Trees are rooted in the ground in one place

樹象徵靜止，

for many human generations,

樹歷經好幾個世代，都植根於

but if we shift our perspective

同一地區的同一塊土地，

from the trunk to the twigs,

但是如果我們將注意力

trees become very dynamic entities,

由樹幹轉移到細枝，

moving and growing.

樹木的活動力就顯現出來了，

And I decided to explore this movement

它一直在活動及成長。

by turning trees into artists.

我決定探索細枝的活動情形，

I simply tied the end of a paintbrush onto a twig.

我把樹木當作藝術家，

I waited for the wind to come up and held up a canvas,

在細枝的末端綁上一枝畫筆，

and that produced art.

然後靜待風起，撐起畫布，

The piece of art you see on your left

這樣一幅藝術品就完成了。

is painted by a western red cedar

你現在看到在左邊的那幅圖，

and that on your right by a Douglas fir,

就是由香杉所畫的，

and what I learned was that different species

右邊那幅則是花旗松的作品。

have different signatures, like a Picasso versus a Monet.

我發現不同的樹種

But I was also interested in the movement of trees

所留下的圖型特徵不同, 就像畢卡索和莫內的畫風不同一樣。

and how this art might let me capture that and quantify it,

我對於樹木的活動力

so to measure the distance that a single vine maple tree --

以及將圖上的活動軌跡量化，也很有興趣。

which produced this painting -- moved in a single year,

為測量創作這幅畫的藤楓

I simply measured and summed

一年內所移動的距離，

each of those lines.

我測量這圖上每條線的長度，

I multiplied them by the number of twigs per branch

而後加總，

and the number of branches per tree

然後乘上每個樹枝上細枝數目

and then divided that by the number of minutes per year.

及每棵樹的樹枝數目，

And so I was able to calculate

再乘以每年的分鐘數，

how far a single tree moved in a single year.

這樣我就可以算出

You might have a guess.

每一株樹每年的移動距離。

The answer is actually 186,540 miles,

你可以猜猜看，

or seven times around the globe.

答案是186,540英里(約30萬公里)，

And so simply by shifting our perspective from a single trunk

也就是繞著地球轉七圈的長度。

to the many dynamic twigs,

所以只要將觀注的重點由一株樹幹

we are able to see that trees are not simply static entities,

轉移至許多動態的細枝，

but rather extremely dynamic.

我們就可以看出樹木不只具有活動力，

And I began to think about ways that

它的動作可還大著呢！

we might consider this lesson of trees,

接著我想到，

to consider other entities that are also static and stuck,

這個由樹木移動所學到的啟示，

but which cry for change and dynamicism,

是不是可以應用在其它呼喊著要改變、要自由的

and one of those entities is our prisons.

靜態或被限制行動的事物上呢？

Prisons, of course, are where people who break our laws

監獄就是這其中之一。

are stuck, confined behind bars.

監獄當然將要將違紀犯法的人

And our prison system itself is stuck.

困限在牢欄之後，

The United States has over 2.3 million

但是我們的監獄體系卻自困一角。

incarcerated men and women.

美國有超過二百三十萬位

That number is rising.

被監禁的男女囚犯，

Of the 100 incarcerated people that are released,

而且數目還在上升中。

60 will return to prison.

在一百個出獄的囚犯裡，

Funds for education, for training

有六十個會再回籠，

and for rehabilitation are declining,

但是用在教育訓練、

so this despairing cycle of incarceration continues.

輔導罪犯改過遷善的經費卻一直在減少，

I decided to ask whether the lesson

所以整個監禁體系是在令人絕望的循環中不斷重複。

I had learned from trees as artists

我決定去探究是否可以將

could be applied to a static institution

把樹當作藝術家的經驗，

such as our prisons,

運用在像監獄這樣靜態、

and I think the answer is yes.

停滯不前的機構上。

In the year 2007,

我發現答案是：可行!

I started a partnership

在2007年，

with the Washington State Department of Corrections.

我開始和華盛頓州的

Working with four prisons, we began bringing science and scientists,

囚犯矯正部門合作，

sustainability and conservation projects

選定四個監獄，引進科學實驗及科學家，

to four state prisons.

在這四個州立監獄裡，進行永續發展

We give science lectures,

及保育等專案計畫。

and the men here are choosing to come to our science lectures

我們給這些囚犯上科學課程。

instead of watching television or weightlifting.

這些人選擇來上我們提供的科學課程，

That, I think, is movement.

而不是去看電視或舉重，

We partnered with the Nature Conservancy

這,就是我認為的改變。

for inmates at Stafford Creek Correctional Center

我們和自然資源保護局合作

to grow endangered prairie plants

請在史塔佛溪矯正中心的囚犯

for restoration of relic prairie areas in Washington state.

種植瀕臨絕種的草原植物，

That, I think, is movement.

用來重建華盛頓州的荒廢草原，

We worked with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife

這,就是我認為的改變。

to grow endangered frogs -- the Oregon spotted frog --

我們也和華盛頓州的魚類及野生動物部門

for later release into protected wetlands.

合作養殖瀕臨絕種的奧勒崗州斑蛙，

That, I think, is movement.

然後放回溼地保護區，

And just recently, we've begun to work with

這,就是我認為的改變。

those men who are segregated

最近我們開始和

in what we call Supermax facilities.

被隔離在戒備最森嚴的

They've incurred violent infractions

牢房裡的重刑犯合作，

by becoming violent with guards

他們都曾經與警衛或是

and with other prisoners.

其他囚犯

They're kept in bare cells like this

有過暴力衝突，

for 23 hours a day.

他們每天都被關在像這樣的

When they have meetings with their review boards or mental health professionals,

囚室裡23小時。

they're placed in immobile booths like this.

當他們與審查委員或心理專家會面時，

For one hour a day

他們是被安置在這樣一個固定的隔離房間裡，

they're brought to these bleak and bland exercise yards.

他們每天僅有一小時的時間，

Although we can't bring trees and prairie plants

可以在這單調乏味的運動場放風。

and frogs into these environments,

雖然我們無法將樹、草原植物、

we are bringing images of nature

或是蛙類引進這裡，

into these exercise yards,

但是我們選擇將自然的影像

putting them on the walls, so at least they get contact

帶入運動場、

with visual images of nature.

掛在牆壁上，這樣至少他們在視覺上

This is Mr. Lopez, who has been in solitary confinement for 18 months,

還可以與自然接觸。

and he's providing input on the types of images

這位是已經被單獨監禁了18個月的Lopez先生，

that he believes would make him and his fellow inmates

他對這樣的圖片提供意見表示，

more serene, more calm,

他相信這會使與他以及其他囚犯，

less apt to violence.

更有安詳鎮定的感覺，

And so what we see, I think,

因而不易訴之暴力。

is that small, collective movements of change

由前述我們看到，

can perhaps move

這些微小但卻可積少成多的行動改變，

an entity such as our own prison system

或許可以推動

in a direction of hope.

像監獄體系這樣的個體，

We know that trees are static entities

往看得見希望的方向前進。

when we look at their trunks.

我們知道光只看樹幹的話，

But if trees can create art,

樹是靜止的；

if they can encircle the globe seven times in one year,

但是如果樹能作藝術創作、

if prisoners can grow plants and raise frogs,

如果樹一年能夠繞地球七次、

then perhaps there are other static entities

如果囚犯可以種植植物、養殖蛙類，

that we hold inside ourselves,

那也許深藏在我們心中

like grief, like addictions,

那些頑固的想法，

like racism,

像是哀傷、沉溺、

that can also change.

種族偏見等等，

Thank you very much.

也是可以被改變的。

(Applause)

謝謝大家。