BY DAVID TOMKINS
As you walked through the door at Grandpa’s house you’d literally be force-fed some sort of foreign delight—your mouth full of a curling, briny mess on top of a cracker. At first, your eight year-old senses would freak out at the molding cheeses, pâtéd meats or anchovies as big as whales but, as with any good journey, you’d be better for it by the end. Grandpa took us around the world from his linoleum kitchen. He had the adventure bug and he wanted us to catch the same. In his day, Grandpa had dodged terrorist attacks, dropped bombs on the Nazis and negotiated jewelry deals in foreign lands. He was Captain Bligh, Christopher Columbus and Robinson Crusoe all in one. At the time, I had no idea.
Many years later, while cleaning out Grandpa’s house we discovered the first clues. Grandpa had recently been moved into a nursing home. Hiding in the back of a cupboard was a box of slides. They were Grandpa’s untold adventures. Beautiful photos that resembled Europe, Asia, America but the exact locations were all foreign to us in Australia. The composition, exposure, and craft of each photo was perfect. Grandpa had a passion, an eye for photography but never said a word about it. The photos made me realize that I knew very little about Grandpa. We’d spent all our time together talking about the Grandson and not the Grandpa. Now, he was stuck in a nursing home, deflated. ‘Captain Bligh’ marooned in a bed, focused on catheter bags and test results. The photos would be a perfect way to get him talking about something more than what was wrong with his failing body and back to talking about foreign adventures.
Propped up in the nursing home bed, I showed Grandpa the photos. I had a thousand questions.
“Where is this?”
“Where did you go?”
“What happened?”
“Grandpa, these photos are amazing, do you know you’re a great photographer?”
There weren’t any answers. He couldn’t quite remember much about them and he wasn’t interested in being called a brilliant photographer. Humility was far more important to him.
On the long trip home, a new plan was devised to convince Grandpa he was a genius. The idea for grandpas-photos.com was born. A website of Grandpa’s best photos, asking everyone if they might know where Grandpa took each photo. Maybe, if we could tell him where he took a photo it might jog his memory? Then the Grandpa stories would flow, he’d forget the catheter bags and yet again, take us all on a journey.
This website needed to happen, fast.
But, before any website was made and Grandpa convinced that he was a brilliant photographer, the worst happened. My wonderful Grandpa, Stephen Clarke, passed away. Captain Bligh, James Cook and Grandpa were gone.
To put his photos back in the cupboard and not talk about his adventures, not talk about him, to let him die, felt like the wrong thing to do.
Grandpa grief was channeled into a website.
His stunning photos were finally out in the world.
(Photos above by Stephen Clarke)
The response was overwhelming. People from around the globe admired Grandpa’s photos in the hundreds of thousands. Of these, thousands reached out with clues and Grandpa praise. The emails were so kind, so thoughtful, so helpful. The website has 50 of Grandpa’s best photos, in one week 45 were found. If you’ve seen them you’ll know that’s no easy task. The internet had been activated and there was no off button.
With the locations of almost all of the photos identified it was too tempting not to go on a Grandpa style adventure, to stand where Grandpa stood and retake his photos. ‘The Trip’ on the website is the journey to find all the photos. In a few short months, 48 of the photos were found. Grandpa’s original beauties next to the new versions of what each location looks like today. It was such an amazing way to travel. A mini, Grandpa-style treasure hunt, guided by people from around the world. If you get a chance to travel with a purpose like this, do it. Drop everything and go, right now.
Grandpa went to many of the tourist landmarks and places in guidebooks but the photos created an original map and a story to tell locals along the way. People were always so eager to help once they heard about Grandpa. Traveling has always been a marvel but if you can add this sort of layer, the experiences and learnings are tenfold.
It was like Grandpa was there with me pointing at things I’d normally miss and encouraging me to make friends with strangers. They always have the best local knowledge. By talking about him constantly and imagining him, charming his way through Venice, New York, Zurich, Hong Kong and so many other cities, was in a weird way, keeping him ‘alive’. People shared stories about their Grandpas, their Grandmas and Great Uncles. His adventures and skills as a photographer were helping to reawaken more people. It seemed that the photos were doing exactly what Grandpa wanted—what he did by forcing hairy, foreign anchovies into our mouths all those years ago—to experience everything, to go for an adventure, to live.
He would have been so chuffed if he knew. He’d be up, on top of that bed in the nursing home, swinging the catheter bag above his head. The Grandpa stories would flow and we’d all be better for it.
Please take a look at the website, please keep sending emails about the photos and please, call your Grandpa.
(Photos above by Stephen Clarke)
當你走進爺爺的家門，就會被他強迫吃一些奇怪的食物。你的嘴巴裏會被塞滿卷著亂七八糟鹹的東西在上面的餅幹。起初，你八歲的感官會被這些發黴的奶酪、肉醬、以及像鯨魚一樣大的鳳尾魚嚇壞，但是就像任何一場好的旅行一樣，到最後它們還是會讓你更好。爺爺就從他那鋪滿油氈布的廚房開始帶我們環遊世界。他具有冒險精神，也希望我們能繼承。爺爺在年輕的時候躲過了恐怖襲擊，向納粹投下了炸彈，在異國他鄉進行過珠寶交易。他就像同時集布利船長、哥倫布、魯濱遜為一身。但當時，我並不知道。
許多年以後，在打掃爺爺房間時，我們找到了第一個線索。那時候爺爺已經被搬進了養老院。在他的櫥櫃後面藏著一盒幻燈片，那是他不為人知的冒險故事。那些照片像是在歐洲、亞洲或是美洲，對於身處澳大利亞的我們來說都是陌生的。每一張照片的構圖、曝光和工藝都是完美的。爺爺擁有對攝影的熱情以及一雙攝影師的眼睛，但他只字未提。這些照片讓我認識到自己對爺爺的了解太少了。我們曾經在一起的全部時間都在談論我而不是他。如今，這位“布利船長”被困在養老院裏，泄了氣一般，只能孤立無援地躺在床上，關註各種醫用導管包和測試結果。也許這些照片會是一個好辦法，能讓他從只是談論自己日漸衰落的身體上，回到去說說他的國外探險故事。
我倚在養老院的床上，向爺爺展式了這些照片。我有一千個問題：
“這是在哪裏？”
“你去過哪裏？”
“發生了什麽？”
“爺爺，這些照片太妙了，你知道你是一個很棒的攝影師嗎？”
他都沒有回答。他記不太清楚這些照片了，也不太感興趣於被稱為出色的攝影師。謙遜對他來說更加重要。
在漫長的回家路程中，一個新的計劃在孕育之中，為了讓爺爺相信他是一個天才，grandpas-photos.com 的概念誕生了。它是用來展示爺爺拍得最好的照片，同時向大家詢問是否知道每一張照片的所在地。或許通過告訴他每一張照片的拍攝地能夠喚起他的記憶？這樣爺爺的故事就能流動起來，他將忘記那些醫用導管包，再一次帶領我們踏上旅程。
這個網站需要實現，並且要快。
可是，就在網站還沒做出來，爺爺還沒被說服相信他是一個出色的攝影師之前，最壞的事情發生了。我的好爺爺，Stephen Clarke，過世了。像布利船長和詹姆斯·庫克（英國航海家、探測家）的爺爺離開了我們。
如果就將爺爺的照片放回櫃子裏，不再談論他的冒險故事，不再談論他，就讓他逝去，我感覺這不是一個對的做法。
因此爺爺的照片最終形成了一個網站。
他拍的那些令人驚艷的照片終於在這個世界曝光了。
(Photos above by David Tomkins)
回應排山倒海而來。有成千上萬來自世界各地的人欣賞爺爺的照片，其中有數千人給出了照片的線索，也給予了對爺爺的贊賞。郵件裏滿是善意、周到和幫助。這個網站一共有爺爺拍的最好的50張照片，在一周以內，45張照片的地方都被找到。如果你看過這些照片，就會知道要找出這些地方來並不是一件容易的事。因特網上的互動被開啟了，不再停止。
隨著大部分照片的地址被指認出來，來一場像爺爺一樣的探險：站在他曾到過的地方，以他的角度再重新拍一張照片就變得非常誘人。網站上的 “The Trip” 一欄就是一場尋找所有照片所在地的旅程。在接下來短短的數月，48張照片的拍攝地被找到。爺爺的原照旁邊是新版照片，展示著同一個地方在今天的樣子。這樣的旅行方式太妙了。它就是一場迷你版爺爺式尋寶，由全世界的人指引。如果你有機會以這樣的目的去旅行，那麽就去吧。放下一切，現在就出發。
(Photos above by David Tomkins)
爺爺去了很多旅遊景點和旅行指南裏提到的地方，但是他的照片卻創造了一幅屬於他自己的地圖，以及一路上可以給當地人講述的故事。人們在聽到爺爺的故事後都特別渴望給予幫助。旅行一直都是一件美妙的事，如果再帶著爺爺的照片前往，經歷和收獲會是十倍之多。
它就好像是一場和爺爺在一起的旅行，在其中爺爺向我指出那些我通常會遺漏的事物並鼓勵我和陌生人交朋友。因為他們才是最了解在地知識的人。通過不斷談論爺爺，想象爺爺，陶醉於爺爺穿越威尼斯、紐約、蘇黎世、香港以及其他城市的旅程，我以這樣一種奇怪的方式讓爺爺得以“活著”。人們也因此分享了關於自己的爺爺、奶奶或叔叔的故事。爺爺的旅程和攝影幫助喚醒了更多的人。就像是這些照片正在做著爺爺想要它們做的事，就如同他曾經把多毛的鳳尾魚強迫塞進我們的嘴巴一樣；去感受所有的事物，去冒險，去生活。
如果他知道這一切應該會很高興。他會站起來，站在養老院的床頭，在他的頭頂揮動著醫用導管包。爺爺的故事將繼續流傳，我們也會變得更好。
請看看這個網站吧，請繼續給我發關於照片的郵件，並且請給你的爺爺打個電話吧。
David Tomkins is the Grandson of the photographer, Stephen Clarke. Dave grew up in Australia and is currently working on ways to keep talking about Grandpa and his beautiful photos from New York. When he’s not talking about Grandpa he works as an Art Director, usually in advertising. All of the photos, including the new versions and missing photos, can be seen at www.grandpas-photos.com. New clues, questions, and general Grandpa appreciation is welcome at findgrandpasphotos@gmail.com .
David Tomkins 是摄影师 Stephen Clarke 的孙子。他在澳大利亚长大，目前在纽约工作，工作内容是关于讲述爷爷和他的照片；除此他还任职广告公司的艺术指导。所有的照片，包含新版的以及仍然找不到地址的都可以在 www.grandpas-photos.com 看到。如果你有新的线索、问题、或对爷爷的评价，欢迎邮件至 findgrandpasphotos@gmail.com 。
