Chairs Take Center Stage in Times Square

椅子變成時代廣場的焦點



Edward Wu

【新聞關鍵字】

1. mundane 世俗的

2. debate 辯論

3. residents 居民

4. pedestrian zone 行人徒步區

5. controversial 讓人爭議的

For the last three months, a rather mundane object has been subject to debate among New York residents and visitors alike.

在過去三個月以來，一個相當世俗的東西成為了眾多紐約人和遊客之間爭論不休的話題。

Since Times Square was turned into a pedestrian zone last May, beach chairs have dotted the area, perhaps giving a hint to New Yorkers to take it easy come the summer heat. But this weekend, the controversial chairs took center stage once again as they slowly turned into an art installation.

時代廣場自從去年五月被轉型為行人徒步區之後，海灘椅便星羅棋布地同時出現在此，似乎在暗示著紐約人在炎夏之際應該要輕鬆一下。然而在這個週末，這些引起爭議的椅子在逐漸變成一堆藝術的擺設之後，又成為了大家注目的焦點。

【新聞關鍵字】

6. interpret v.詮釋/解釋/翻譯

7. hurrah n. 歡呼/喝采

8. sponsor v. 主辦/贊助

9. sculpture n. 雕刻品

10. commission v. 委任/委託

11. exposure n. 曝光

[Tim Hopkins, President, Times Square Alliance]:

“These chairs captured so much of people’s imaginations that we wanted to have one final moment when we had someone creative responding to them, interpreting them and doing something different with them as a final last hurrah."

[Tim Hopkins，時代廣場聯盟主席]

「這些椅子擄獲了許多人的想像力，因此我們希望在最後重要的時刻，會有某個具有創意的人能夠作出回應之外，也能給它們加以詮釋，並且做出一些值得讓人喝采的新花樣。」

Times Square Alliance sponsored the public art sculpture and commissioned Brooklyn artist Jason Peters. Peters has worked with chairs for the last fifteen years.

時代廣場聯盟曾贊助過公共藝術的雕刻活動，並且曾經委託布魯克林的藝術家Jason Peters創作。Peters在過去15年以來一直都在進行一些跟椅子有關的創作。

[Jason Peters, New York Artist]:

[Jason Peters, 紐約藝術家]: " I was a little worried about working in Times Square just because of the exposure. This is the most exposed I’ve been, and kind of little funny to me being in closed pen and feeling somewhat like a caged animal or on display kind of thing. But it’s been much more, it’s been much better than I thought it would be and it’s been a great experience."

「由於高曝光率的考量，我本來對在時代廣場運作有點兒擔心。我從來都沒有處在一個那麼暴露的場合工作。對我來說我感到有點兒不自在，因為我也好，作品的展示也好，一向都是在一個有點兒像是被關起來的一個密閉的空間運作。但是，一切都比我所想得要更多更好，真是一個很棒且難得的經驗。」

【新聞關鍵字】

12. metamorphosis n. 變形/蛻變

13. harmonica: n. 口琴

14. stack: v. 堆疊

15. plastic: adj. 塑膠的

16. shadow: n. 陰影

17. wrap around: v.phr. 環繞、盤繞

18. preserve: v. 保存

[Theo Lemann, New Yorker]:

Visitors seem to enjoy the chair’s metamorphosis.

參觀者似乎蠻喜歡這種椅子蛻變的藝術表現。

“My first reaction to these chairs when I saw them was – I was planning on sitting down and playing harmonica and I couldn’t because there were chairs all stacked up. But honestly it’s cool, I like it. It’s got the colors, it’s like a wave breaking almost. It’s very California while still preserving the New Yorkness of it I suppose."

[Theo Lemann, 紐約人]:

「當我一看到這些椅子時的第一個反應是，我本來想要抓一把椅子並坐在上面吹口琴，但我發現不能坐因為所有的椅子竟然都往上堆成一堆。說實話我覺得它蠻酷的，我喜歡。色彩很豐富，有一種乘風破浪的感覺。我倒是覺得這個作品具有加州的風味，但又不失紐約的特性。」

[Gina Santucci, New Yorker]:

“Because of the colors and the plastic, it changes it… and sometimes the sun will come through and it will send all these different colors, shadows on the ground and I love it. I like the fact that it wraps around and then comes out in all different directions on the other side."

[Gina Santucci, 紐約人]:

「由於這些不同的顏色和塑膠，好像眼前所看到的都在變化…而且，有時當陽光照射下來時，會把不同的色彩和影子投射到地面上，我蠻喜歡的。我喜歡這些椅子全部盤繞在一起，而在另一邊以不同的方向散射開來的樣子。」

Jason Peters discovered chairs as “building blocks" when he was a struggling art student looking for low priced objects to work with.

當Jason Peters還是一個窮困潦倒、而且時常在找尋一些廉價物品來工作的藝術系的學生時候，發現了原來椅子也是可以當作是不錯的積木材料。