安德鲁·斯科特朗读索尔勒维特的《做》

【书信】美国艺术家索尔·勒维特写给好友伊娃·黑塞的信 

在《Letters Alive》的一期节目中，安德鲁·斯科特（Andrew Scott）为观众朗读了美国先驱艺术家索尔·勒维特写给他的好友伊娃·黑塞一封信。1965 年，黑塞经历了一段自我怀疑的时期，她的创作遇到瓶颈，她迷茫、沮丧，不知道该怎么办，不知道未来在哪里，她向勒维特倾诉自己遇到的“心灵困境”。几周后，勒维特用以下这件作品回复了她：一封精妙、宝贵的建议信，让她不要再彷徨，Do It. 这封信，对我们也有同样的启发意义。当我们的学习和工作遇到瓶颈时，唯一要做的事情就是“Do It”.

Do: Sol LeWitt’s Electrifying Letter of Advice on Self-Doubt, Overcoming Creative Block, and Being an Artist. 《放手去做：关于摒弃自我怀疑，克服创作平静，做大艺术家的建议》

Dear Eva,

亲爱的伊娃

It will be almost a month since you wrote to me and you have possibly forgotten your state of mind (I doubt it though).

距离你写信给我已经过了一个月了，你可能已经忘记了当时的心境，虽然我觉得未必。

You seem the same as always, and being you, hate every minute of it. Don’t! Learn to say “Fuck You” to the world once in a while. You have every right to.

你看起来一如既往的痛恨自己，每分每秒都在这样。别这样！你要徐学会时不时对世界说“去**的！”你绝对有权利这么说。

Just stop thinking, worrying, looking over your shoulder, wondering, doubting, fearing, hurting, hoping for some easy way out,

不要思量担忧，谨小慎微，不要迟钝怀疑，害怕伤心，妄想找到捷径解脱，

struggling, grasping, confusing, itching, scratching, mumbling, bumbling, grumbling, humbling, stumbling, numbling, rambling, gambling, tumbling,

不要挣扎攫取，困惑迷失，抓耳挠腮，不要嘟嘟囔囔，笨手笨脚，嘟哝抱怨，低声下气，踉踉跄跄，不要麻木不仁，怨声载道，赌博取了，跌跌撞撞。

scumbling, scrambling,hitching, hatching, bitching, moaning, groaning, honing, boning, horse-shitting, hair-splitting, nit-picking, piss-trickling, nose sticking, ass-gouging,

不要轻描淡写，乱作一团，投机取巧，密谋策划，不要唧唧歪歪，挖苦哀叹，临阵磨枪，不要挑挑拣拣，胡言乱语，吹毛求疵，不要说长道短，浪费时间，多管闲事，招摇撞骗

eyeball-poking, finger-pointing, alleyway-sneaking, long waiting, small stepping, evil-eyeing, back-scratching, searching, perching, besmirching, grinding, grinding, grinding away at yourself. Stop it and just DO!

不要夺人眼球，互相指责，鬼鬼祟祟，不要久久等待，徘徊不前，怒目相对，不要互相利用，磨磨唧唧，尸位素餐，损人秽语，不要再折磨你自己，不要再折磨你自己，就此打住吧！去做就行！

From your deion, and from what I know of your previous work and your ability; the work you are doing sounds very good “Drawing — clean — clear but crazy like machines, larger and bolder… real nonsense.”

从你说的，以及我对你之前的创作和能力的了解，你所做的事很棒“画风干净，清晰而又疯狂，像机器一般，更宏达，更大胆，真正的毫无意义。”

That sounds fine, wonderful — real nonsense. Do more. More nonsensical, more crazy, more machines, more breasts, penises, cunts, whatever — make them abound with nonsense.

这很好，很美妙---这是真正的毫无意义，去更多的创作，要更无意义，更疯狂，更像机器，有更多生殖器官，随便什么--去创作毫无意义的东西吧。

Try and tickle something inside you, your “weird humor.” You belong in the most secret part of you. Don’t worry about cool, make your own uncool. Make your own, your own world. If you fear, make it work for you — draw & paint your fear & anxiety.

尝试去触动你内心的东西，就像你的古怪幽默，你属于你自己内心深处最隐秘的那一部分。别担心酷不酷的问题，尽管创造你自己的风格。创造你自己的世界。如果你恐惧，那就让恐惧为你所用，描绘出你的恐惧和焦虑。

And stop worrying about big, deep things such as “to decide on a purpose and way of life, a consistent [sic] approach to even some impossible end or even an imagined end.” You must practice being stupid, dumb, unthinking, empty. Then you will be able to DO.

别再担心宏观深奥的问题，决定人生目的和生活方式，选择一条坚定的道路，也许是通往某个不可能的终点，或者是一个可以想象 终点。你必须学着痴一点，钝一点，少想一点，彻底放空自己，然后你才可能做到。

I have much confidence in you and even though you are tormenting yourself, the work you do is very good. Try to do some BAD work — the worst you can think of and see what happens but mainly relax and let everything go to hell — you are not responsible for the world — you are only responsible for your work — so DO IT.

我对你很有信息，即使你正在折磨你自己，你的作品非常出色，试着去做些不合常规，不好的创作，你能想到最糟的创作，看看会发生什么。但最主要的是放松，让其他一切的事情都去见鬼吧！你不必对世界负责，你只需对自己的创作负责。去做吧。

And don’t think that your work has to conform to any preconceived form, idea or flavor. It can be anything you want it to be. But if life would be easier for you if you stopped working — then stop. Don’t punish yourself. However, I think that it is so deeply engrained in you that it would be easier to DO

而且别认为你的创作一定要遵循预设的想法，形式或风格，它可以是你任何想要的形式，但是如果你停止创作，生活会更轻松，那就停下来，不要惩罚自己。然而我认为创作深深地扎根于你内心，那么你最好放手去做。

It seems I do understand your attitude somewhat, anyway, because I go through a similar process every so often. I have an “Agonizing Reappraisal” of my work and change everything as much as possible — and hate everything I’ve done, and try to do something entirely different and better.

我似乎多多少少都能理解你的态度，因为每个一段时间我都经历类似的过程，我对自己的作品都有一个极为痛苦的再修正，我尽可能的改变之前所做的一切，我曾讨厌我做过的一切，试着创作一些完全不同且更好的作品。

Maybe that kind of process is necessary to me, pushing me on and on. The feeling that I can do better than that shit I just did. Maybe you need your agony to accomplish what you do. And maybe it goads you on to do better. But it is very painful I know. It would be better if you had the confidence just to do the stuff and not even think about it. Can’t you leave the “world” and “ART” alone and also quit fondling your ego.

也许这种过程对于我而言是必须的，推着我一步步前进，是那种我可以做的比刚才那坨屎更好的感觉。也许你需要让痛苦来帮你完成正在做的事情。或许它可以激励你做的更好，但我知道这非常痛苦。如果你有信心放手去做这些事，而不去琢磨它，这样就更好了。你不能离开世界和艺术，同样不能放弃疼惜自我。

I know that you (or anyone) can only work so much and the rest of the time you are left with your thoughts. But when you work or before your work you have to empty your mind and concentrate on what you are doing. After you do something it is done and that’s that. After a while you can see some are better than others but also you can see what direction you are going. I’m sure you know all that.

我知道你或任何人只能工作那么多，而剩下的时间则留给自己思考，但你在工作时或是在工作之前，要清空脑袋，而专注于正在做的事情，你完成一些事情之后，作品就完成了，就是这样。过一阵子你可以看出来哪一些更好。但同时你还可以发现要前进的方向。我你或这一切你都懂。

You also must know that you don’t have to justify your work — not even to yourself. Well, you know I admire your work greatly and can’t understand why you are so bothered by it.

你还必须要知道的是，你不需要为作品辩解，甚至是对你自己也不需要。好吧你知道的，我非常欣赏你的作品，我不能理解你为什么受到她如此地困扰。

But you can see the next ones & I can’t. You also must believe in your ability. I think you do. So try the most outrageous things you can — shock yourself. You have at your power the ability to do anything.

但是你可以看到以后的作品，而我却看不到。你也必须要相信自己的能力，我知道你相信。可以尝试你能做到的最离谱的事情，让你自己也感到震惊，你无所不能。

I would like to see your work and will have to be content to wait until Aug or Sept. I have seen photos of some of Tom’s new things at Lucy's. They are impressive -- especially the ones with the more rigorous form: the simpler ones. I guess he'll send some more later on.

我想要看到你的作品，但又必须安于等待直到八月或九月。我在露西那里看到了一些汤姆新作的照片。它们令我印象深刻——特别是那些具有更加严格形式的作品：更简练的作品。我猜他之后会寄来更多信息。

Let me know how the shows are going and that kind of stuff. My work had changed since you left and it is much better. I will be having a show May 4-29 at the Daniels Gallery 17 E 64th St (where Emmerich was) , I wish you could be there.

让我知道展览的情况以及其它信息。自从你走了之后我的作品发生了改变，现在好多了。我5月4-29号将会有一个展览，在Daniels Gallery，西64街17号（之前Emmerich那儿），我希望你们能去。

Much love to you both.

很爱你们

Sol

索尔

          copyright © 2003-2005 xilu.com all rights reserved.