Chairs Take Center Stage in Times Square
椅子变成时代广场的焦点
Edward Wu
【新闻关键字】
1. mundane 世俗的
2. debate 辩论
3. residents 居民
4. pedestrian zone 行人徒步区
5. controversial 让人争议的
For the last three months, a rather mundane object has been subject to debate among New York residents and visitors alike.
在过去三个月以来，一个相当世俗的东西成为了众多纽约人和游客之间争论不休的话题。
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.
时代广场自从去年五月被转型为行人徒步区之后，海滩椅便星罗棋布地同时出现在此，似乎在暗示着纽约人在炎夏之际应该要轻松一下。然而在这个周末，这些引起争议的椅子在逐渐变成一堆艺术的摆设之后，又成为了大家注目的焦点。
【新闻关键字】
6. interpret v.诠释/解释/翻译
7. hurrah n. 欢呼/喝采
8. sponsor v. 主办/赞助
9. sculpture n. 雕刻品
10. commission v. 委任/委托
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，时代广场联盟主席]
“这些椅子掳获了许多人的想像力，因此我们希望在最后重要的时刻，会有某个具有创意的人能够作出回应之外，也能给它们加以诠释，并且做出一些值得让人喝采的新花样。”
Times Square Alliance sponsored the public art sculpture and commissioned Brooklyn artist Jason Peters. Peters has worked with chairs for the last fifteen years.
时代广场联盟曾赞助过公共艺术的雕刻活动，并且曾经委托布鲁克林的艺术家Jason Peters创作。Peters在过去15年以来一直都在进行一些跟椅子有关的创作。
[Jason Peters, New York Artist]:
[Jason Peters, 纽约艺术家]: " 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."
“由于高曝光率的考量，我本来对在时代广场运作有点儿担心。我从来都没有处在一个那么暴露的场合工作。对我来说我感到有点儿不自在，因为我也好，作品的展示也好，一向都是在一个有点儿像是被关起来的一个密闭的空间运作。但是，一切都比我所想得要更多更好，真是一个很棒且难得的经验。”
【新闻关键字】
12. metamorphosis n. 变形/蜕变
13. harmonica: n. 口琴
14. stack: v. 堆叠
15. plastic: adj. 塑胶的
16. shadow: n. 阴影
17. wrap around: v.phr. 环绕、盘绕
18. preserve: v. 保存
[Theo Lemann, New Yorker]:
Visitors seem to enjoy the chair’s metamorphosis.
参观者似乎蛮喜欢这种椅子蜕变的艺术表现。
“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, 纽约人]:
“当我一看到这些椅子时的第一个反应是，我本来想要抓一把椅子并坐在上面吹口琴，但我发现不能坐因为所有的椅子竟然都往上堆成一堆。说实话我觉得它蛮酷的，我喜欢。色彩很丰富，有一种乘风破浪的感觉。我倒是觉得这个作品具有加州的风味，但又不失纽约的特性。”
[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, 纽约人]:
“由于这些不同的颜色和塑胶，好像眼前所看到的都在变化…而且，有时当阳光照射下来时，会把不同的色彩和影子投射到地面上，我蛮喜欢的。我喜欢这些椅子全部盘绕在一起，而在另一边以不同的方向散射开来的样子。”
Jason Peters discovered chairs as “building blocks" when he was a struggling art student looking for low priced objects to work with.
当Jason Peters还是一个穷困潦倒、而且时常在找寻一些廉价物品来工作的艺术系的学生时候，发现了原来椅子也是可以当作是不错的积木材料。
