Parkour Vision: What’s a City for?跑酷视野：城市有何用？

丹·埃德华兹　范晓宇/译

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，这项运动带给他们的最强烈、最深刻的变化之一或许是：跑酷改变了他们看待周围环境的方式，进而让他们重新思考自己身在其中的位置。我们发现跑酷玩家几乎都会培养出一种时而被称作“跑酷视野”的东西——这是一种视角上的范式转移，可以从整体上改变他们对建筑、结构、障碍物以及空间的看法。这种视野不仅可以改变还可以拓展他们的观念，使他们得以领悟：运动处处可行，互动和探索可行，发现和创造性表达也可行，这样的环境他们平时很可能难以注意到，或者只是停留在家与工作场所两点一线的简单实用层面。

A new perspective

新视角

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.

每个跑酷玩家，即便是刚刚接触这一运动的新手，很快就会发现自己对环境的感知发生了翻天覆地的变化。墙壁、栏杆、建筑、障碍……任何形状、任何大小的结构体在跑酷玩家眼中都不再是它们原来的样子，而是变成一个个部件，共同构成一个几乎没有边界的巨型游乐场，也就是迄今人们称为“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.

开展跑酷训练，无拘无束地接近周围环境，与环境进行沉浸式互动，这些行为都拓宽了跑酷玩家的视野。边界逐渐消失，本为收容而建的结构体转而成为人们追求身心进一步解放的垫脚石。于是，一桩桩怪事接连发生……比如，墙壁不过是变成“垂直的地板”，任由人们向上或沿着边奔跑；金属扶手似乎变身错综复杂的小径，人们可以行走其上；建筑物上的空隙成为人们肆意跳跃的特定场所。很快，你会发现自己正以全新的视角看待城市的街道、广场、楼梯，甚至是普通的人行道。每一处都可作为运动场地，每一物都能充当训练器材。一旦开始体验跑酷，你就获得了极其自由的跑酷视野。人们发现，跑酷的非常规做法与二战后法国情境主义者的反传统哲学有诸多相似之处。

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.

尽管跑酷和情境主义在表面上有相似之处，比如二者都主张重新占用空间，但跑酷的本质与情境主义者的理念相去甚远。跑酷并非一项反对主流文化的运动，也没有浸染政治的严肃。跑酷关注的是个体发展——人们可以学会有效利用身体，从而免受周围环境的阻碍与束缚。

French philosopher and urban the-orist Henri Lefebvre said that ‘an 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.

法国哲学家、城市理论家亨利·勒菲弗曾说：“现有的一个空间可能比其原始用途及其存在的理由更经久，而正是其存在的理由决定了其形式、功能和结构。因此，在某种意义上，这个空间可能会空置，能够被挪作他用、重新占用，被用于与其初始用途相去甚远的目的。”跑酷就能让玩家做到这一点——他们重新占用空间，以他们认为适合自己训练的方式利用空间。无论这些空间的存在是否超越了它们的原始用途，跑酷玩家都能通过非常独特且完全意外的视角重新看待它们。

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，只有亲自练习，实际探索城市環境结构，测量跳跃距离，触摸各种表面，感知落差和空隙，你才能获得“跑酷视野”。只有这样，你才会以一种全新的视野看待周围环境。培养traceur（此词义为“快速移动的人”，泛指跑酷玩家）的视野，不能仅以理智构想出种种概念，你必须亲自实践、切身体验——你必须实际经历。

A lived thought

鮮活的想法

Michel Foucault， renowned French philosopher and historian， explains that ‘architecture 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.

法国著名哲学家、历史学家米歇尔·福柯曾表示：“建筑本身不是一个要发挥作用的物体，而是由社会生活话语和实践构成。建筑不是目标，而是过程；不是静止的东西，而是流动的；不是抽象的概念，而是鲜活的想法。”正是“鲜活的想法”这个词让我看到了建筑的本质。这正是所有建筑、所有城市空间最终呈现给跑酷玩家的样子——物体与个人之间的界限开始模糊，因为人们眼中的“城市”和“人”不再处于静止的隔离状态，而是可以进行动态互动。

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.

同样，要想完全掌握跑酷，你也必须将其视为一种“鲜活的想法”。跑酷这项运动不受限制、不受约束——需要练就一定的技术，但光凭技术体现不了跑酷的本质。跑酷本身是一个过程，表现出个体所掌握的身体各股力量间的协调统一和相互作用。

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，玩家经常讨论的一个话题是城市空间设计如何影响我们利用空间的方式，在全球城市化进程加快的背景下尤为如此。然而，正是我们利用城市空间的方式，为其设计赋予了全新的意义。更进一步地说，对于跑酷玩家而言，所有建筑的设计初衷都已彻底过时，因为他们以同样的理念看待每种建筑形式——在自我掌控下，建筑不过是与人进行互动、任人享受其中、待人征服的空间。

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.

城市空间设计确实会影响我们利用空间的方式。然而，像跑酷这样的运动表明，空间如何设计其实并不重要——人们总会在空间的预期功能之外，想出利用空间的办法。其实，跑酷精神的一部分就在于，跑酷玩家必须与所在空间内的地形实现动态和谐，从而学着克服地形带来的种种困难。有些空间的设计并未将跑酷这种运动形式纳入考量，所以跑酷运动在这种空间内继续蓬勃发展至关重要。

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.

對于我和许多跑酷玩家来说，跑酷是对人类精神的力量和多面性的一种表达和探索。跑酷是一面照见自我的镜子，暴露出一个人的恐惧、自我限制，以及受约束的思维过程。通过跑酷这种方法，人们能够克服这一切障碍，所以跑酷其实不仅仅是征服几堵高墙，更多的是掌控自我。城市建筑为跑酷提供了最佳训练场地。我们因此得以在跑酷提供的全新视野下，非常真切、直观地看到自己映在城市的钢铁、石头和玻璃中。这便是真正宝贵的跑酷视野。

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·戴总结得言简意赅：“跑酷能让人回归身体，与城市进行真正的身体接触，因此既能吸收也能摒弃建筑理念，将空间归还给人。”

［译者单位：中国石油大学（北京）］