I was raised in Seoul, Korea, and moved to New York City in 1999 to attend college. I was pre-med at the time, and I thought I would become a surgeon because I was interested in anatomy and dissecting animals really piqued my curiosity. At the same time, I fell in love with New York City. I started to realize that I could look at the whole city as a living organism. I wanted to dissect it and look into its unseen layers. And the way to it, for me, was through artistic means. So, eventually I decided to pursue an MFA instead of an M.D. and in grad school I became interested in creatures that dwell in the hidden corners of the city.
我成長於韓國首爾 於1999年搬到紐約市,進入大學就讀 當時,我是醫學院預科學生 我認為我會成為一位外科醫師 因為我對解剖很有興趣 解剖動物真的激發起我的好奇心 同時,我愛上了紐約市 我開始了解到我可以以一個活生生的有機體 來解讀這個城市 我想要解剖她 研究那些不被看見的層次 對我來說,切入的方法 是透過藝術的手法 所以,我最終沒有投身醫學,而決定申請藝術碩士學位 唸研究所的時候,我開始對於 居住於都市隠藏角落的生物有興趣
In New York City, rats are part of commuters' daily lives. Most people ignore them or are frightened of them. But I took a liking to them because they dwell on the fringes of society. And even though they're used in labs to promote human lives, they're also considered pests. I also started looking around in the city and trying to photograph them. One day, in the subway, I was snapping pictures of the tracks hoping to catch a rat or two, and a man came up to me and said, "You can't take photographs here. The MTA will confiscate your camera." I was quite shocked by that, and thought to myself, "Well, OK then. I'll follow the rats." Then I started going into the tunnels, which made me realize that there's a whole new dimension to the city that I never saw before and most people don't get to see.
在紐約市,老鼠,是通勤者毎日生活中的一員 大部分的人忽略牠們,或著是畏懼著牠們 而我卻喜歡上牠們 因為他們居住在社會的邊緣 即使在實驗室裡,牠們被用於改善人類的生活 牠們也同時被人厭惡 我也開始在城市裡漫遊 常試著捕捉牠們的影像 有一天,我在地鐵站,隨意地照著鐵軌 希望能捕捉到一兩隻老鼠的蹤影 然後,一位男子走向我並對我說, 你不能在這裡照相 否則紐約大都會運輸局會沒收你的相機 這樣的對話令我非常訝異 然後我告訴我自己,"好吧 那我就來跟蹤牠們" 接著,我就開始在隧道裡遊走 這樣的經驗讓我體驗到我不曾看過的, 大部分的人沒有機會看到的一個全新的城市向度
Around the same time, I met like-minded individuals who call themselves urban explorers, adventurers, spelunkers, guerrilla historians, etc. I was welcomed into this loose, Internet-based network of people who regularly explore urban ruins such as abandoned subway stations, tunnels, sewers, aqueducts, factories, hospitals, shipyards and so on.
同時,我遇到了一些志同道合的人 他們自稱為都市探索者,探險者,探勘者 游擊式的歷史學家,諸如此類 我加入了這個定期在都市廢墟探索 以網路為基礎的隨性組織 像是被遺棄的的地鐵站 隧道,下水道,溝渠 工廠,醫院,船場等等,都是我們探索的場所
When I took photographs in these locations, I felt there was something missing in the pictures. Simply documenting these soon-to-be-demolished structures wasn't enough for me. So I wanted to create a fictional character or an animal that dwells in these underground spaces, and the simplest way to do it, at the time, was to model myself. I decided against clothing because I wanted the figure to be without any cultural implications or time-specific elements. I wanted a simple way to represent a living body inhabiting these decaying, derelict spaces.
當我在這些地方攝影 我覺得這些照片缺少了某種東西 單單紀錄這些即將被拆除的構造 對我來說並不足夠 因此,我想創造一個虛構的人物 或者是某種動物,居住在這些地底下的空間 而在當時,最簡單的做法 是以我自己為模特兒 我決定去除衣服這項元素 因為我希望這個人物在文化上沒有寓意 或著是說沒有描述某個特定時代的物件 我想要用一種簡單的方法重現一個生命 居住在這些衰退,廢棄的空間
This was taken in the Riviera Sugar Factory in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It's now an empty, six-acre lot waiting for a shopping mall right across from the new Ikea. I was very fond of this space because it's the first massive industrial complex I found on my own that is abandoned. When I first went in, I was scared, because I heard dogs barking and I thought they were guard dogs. But they happened to be wild dogs living there, and it was right by the water, so there were swans and ducks swimming around and trees growing everywhere and bees nesting in the sugar barrels.
這張照片是攝於布魯克林紅鉤區的里維耶拉製糖工廠 現在是一個六英畝大的空地 正等著興建購物商場,對街是剛蓋好的宜家家具賣場 我非常喜歡這個空間 因為這是第一個由我自己發現的 廢棄的大型工業複合構造 我第一次踏進這個地方時,我蠻害怕的 因為我聽到狗叫聲,我以為牠們是警犬 但牠們只是居住在那裡的野狗 這片地就在河的旁邊 所以這裡有天鵝和鴨子游來游去 而且樹木叢生 蜜蜂們在製糖木桶裡築巢
The nature had really reclaimed the whole complex. And, in a way, I wanted the human figure in the picture to become a part of that nature. When I got comfortable in the space, it also felt like a big playground. I would climb up the tanks and hop across exposed beams as if I went back in time and became a child again.
大自然徹底的淨化了這整片地 某種程度上,我想放置一個人物到這個畫面中 成為大自然的一部分 當我在這個空間感到自在的時後 它讓我覺得像是一個巨大的遊樂場 我會爬上儲水池,然後再跳過那些裸露出來的樑 彷彿我回到過去,再次變成了一個孩子
This was taken in the old Croton Aqueduct, which supplied fresh water to New York City for the first time. The construction began in 1837. It lasted about five years. It got abandoned when the new Croton Aqueducts opened in 1890. When you go into spaces like this, you're directly accessing the past, because they sit untouched for decades. I love feeling the aura of a space that has so much history. Instead of looking at reproductions of it at home, you're actually feeling the hand-laid bricks and shimmying up and down narrow cracks and getting wet and muddy and walking in a dark tunnel with a flashlight.
這是攝於舊的克頓水道 它曾經首度運輸乾淨的水源到紐約市 這項工程始於1837年 為時五年 1890年,當新的克頓水道開始使用,它便被閒置了 當你進入到這樣的空間 你直接的進入了過去的時空 因為它們就這樣數十年未被人們碰觸 我喜歡感受這個空間滿溢著歷史的氣味 不是在家裡看著這個空間的複製品 你是真實地感受這些曾被親手鋪置的磚 在窄小的裂縫中跳動搖擺著 然後弄得滿身是水和泥巴 拿著手電筒,在黑暗的隧道裡行走
This is a tunnel underneath Riverside Park. It was built in the 1930s by Robert Moses. The murals were done by a graffiti artist to commemorate the hundreds of homeless people that got relocated from the tunnel in 1991 when the tunnel reopened for trains. Walking in this tunnel is very peaceful. There's nobody around you, and you hear the kids playing in the park above you, completely unaware of what's underneath.
這個隧道處於河岸公園的下方 於1930年間,由羅伯特摩西所建造 這些壁畫是出自於一個塗鴉畫家之手 為了紀念那些數以百計的流浪漢 他們在1991年被遷移到別處 當這個隧道被重新使用為火車站 在這個隧道裡行走讓我感到非常平靜 因為你的四週沒有人 你可以聽到孩童在你上方的公園玩耍 卻完全對他們腳底下的空間一無所知
When I was going out a lot to these places, I was feeling a lot of anxiety and isolation because I was in a solitary phase in my life, and I decided to title my series "Naked City Spleen," which references Charles Baudelaire. "Naked City" is a nickname for New York, and "Spleen" embodies the melancholia and inertia that come from feeling alienated in an urban environment.
隨著我踏進這些地方的頻率提高 我感到非常焦慮和孤立 因為我正經歷著我生命中的一段孤獨期 所以決定把這個系列取名為"裸體城市的憂鬱" 此名來自波特萊爾 "裸體城市"是紐約的小名 而"憂鬱"包含著抑鬱和惰性的意思 那是來自於一種在都市環境中被疏離的感覺
This is the same tunnel. You see the sunbeams coming from the ventilation ducts and the train approaching.
這是攝於同一個隧道 你看到的是來自通風管的光束 而火車正漸漸駛近
This is a tunnel that's abandoned in Hell's Kitchen. I was there alone, setting up, and a homeless man approached. I was basically intruding in his living space. I was really frightened at first, but I calmly explained to him that I was working on an art project and he didn't seem to mind and so I went ahead and put my camera on self-timer and ran back and forth. And when I was done, he actually offered me his shirt to wipe off my feet and kindly walked me out. It must have been a very unusual day for him. (Laughter)
這個廢棄的隧道位於紐約地獄廚房區 當我獨自一人的架設儀器 一位流浪漢走向我 基本上我是侵犯了他的居住空間 一開始我非常的害怕 但是我冷靜的向他解釋我正在拍攝我的藝術作品 而他看起來並不在意 所以我開始進行我的作品,把我的相機設成自動拍照模式 然後來來回回的跑著 當我結束拍攝,他把他的上衣給我 幫我擦腳 然後和氣的送我出去 對他來說,這一定是一個非常不尋常的一天 (笑)
One thing that struck me, after this incident, was that a space like that holds so many deleted memories of the city. That homeless man, to me, really represented an element of the unconscious of the city. He told me that he was abused above ground and was once in Riker's Island, and at last he found peace and quiet in that space. The tunnel was once built for the prosperity of the city, but is now a sanctuary for outcasts, who are completely forgotten in the average urban dweller's everyday life.
在這事件之後,觸動了我的是 這樣的空間包含著這個城市許許多多被消除的記憶 這位流浪漢,對我來說,真實的代表了 這個無意識城市的一個元素 他對我說當他還居住在地面上時曾被虐待 並曾經住在雷克島 最後,他在這個空間找到了平靜 這個隧道,曾因於城市的繁榮而被建造 但如今卻是城市棄兒的避難所 這些棄兒完全的被普遍的都市居住者所遺忘
This is underneath my alma mater, Columbia University. The tunnels are famous for having been used during the development of the Manhattan Project. This particular tunnel is interesting because it shows the original foundations of Bloomingdale Insane Asylum, which was demolished in 1890 when Columbia moved in.
這是位於我的母校,哥倫比亞大學的下方 這些隧道是因為被用於 曼哈頓島的開發案而著名 隧道的這個部分很有趣 因為它顯露出1890年,當哥倫比亞大學遷入此地時 被拆毀的布魯明黛爾精神病院 原本的地基
This is the New York City Farm Colony, which was a poorhouse in Staten Island from the 1890s to the 1930s. Most of my photos are set in places that have been abandoned for decades, but this is an exception.
這裡是"紐約市農場殖民地" 在1890到1930年間 他原本是史丹島的救濟院 大部分我的照片的取景地點 設定在那些被棄置數十年的場所 但是此處是一個例外
This children's hospital was closed in 1997; it's located in Newark. When I was there three years ago, the windows were broken and the walls were peeling, but everything was left there as it was. You see the autopsy table, morgue trays, x-ray machines and even used utensils, which you see on the autopsy table.
這間兒童醫院關閉於1997年 位於紐華克 三年前,當我在那裡的時候 窗戶破了,牆面斑駁 但是所有的東西卻像當時的情景一樣被遺留了下來 你可以看到手術台,停屍托盤,以及X光機 甚至還有用過的刀叉 就在手術台上
After exploring recently-abandoned buildings, I felt that everything could fall into ruins very fast: your home, your office, a shopping mall, a church -- any man-made structures around you. I was reminded of how fragile our sense of security is and how vulnerable people truly are.
在我造訪過一些不久前被遺棄的大樓 我感覺到很多東西可以在很短暫的時間內變成廢墟 你住的地方,你的辦公室,逛街商場,或是教會 任何在你四週的人造結構 他們提醒了我,人們的安全感是多麼經不起考驗 而且人們是多麼的脆弱
I love to travel, and Berlin has become one of my favorite cities. It's full of history, and also full of underground bunkers and ruins from the war.
我喜歡旅行 柏林是我最喜歡的城市之一 她有著豐富的歷史 而且擁有許多的地下地堡 以及戰爭遺留下來的廢墟
This was taken under a homeless asylum built in 1885 to house 1,100 people. I saw the structure while I was on the train, and I got off at the next station and met people there that gave me access to their catacomb-like basement, which was used for ammunition storage during the war and also, at some point, to hide groups of Jewish refugees. This is the actual catacombs in Paris. I explored there extensively in the off-limits areas and fell in love right away.
這是攝於一個遊民收容所的下方 建造於1885年,提供1,100人居住空間 我在坐火車時,我看到了這個構造 接著,我在下一站下車,並且遇到了一些人 他們讓我進入這些像是地下墓穴的場所 戰爭時,它被用作軍火庫 並且,在某個時間點,它也被用來藏匿大批的猶太難民 這是攝於巴黎的地下墓穴 我大規模地在禁止進入的區域 進行探索 而且馬上的愛上了這個地方
There are more than 185 miles of tunnels, and only about a mile is open to the public as a museum. The first tunnels date back to 60 B.C. They were consistently dug as limestone quarries and by the 18th century, the caving-in of some of these quarries posed safety threats, so the government ordered reinforcing of the existing quarries and dug new observation tunnels in order to monitor and map the whole place.
這裡有長度超過185英哩的隧道 只有大約一英哩是作為博物館開放給大眾參觀 第一座隧道的建造年代可以回朔到西元前60年 當時為挖掘石灰石的採石場 到了十八世紀的時候 在這裡挖掘石材構成了人身安全問題 所以政府下令加強現存採石場的結構 並且挖掘新的觀察用隧道 用來監控並勘測這整個區域
As you can see, the system is very complex and vast. It's very dangerous to get lost in there. And at the same time, there was a problem in the city with overflowing cemeteries. So the bones were moved from the cemeteries into the quarries, making them into the catacombs. The remains of over six million people are housed in there, some over 1,300 years old. This was taken under the Montparnasse Cemetery where most of the ossuaries are located. There are also phone cables that were used in the '50s and many bunkers from the World War II era.
就如同你看見的,整個系統非常的複雜,包含的範圍非常廣泛 在這裡迷路是非常危險的 並且,在同樣的時間點 這個城市面臨了墓地過剩的問題 所以骨骸從墓地被移來了這些採石場 並把這些地方變成地下墓穴 超過六百萬人的遺骸被收容在這裡 有些遺骸已經有超過1300年的歷史 這是攝於蒙巴拿斯墓園的下方 是大部分骨罐的所在地 這裡也有五零年代的電話纜線 還有許多二次世界大戰時期留下來的地堡
This is a German bunker. Nearby there's a French bunker, and the whole tunnel system is so complex that the two parties never met. The tunnels are famous for having been used by the Resistance, which Victor Hugo wrote about in "Les Miserables." And I saw a lot of graffiti from the 1800s, like this one.
這是一個德軍的地堡 就在這附近有一個法軍的地堡 這整個隧道系統非常的複雜 而這兩方從不曾交會 這個隧道因為在抵抗運動時被使用而著名 雨果在悲慘世界中寫到過這件事 我也看到了許多完成於1800年間的塗鴉,就像是這個
After exploring the underground of Paris, I decided to climb up, and I climbed a Gothic monument that's right in the middle of Paris. This is the Tower of Saint Jacques. It was built in the early 1500s. I don't recommend sitting on a gargoyle in the middle of January, naked. It was not very comfortable. (Laughter)
在我結束巴黎地底下的探索之後 我決定向上爬 我爬上了一個哥德式的紀念碑 它就位於巴黎的市中心 這是聖傑克塔 建於1500年間 我不建議誰一月中旬,裸體地,坐在屋頂滴水器上 並不是很舒服
And all this time, I never saw a single rat in any of these places, until recently, when I was in the London sewers. This was probably the toughest place to explore. I had to wear a gas mask because of the toxic fumes -- I guess, except for in this picture. And when the tides of waste matter come in it sounds as if a whole storm is approaching you.
一直以來 我從來沒有看見任何老鼠 直到最近,當我在倫敦的下水道的時候 這裡大概是最不容易探索的的一個地方 因為這裡的有毒氣體,我必須帶防毒面具 大概除了這張照片以外 當大批的廢棄物質進入下水道時 聲音聽起來就像是暴風雨正在逼近
This is a still from a film I worked on recently, called "Blind Door." I've become more interested in capturing movement and texture. And the 16mm black-and-white film gave a different feel to it.
這是一張自我最近正編輯的影片中截取出來的影像,叫做"假門" 我最近對於捕捉動態和材質越來越感興趣 而16厘米的黑白底片為我的作品添加了一種不同的感受
And this is the first theater project I worked on. I adapted and produced "A Dream Play" by August Strindberg. It was performed last September one time only in the Atlantic Avenue tunnel in Brooklyn, which is considered to be the oldest underground train tunnel in the world, built in 1844. I've been leaning towards more collaborative projects like these, lately. But whenever I get a chance I still work on my series.
這是我的第一個劇場案 我改編並製作了史特林堡的"夢幻劇" 於去年九月完成僅此一次的演出 於布魯克林區的亞特蘭大大道隧道 它被視為世界上最古老的地下鐵路隧道 建造於1844年 最近我比較傾向投入於像這樣的合作案 但是只要我有機會,我仍繼續進行我的攝影系列
The last place I visited was the Mayan ruins of Copan, Honduras. This was taken inside an archaeological tunnel in the main temple.
我最近一次造訪的地方 是位於宏都拉斯的科潘馬雅遺跡 這是攝於主要寺廟中的考古隧道
I like doing more than just exploring these spaces. I feel an obligation to animate and humanize these spaces continually in order to preserve their memories in a creative way -- before they're lost forever. Thank you.
我喜歡的不僅止於探索這些地方 我感受到一種義務,就是不斷地把這些地方賦予生命及人性 為了是要有創意的保存這些記憶 在他們永遠地消失以前 謝謝