to move around in the neighborhood. The smell of the garbage unloaded from those trucks was intense, and the noise of the traffic was loud and overbearing. Add to it the din created by the crushers in those warehouses along the way. From outside it looks chaotic, but everything is perfectly organized.
我第一次听到有关科普特基督教社区的消息 是在2009年 当埃及在穆巴拉克的政权之下 决定以甲型流感为借口宰杀300,000只猪 起初,这些人以喂猪为生 他们用每天收集的有机废物 来喂养猪和其他牲畜 然而这一事件断了他们的生计。 我第一次进入曼斯亚特 纳赛尔的时候,感觉像是进入了迷宫 我在Muqattam山顶上寻找圣西蒙修道院 右转,直行,再右转,然后左转 一直到山顶 但当你到达那里时,你应该避开那些装满垃圾的卡车 和嘟嘟车的障碍 那是在这个社区最快的车 那些从卡车上卸载下来的垃圾气味是最为强烈的 还有那些大而蛮横的堵车声 再加上那些在仓库里发出噪音的压碎机 使得这个城市外表看起来很混乱,但一切都结合得十分完美
The Zaraeeb, that’s how they call themselves, which means the pig breeders, have been collecting the garbage of Cairo and sorting it in their own neighborhood for decades. They have developed one of the most efficient and highly profitable systems on a global level. Still, the place is perceived as dirty, marginalized and segregated because of their association with the trash. So my initial idea was to create an anamorphic piece, a piece that you can only see from one vantage point. I wanted to challenge myself artistically by painting over several buildings and having it only fully visible from one point on the Muqattam Mountain. The Muqattam Mountain is the pride of the community. This is where they built the St. Simon Monastery, a 10,000-seat cave church that they carved into the mountain itself.
照片上的这个人所代表的是自称“Zaraeeb”的一个群体 意思是猪的饲养者 他们一直在开罗收集垃圾 而且已经在各自的社区整理了数十年 他们已经开发了 在全球水平范围内最高效,最高利润的系统 但即便如此,因为他们与这些垃圾的紧密关系 这个地方仍旧被视为肮脏的,被边缘化的隔离区 所以我最初的想法是创建一个变形模块 一个你只能从一个有力的角度来看的模块 我想通过在几座建筑上作画 并使人们在Muqattam山上能看到其全景的方式 来挑战我自己在艺术上的作为 Muqattam山是全社区的骄傲 这是他们建立圣西蒙修道院的地方 一个内部有10000坐席的洞穴教堂
So, the first time I stood on top of the mountain and I looked at the neighborhood, I asked myself, how on earth will I convince all those owners to let me paint on their buildings? And then Magd came. Magd is a guide from the Church. He told me the only person I needed to convince was Father Samaan, who is the leader of the community. But to convince Father Samaan, I needed to convince Mario, who is a Polish artist who moved to Cairo 20 years ago and who created all the artwork of the Cave Church. I am really grateful to Mario. He was the key of the project. He managed to get me a meeting with Father Samaan, and surprisingly, he loved the idea. He asked me about where I painted before and how I will make it happen. And he was mainly concerned by what I was going to write.
我第一次站在山顶时 俯瞰着整个社区 我问我自己,如何才能说服那些房屋的主人 让他们允许我在其建筑上画画呢? 后来Magd来了 Magd是教堂的向导 他告诉我,我唯一要去说服的人是 神父Samaan 他是这个社区的领导 但是想要说服他,我要先说服Mario 他是20年前搬到开罗的波兰艺术家 他创建了所有在洞穴教堂的艺术品 我非常感激Mario,他是我这个项目的关键 他帮我约见了神父Samaan 惊奇的是,他很喜欢我的想法 他问我以前在哪儿作过画 以及我将如何实现这个计划 他最关心的是我要写的内容
In every work that I create, I write messages with my style of Arabic calligraphy. I make sure those messages are relevant to the place where I am painting but have this universal dimension, so anybody around the world can relate to it.
在我创作的每一样作品中 我都用阿拉伯的书法风格写要旨 我确保这些信息与作画的地区有关联 通过这么一个普遍的维度 使全世界的人都能理解
So for Manshiyat Naser, I decided to write in Arabic the words of St. Athanasius of Alexandria, a Coptic bishop from the third century, who said: (Arabic), which means in English, "Anyone who wants to see the sunlight clearly needs to wipe his eyes first."
对于曼斯亚特 纳赛尔 我决定将亚他那修的名言转换为阿拉伯语 他是来自第三世纪的科普特主教 他说过:(阿拉伯语) 英文意思是 “任何一个想清楚看到阳光的人 都需要先擦亮自己眼睛。”
It was really important for me that the community felt connected to the words. And for me this quote was perfectly reflecting the spirit of the project.
找到能对这个社区感到共鸣的名言 对我来说十分重要 对我个人而言,这句话十分完美地传达了项目的精神
So Father Samaan blessed the project, and his approval brought all the residents on board. Hundreds of liters of paint, a dozen blue manual lifts, several trips back and forth to Cairo, a strong and solid team from France, North Africa, Middle East and the US, and after a year of planning and logistics, there we are, my team and some members from the local community creating a piece that will spread over 50 buildings, some filling up the space of the calligraphy that I trace with colors. Here some blue, there some yellow, there some orange. Some others carrying some sand bags and putting them on the top of the buildings to hold those manual lifts, and some others assembling and disassembling those same lifts and moving them around the different buildings.
因此,神父Sammaan认可了我的项目 有了他的批准,其他的居民也加入了进来 数百升的油漆,和一些蓝色手动升降机 几次往返开罗 一个来自法国,北非,中东和美国的强大团队 在经过了一年的规划和筹备后 开始了行动 我的团队和一些来自当地社区的人员 正在建造一个将蔓延50多座建筑的艺术品 一些有美术字体的空白处 我填充上了颜色 这里用蓝色,那里用黄色,再那边一些橙色 还有一部分人拿来沙袋 放在楼顶上 用来固定住手动升降机 其余的人负责组装拆卸升降机 并将它们带到每一座建筑
At the beginning of the project, I numbered all those buildings on my sketch, and there was no real interaction with the community. People didn’t get the point of all this. But fast enough, those building numbers became family names.
项目初期 我在我的设计稿上给所有的这些建筑编了号 但这些并没有真正的与社区产生互动 人们并没有在这一点上参与进来 但很快,这些建筑的代号变为了家庭的名字
The first building was the house of Uncle Ibrahim. Uncle Ibrahim is such an enthusiastic person. He was always singing and making jokes, and his daughters and sons saved me from his bull who wanted to attack me on the fourth floor.
第一个建筑是易卜拉欣叔叔的房子 易卜拉欣叔叔是一个非常热情的人 他爱唱歌,开玩笑 是他的儿子和女儿 帮我躲过了他在四楼的公牛的攻击
(Laughter)
(笑声)
Actually, the bull saw me from the window and came out on the balcony.
事实上,那只牛从窗户看见我后走到了阳台
(Laughter)
(笑声)
Yeah.
是的
Uncle Ibrahim was always hanging out on the balcony and talking to me while I was painting. I remember him saying that he didn’t go to the mountain for 10 years, and that he never takes a day off. He said that if he stopped working, who will stop the garbage? But surprisingly, at the end of the project, he came all the way to the mountain to look at the piece. He was really proud to see his house painted, and he said that this project was a project of peace and -- sorry --
易卜拉欣叔叔总是在阳台上散步 当我在喷绘时他会和我聊天 我记得他跟我说他已经10年没去过山上了 他一天都没有歇息过 他说如果他停止工作,这些垃圾要谁来清理呢? 但惊讶的是,在项目结束后 他来到了山上去看整个的作品 当他看到他的房子被添加了色彩 他感到非常的自豪 他说这个项目是 和平与--- 抱歉--
(Applause)
(掌声)
Thank you.
谢谢
He said that it was a project of peace and unity and that it brought people together.
他说 这是一个和平与团结的工程 它把所有人凝聚到了一起
So his perception towards the project changed, and my perception towards the community changed also, and towards what they do. All the garbage that everybody is disgusted by is not theirs. They just work out of it. Actually, they don’t live in the garbage. They live from the garbage. So I started doubting myself and wondering what was the real purpose of this whole project? It was not about beautifying a place by bringing art to it. It was about switching perception and opening a dialogue on the connection that we have with communities that we don’t know. So day after day, the calligraphy circle was taking shape, and we were always excited to go back on the mountain to look at the piece. And standing exactly at this point every day made my realize the symbolism behind this anamorphic piece. If you want to see the real image of somebody, maybe you should change your angle.
此后 他对这个项目的看法发生了改变 同时 我对于这个社区的看法 以及对于他们的看法也改变了 令所有人恶心的垃圾并不是他们的 他们只是工作 事实上他们不住在垃圾堆中 他们只是从中谋生 所以我开始质问我自己 什么才是这个项目的真正意图呢? 这不是一个关于用艺术去美化一个地方的项目 这是一个交流观念,打开对话窗口的桥梁 它帮助我们了解其他与我们相关的社区 就这样,日复一日 美术字逐渐成型 我们总是非常激动地回到山上去观看我们的作品 而且通过每天都站在同一位置 我更加深刻地意识到 这张合成图背后的象征意义 如果你想看到谁真正的样子 或许你应该改变你的视角
There was doubts and difficulties, like fears and stress. It wasn't simple to work in such environments, sometimes having pigs under you while you paint or climbing a stack of garbage to reach a lift. But we all got over the fear of the heights, the swinging lifts, the strength of the smell and also the stress of not finishing on time.
这里曾经有疑惑和困难 恐惧和压力 在这样的环境下工作并不简单 有时会有猪在你脚下 不论是在你作画的时候 或是为了乘电梯爬垃圾堆的时候 我们都经历了对高空、 对摇摆的升降机 对浓烈的气味的恐惧 以及对无法按时完工的压力
But the kindness of all those people made us forget everything. The building number 3 was the house of Uncle Bakheet and Aunty Fareeda. In Egyptian, they have this expression that says, "Ahsen Nas," which means "the best people." They were the best people. We used to take our break in front of their houses, and all the kids of the neighborhood used to join us. I was impressed and amazed by the kids of Manshiyat Naser. For the first few days, they were always refusing anything we were offering them, even a snack or a drink. So I asked Aunty Fareeda, "Why is that?" And she told me they teach their kids to refuse anything from somebody that they don't know because maybe this person needs it more than they do.
但当地人的善良使我们忘记了一切 3号建筑是 Bakheet叔叔和 Fareeda阿姨的房子 在埃及,他们有这样一句话“Ahsen Nas” 意思是“最好的人” 他们是最好的人 我们经常在他们的房子前面歇息 所有邻居的孩子 会加入我们 纳塞尔的孩子们让我惊讶 并给我留下了深刻的印象 在开始的几天里 他们拒绝我们给他们的任何东西 甚至是一袋小零食或一瓶水 于是我就去问Fareeda阿姨“这是为什么?” 然后她告诉我 是因为他们一直教育孩子们 拒绝一切陌生人给的东西 因为也许这个人比我们更需要这样东西
So at this exact point I realized actually the Zaraeeb community was the ideal context to raise the topic of perception. We need to question our level of misconception and judgment we can have as a society upon communities based on their differences. I remember how we got delayed on Uncle Ibrahim's house when his pigs that are bred on the rooftop were eating the sand bags that hold the lifts.
在那一刹那我才意识到 其实Zaraeeb社区是一个探讨“感知”/"认知” 的理想地区 我们需要质疑 作为一个社会 我们基于其他社区的差异 所产生的误解和批判 我记得我们是如何耽搁在Ibrahim叔叔的房子里的 当时他畜养在楼顶的猪 正在吃用来固定电梯的沙袋
(Laughter)
(笑声)
The house of Uncle Bakheet and Aunty Fareeda was this kind of meeting point. Everybody used to gather there. I think this is what Uncle Ibrahim meant when he said that was a project of peace and unity, because I really felt that people were coming together. Everyone was greeting us with a smile, offering us a drink or inviting us into their own house for lunch. Sometime, you are at the first level of a building, and somebody opens his window and offers you some tea. And then the same thing happens on the second floor. And you keep going all the way to the top.
Bakheet叔叔和Fareeda阿姨的房子 是我们的聚集地 所有人都会聚到那里 我认为这就是Ibrahim叔叔 当初说这是个有关和平与团结的项目时所要表达的 因为我真的感觉到 人们在逐渐聚集到一起 每个人都微笑地向我们打招呼,送我们水喝 或是邀请我们去家里吃午饭 有时,你在一座建筑的一层时 有些人会打开窗户请你喝茶 同样的事情也会发生在二层 然后你就这样一路到楼顶
(Laughter)
(笑声)
(Applause)
(掌声)
I think I never drink as much tea as I did in Egypt.
我感觉我从来没喝过这么多的茶
(Laughter)
(笑声)
And to be honest with you, we could have finished earlier, but I think it took us three weeks because of all those tea breaks.
老实说,我们其实可以提前竣工 但我认为 这个项目花费了我们三个星期是因为那些喝茶的休息时间
(Laughter)
(笑声)
In Egypt, they have another expression, which is "Nawartouna," which means, "You brought light to us." In Manshiyat Naser they were always telling us this. The calligraphy, actually -- I used a white glow-in-the-dark paint for the calligraphy so at the end of the project, we rented some black light projectors and lit up the whole neighborhood, surprising everybody around. We wanted to tell them that they are the ones who brought light to us.
在埃及他们还有一句话是“Nawartouna” 意思是“你给我们带来了光明” 纳赛尔的人们总是这样跟我们说 那个艺术字,事实上--- 我用了白色夜光涂料绘制了整个艺术字 所以在项目的最后,我们借来了紫外线投影仪 照亮整个社区 惊讶了周围所有人 我想告诉他们的是 他们才是那些带给我们光明的人
(Applause)
(掌声)
The Zaraeeb community are strong, honest, hard workers, and they know their value. The people of Cairo call them "the Zabaleen," which means "the people of the garbage," but ironically, the people of Manshiyat Naser call the people of Cairo the Zabaleen. They say, they are the ones who produce the garbage, not them.
Zaraeeb社区是强大的,诚实的,勤劳的 而且他们知道自己的价值何在 开罗的人称呼他们为“札巴林人” 意思是“捡垃圾的人” 但纳赛尔的人嘲讽地说 开罗的人才是札林巴人 他们说,生产垃圾的是开罗人,而不是他们
(Laughter)
(笑声)
(Applause)
(掌声)
The goal was to leave something to this community, but I feel that they are the ones who left something in our lives. You know, the art project was just a pretext for this amazing human experience. The art piece at some point will disappear, vanish, and actually there is somebody who is building a second floor in front of Uncle Ibrahim's house, so it's covering part of the painting, so I might need to go back and paint over it.
我们的目标曾是给这个社区留下一些价值 但现在,我认为他们在我们的生活中留下了价值 你知道,艺术只是 为人生经历增色的一个说辞 某一天,艺术作品会绝迹,会消失 事实上这里有些人正在 Ibrahim叔叔的房子前 建造另一座双层楼 这座新楼遮挡住了我作品的部分 所以我还得回去重新涂一下
(Laughter)
(笑声)
It was about the experience, about the story, about the moment.
这是关于一次经历, 一个故事 一个瞬间
From the streets of the neighborhood, the painting appears in fragments, isolated from one another, standing alone. But connected with the sign of calligraphy that today reveals the powerful message that we should all think about before we want to judge somebody.
从附近的街道看 这幅作品是破碎的 彼此孤立 独自站立在一旁 但是书法的标志使它们联系到了一起 今天 它向人们揭示了强有力的要旨 一个当我们去判断某一个人之前,都值得去思考的要旨:
Anyone who wants to see the sunlight clearly needs to wipe his eyes first.
任何一个想清楚看到阳光的人 需要先擦亮自己的眼睛。
Thank you.
谢谢
(Applause)
(掌声)