Parkour Vision: What’s a City for?跑酷視野：城市有何用？

丹·埃德華茲　范曉宇/譯

Perhaps one of the most powerful and profound changes that happen to those who take up parkour is that of how they view their environment and， subsequently， their place within it. Almost universally we see practitioners develop what is sometimes referred to as ‘parkour vision—a paradigm shift1 in perspective that changes their view of architecture， structures， obstacles and space as a whole. And the vision not only changes their view but expands it， enabling them to see potential for movement everywhere， for interaction and exploration， for discovery and creative expression with an environment that most likely they hardly noticed or engaged with only on a simple utilitarian level of getting from home to work and back.

對于跑酷玩家而言，這項運動帶給他們的最強烈、最深刻的變化之一或許是：跑酷改變了他們看待周圍環(huán)境的方式，進而讓他們重新思考自己身在其中的位置。我們發(fā)現(xiàn)跑酷玩家?guī)缀醵紩囵B(yǎng)出一種時而被稱作“跑酷視野”的東西——這是一種視角上的范式轉移，可以從整體上改變他們對建筑、結構、障礙物以及空間的看法。這種視野不僅可以改變還可以拓展他們的觀念，使他們得以領悟：運動處處可行，互動和探索可行，發(fā)現(xiàn)和創(chuàng)造性表達也可行，這樣的環(huán)境他們平時很可能難以注意到，或者只是停留在家與工作場所兩點一線的簡單實用層面。

A new perspective

新視角

Anyone who practises parkour for even a short amount of time soon finds that their perception of their environment undergoes a fairly radical overhaul. Walls， railings， buildings， barriers... structures of every shape and size cease to be seen as they were intended to be seen， and become instead components of a vast， almost limitless playground that one has hitherto referred to as ‘the city.

每個跑酷玩家，即便是剛剛接觸這一運動的新手，很快就會發(fā)現(xiàn)自己對環(huán)境的感知發(fā)生了翻天覆地的變化。墻壁、欄桿、建筑、障礙……任何形狀、任何大小的結構體在跑酷玩家眼中都不再是它們原來的樣子，而是變成一個個部件，共同構成一個幾乎沒有邊界的巨型游樂場，也就是迄今人們稱為“城市”的地方。

The training for parkour， the unfettered approach to your surroundings， the very visceral interaction with ones environment， all develop a wider vision for the practitioner. Boundaries fall away， and structures built to contain become stepping stones to greater physical and mental liberty. Strange things begin to happen... walls become nothing more than ‘vertical floors for example， there to be run up or along; metal handrails seem to morph into intricate pathways to be walked; gaps in architecture become spaces to be filled with dynamic jumps. Very swiftly you find yourself seeing city streets， squares， stairways， even simple pavements， in a whole new light. Everywhere becomes an opportun-ity for movement， everything a training apparatus. Parkour vision is actually extremely liberating once you begin to experience it， and many parallels have been drawn here between the unconventional approach of parkour and the counter-conventional philosophy of the Situationists2 of post-WW2 France.

開展跑酷訓練，無拘無束地接近周圍環(huán)境，與環(huán)境進行沉浸式互動，這些行為都拓寬了跑酷玩家的視野。邊界逐漸消失，本為收容而建的結構體轉而成為人們追求身心進一步解放的墊腳石。于是，一樁樁怪事接連發(fā)生……比如，墻壁不過是變成“垂直的地板”，任由人們向上或沿著邊奔跑；金屬扶手似乎變身錯綜復雜的小徑，人們可以行走其上；建筑物上的空隙成為人們肆意跳躍的特定場所。很快，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)自己正以全新的視角看待城市的街道、廣場、樓梯，甚至是普通的人行道。每一處都可作為運動場地，每一物都能充當訓練器材。一旦開始體驗跑酷，你就獲得了極其自由的跑酷視野。人們發(fā)現(xiàn)，跑酷的非常規(guī)做法與二戰(zhàn)后法國情境主義者的反傳統(tǒng)哲學有諸多相似之處。

However， beyond the superficial similarities such as the re-appropriation of spaces， parkour is an entity far removed from the Situationists ideology. Parkour is not a counter-culture movement， nor is it imbued with political gravitas. The focus of parkour is on the development of the individual， through learning to utilise the body in an effect-ive manner so as not to be held back or hindered by his surroundings.

盡管跑酷和情境主義在表面上有相似之處，比如二者都主張重新占用空間，但跑酷的本質(zhì)與情境主義者的理念相去甚遠。跑酷并非一項反對主流文化的運動，也沒有浸染政治的嚴肅。跑酷關注的是個體發(fā)展——人們可以學會有效利用身體，從而免受周圍環(huán)境的阻礙與束縛。

French philosopher and urban the-orist Henri Lefebvre said that ‘a(chǎn)n existing space may outlive its original purpose and the raison dêtre which determines its forms， functions， and structures; it may thus in a sense become vacant， and susceptible of being diverted， re-appropriated and put to a use quite different from its initial one. Parkour enables the practitioner to do exactly this—to re-appropriate space and to use it in any fashion he or she deems suitable for his or her own training. Whether these spaces have outlived their original purpose or not， the fact is that the practitioner views them in a quite unique and wholly unintended manner.

法國哲學家、城市理論家亨利·勒菲弗曾說：“現(xiàn)有的一個空間可能比其原始用途及其存在的理由更經(jīng)久，而正是其存在的理由決定了其形式、功能和結構。因此，在某種意義上，這個空間可能會空置，能夠被挪作他用、重新占用，被用于與其初始用途相去甚遠的目的?！迸芸峋湍茏屚婕易龅竭@一點——他們重新占用空間，以他們認為適合自己訓練的方式利用空間。無論這些空間的存在是否超越了它們的原始用途，跑酷玩家都能通過非常獨特且完全意外的視角重新看待它們。

Yet it is important to understand that this ‘vision comes only once you have practised for yourself， actually got hands-on with the structures of your urban environment， gauged distances for jumps， felt surfaces， been aware of drops and gaps; only then does your vision take in your environs in an entirely new way. Merely conceiving of these notions in an intellectual fashion does not bestow the vision of the traceur （the term meaning ‘one who moves fast， widely used to refer to a practitioner of parkour）. You have to practise it， to experience it—you have to live it.

然而，重要的是你要明白，只有親自練習，實際探索城市環(huán)境結構，測量跳躍距離，觸摸各種表面，感知落差和空隙，你才能獲得“跑酷視野”。只有這樣，你才會以一種全新的視野看待周圍環(huán)境。培養(yǎng)traceur（此詞義為“快速移動的人”，泛指跑酷玩家）的視野，不能僅以理智構想出種種概念，你必須親自實踐、切身體驗——你必須實際經(jīng)歷。

A lived thought

鮮活的想法

Michel Foucault， renowned French philosopher and historian， explains that ‘a(chǎn)rchitecture is not an object with a role to play， but is constituted by the discourses and practices of social life. Archi-tecture is not an object but a process， not a thing but a flow， not an abstract idea but a lived thought. This term， the ‘lived thought， captures it well for me. For this is exactly what all architecture， all urban spaces， in time become to a practitioner—the lines between object and individual begin to blur， as ones eyes see possible dynamic interactions rather than the static separation of what is the ‘City and what is ‘Man.

法國著名哲學家、歷史學家米歇爾·福柯曾表示：“建筑本身不是一個要發(fā)揮作用的物體，而是由社會生活話語和實踐構成。建筑不是目標，而是過程；不是靜止的東西，而是流動的；不是抽象的概念，而是鮮活的想法?！闭恰磅r活的想法”這個詞讓我看到了建筑的本質(zhì)。這正是所有建筑、所有城市空間最終呈現(xiàn)給跑酷玩家的樣子——物體與個人之間的界限開始模糊，因為人們眼中的“城市”和“人”不再處于靜止的隔離狀態(tài)，而是可以進行動態(tài)互動。

In much the same way， parkour has to be a ‘lived thought too if one is to grasp it fully. Parkour is movement—unrestrained and unbounded： there are technical aspects to cultivate， but parkour is not found in the techniques. It is a process itself， an expression of the harmony and interplay of physical forces harnessed by an individual.

同樣，要想完全掌握跑酷，你也必須將其視為一種“鮮活的想法”。跑酷這項運動不受限制、不受約束——需要練就一定的技術，但光憑技術體現(xiàn)不了跑酷的本質(zhì)。跑酷本身是一個過程，表現(xiàn)出個體所掌握的身體各股力量間的協(xié)調(diào)統(tǒng)一和相互作用。

Whats a city for？

城市有何用？

A common topic of discussion that circles the world of parkour is how the design of urban spaces affects the way we use them， especially with increased global urbanisation in mind. Yet it is the way we use these urban spaces that lends an entirely new purpose to their design. Further even than this， from a parkour perspective， the purpose of the design of these structures is rendered utterly obsolete because the practitioner sees every architectural form in the same vein—simply as space to be interacted with， enjoyed， and overcome through self-mastery.

在跑酷界，玩家經(jīng)常討論的一個話題是城市空間設計如何影響我們利用空間的方式，在全球城市化進程加快的背景下尤為如此。然而，正是我們利用城市空間的方式，為其設計賦予了全新的意義。更進一步地說，對于跑酷玩家而言，所有建筑的設計初衷都已徹底過時，因為他們以同樣的理念看待每種建筑形式——在自我掌控下，建筑不過是與人進行互動、任人享受其中、待人征服的空間。

Of course the design of town spaces does affect how we use them. However， the practice of disciplines like parkour means that it doesnt really matter how these places are designed—humans WILL find ways to use them beyond their intended function. Indeed， part of the spirit of parkour is that one must learn to overcome the difficulties posed by ones terrain through achieving a kind of dynamic harmony with it—so its vital that the discipline continues to thrive in places that werent designed with this form of movement in mind.

城市空間設計確實會影響我們利用空間的方式。然而，像跑酷這樣的運動表明，空間如何設計其實并不重要——人們總會在空間的預期功能之外，想出利用空間的辦法。其實，跑酷精神的一部分就在于，跑酷玩家必須與所在空間內(nèi)的地形實現(xiàn)動態(tài)和諧，從而學著克服地形帶來的種種困難。有些空間的設計并未將跑酷這種運動形式納入考量，所以跑酷運動在這種空間內(nèi)繼續(xù)蓬勃發(fā)展至關重要。

For me， and for many of us， parkour is an expression and an exploration of the power and versatility of the human spirit. It acts as a mirror to ones self， exposing ones fears， self-imposed limitations， and our conditioned thought-processes. It is a method by which one can overcome all these things， so it is in truth much more about mastering the self than about conquering a few high walls. The architecture of the city provides the ultimate training ground for this and as such in a very real and immediate sense， with the fresh vision that parkour offers us， we can see ourselves reflected in the steel， stone and glass of our urban environments. And thats the parkour vision that really matters.

對于我和許多跑酷玩家來說，跑酷是對人類精神的力量和多面性的一種表達和探索。跑酷是一面照見自我的鏡子，暴露出一個人的恐懼、自我限制，以及受約束的思維過程。通過跑酷這種方法，人們能夠克服這一切障礙，所以跑酷其實不僅僅是征服幾堵高墻，更多的是掌控自我。城市建筑為跑酷提供了最佳訓練場地。我們因此得以在跑酷提供的全新視野下，非常真切、直觀地看到自己映在城市的鋼鐵、石頭和玻璃中。這便是真正寶貴的跑酷視野。

As my good friend Andy Day once summarized so succinctly： ‘Through a return to the body and a truly physical encounter with the city， parkour is able to absorb and dispense with notions of architecture and return the space to the people.

我的好朋友安迪·戴總結得言簡意賅：“跑酷能讓人回歸身體，與城市進行真正的身體接觸，因此既能吸收也能摒棄建筑理念，將空間歸還給人?！?/p>

［譯者單位：中國石油大學（北京）］