静谧之旅

El Viaje Tranquilo

By Steven Sampliner

1980至2005年间，我住在图森，这里长期以来生活着美洲原住民，并受到西班牙文化的影响。在美国买下亚利桑那南部一片狭长地带之前，图森是墨西哥的疆土，而在更早之前，图森是新西班牙的一部分。西班牙天主教独具特色地融汇了美洲原住民的宗教信仰，而后者是天主教的创建基础。这样的一种成长环境使我能从一个独特的视角理解生与死，理解回忆、敬畏、颂扬、尊重、祭祖的概念以及实现不朽的灵魂这一理想。

我曾经20多次驾车经过这条公路，第一次是在我16岁的时候。每次经过时，我都会注意到道路一侧的纪念碑，而且每次我也会看出它们变旧了，但它们的老化速度与严酷的沙漠环境不成正比。因此我觉得有人在照看这些纪念碑、点上新的蜡烛、献上新的花并更换掉凋谢的旧的假花、重新上漆，甚至有时会有人喝上一瓶啤酒并给那些死者的灵魂也留下一瓶。

我在当铺花8美元买了台相机，直到今天我仍在用着它。我买了一些柯达黑白胶片，往兜里揣了300美元后就开始驾车出游了。

每当我驾车行驶在那条公路上时，我就觉得很平静——内心被一种宁静所包围。索诺兰沙漠的环境很严酷，那里夏天的最高温度能达到44到48摄氏度。索诺兰沙漠是一片平坦的区域，散布着很多山丘。在靠近亚利桑那的一侧，地面很粗糙、尖锐；而在靠近墨西哥的一侧，地面上有熔融热砂。砂子和灌木绵延65公里，直到看到海。在距海65公里处，你就可以闻到海的味道，但只有当你真正置身其中，你才知道海究竟在哪里。只有罕见的暴风雨能驱赶炙热的太阳。但是，由于某种原因，纯蓝色的广袤天空高高地挂在头顶，你感觉到了一种舒适与自由。你可以看到数百公里的远方，而由于山脉的阻挡，你无法看得更远，也无法看到地表的边缘。

在一个雨夜，我驾车前往佩纳斯科港。一辆卡车在索诺拉8号公路上发生了翻车，导致交通堵塞。由于路面湿滑，刹车被锁死，我拿下鱼鳞板并打轮，车开到了路堤上，与那辆卡车的后部只有几米的距离。从高速公路上下来时，我的汽车轮胎上沾满了又湿又厚的沙子。我想如果我死在那条高速公路上，也不会有我的纪念碑，因为我不属于那个文化。

我想通过这些照片表达出我的一种敬意，一种我理解的象征。如果可以，我希望能提供更多一种形式的不朽。

I lived in Tucson from 1980 - 2005. Tucson is a city that has for a long time embraced its Native American and Hispanic cultural influences. Prior to the US buying the Arizona territory, it was part of Mexico and prior to that part of New Spain. Hispanic Catholicism is unique in it’s blend of Native American religious beliefs that serve as the foundation upon which catholicism was built. Growing up in this environment allowed me to understand life and death from a unique point of view; along with the concepts of remembrance, reverence, celebration, respect, ancestral worship; ideals that reach towards an immortality of the soul.

I have driven this route more than 20 times in my life, the first time was when I was 16. Each time I noticed the Escanos on the side of the road, and each time I noticed that they had aged, but not in proportion to what the harsh unforgiving desert can do. I began to understand that people take care of them, put new candles, new flowers, replaced old and faded fake flowers, repainted; sometimes drank a beer and left a beer for the soul of the departed. 

I bought my camera for 8 dollars at a pawn shop; the very same camera I use to this day. I bought a handful of Kodak black and white film. Put 300 dollars in my pocket and drove.

I had become to feel at peace driving that route - a serenity and tranquility would always overwhelm me. The Sonoran desert is harsh there, summer highs at 44 to 48 degrees Celsius. It is a flat area with spikes of mountains here and there. The ground is rough and sharp on the Arizona side; molten hot sand on the Mexican side; sand an shrubs for 65 km before you hit the sea. You can smell the sea for 65 km but don’t know where it is until you are almost in it. 

Nothing is there to break the sun except the rare storm. But for some reason that huge expanse of sky - a pure blue resting so far above your head - you feel comforted and free. You can see for hundreds of kilometers and the only reason you can’t see further is because of some mountains that prevents you from seeing all the way to the edge of the earth.

It was a rainy evening drive to Puerto Penasco. A truck had jack-knifed on the highway on the Sonora 8. It had come to a rest across

both lanes of traffic. My brakes locked on the slippery road. I got off the petal and steered my car off the road and onto the embankment; just missing the back end of the truck by a couple of meters. Wet thick sand held my tires tight as I descended off the highway. I know that if I had died on that highway, there would be no memorial for me - I’m not of that culture..

I wanted to take the pictures as a sign of respect, as a sign that I understood, and if I could, offer them one more form of immortality.

展览宣传报道  Exhibition reports：

1.凤凰艺术独家视频：http://art.ifeng.com/v/20140826/21c9ac38-d5af-4cf4-96fe-ba79912bd7d7.shtml

2.腾讯视频报道：http://v.qq.com/page/g/d/k/g0135bdx3dk.html

3.雅昌艺术网：http://photo.artron.net/20140827/n646127.html