An artist's unflinching look at racial violence
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0:01 - 0:02As a conceptual artist,
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0:02 - 0:07I'm constantly looking for creative ways
to spark challenging conversations. -
0:07 - 0:10I do this though painting, sculpture,
video and performance. -
0:10 - 0:12But regardless of the format,
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0:12 - 0:15two of my favorite materials
are history and dialogue. -
0:16 - 0:18In 2007, I created "Lotus,"
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0:18 - 0:20a seven-and-a-half-foot diameter,
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0:20 - 0:24600-pound glass depiction
of a lotus blossom. -
0:24 - 0:27In Buddhism, the lotus is a symbol
for transcendence -
0:27 - 0:30and for purity of mind and spirit.
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0:30 - 0:32But a closer look at this lotus
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0:32 - 0:36reveals each petal
to be the cross-section of a slave ship. -
0:36 - 0:40This iconic diagram was taken
from a British slaving manual -
0:40 - 0:44and later used by abolitionists to show
the atrocities of slavery. -
0:44 - 0:47In America, we don't like
to talk about slavery, -
0:47 - 0:49nor do we look at it as a global industry.
-
0:49 - 0:51But by using this Buddhist symbol,
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0:51 - 0:54I hope to universalize and transcend
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0:54 - 0:56the history and trauma of black America
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0:56 - 0:59and encourage discussions
about our shared past. -
1:00 - 1:04To create "Lotus,"
we carved over 6,000 figures. -
1:04 - 1:07And this later led to a commission
by the City of New York -
1:07 - 1:09to create a 28-foot version in steel
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1:09 - 1:13as a permanent installation
at the Eagle Academy for Young Men, -
1:13 - 1:15a school for black and latino students,
-
1:15 - 1:18the two groups most affected
by this history. -
1:18 - 1:22The same two groups are very affected
by a more recent phenomenon, -
1:22 - 1:23but let me digress.
-
1:24 - 1:26I've been collecting
wooden African figures -
1:26 - 1:29from tourist shops and flea markets
around the world. -
1:29 - 1:32The authenticity and origin
of them is completely debatable, -
1:32 - 1:34but people believe these
to be imbued with power, -
1:34 - 1:36or even magic.
-
1:36 - 1:39Only recently have I figured out
how to use this in my own work. -
1:39 - 1:46(Gun shots)
-
1:53 - 1:57Since 2012, the world has witnessed
the killings of Trayvon Martin, -
1:57 - 2:01Michael Brown, Eric Garner,
Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice -
2:01 - 2:04and literally countless other
unarmed black citizens -
2:04 - 2:06at the hands of the police,
-
2:06 - 2:08who frequently walk away
with no punishment at all. -
2:09 - 2:11In consideration of these victims
-
2:11 - 2:13and the several times that even I,
-
2:13 - 2:15a law-abiding, Ivy League professor,
-
2:15 - 2:19have been targeted and harassed
at gunpoint by the police. -
2:19 - 2:22I created this body of work
simply entitled "BAM." -
2:24 - 2:28It was important to erase
the identity of each of these figures, -
2:28 - 2:32to make them all look the same
and easier to disregard. -
2:32 - 2:34To do this, I dip them in a thick,
brown wax -
2:34 - 2:36before taking them to a shooting range
-
2:36 - 2:39where I re-sculpted them using bullets.
-
2:39 - 2:40And it was fun,
-
2:40 - 2:43playing with big guns and
high-speed video cameras. -
2:43 - 2:47But my reverence for these figures
kept me from actually pulling the trigger, -
2:47 - 2:50somehow feeling as if I would
be shooting myself. -
2:50 - 2:53Finally, my cameraman, Raul,
fired the shots. -
2:55 - 2:56I then took the fragments of these
-
2:56 - 3:00and created molds,
and cast them first in wax, -
3:01 - 3:04and finally in bronze
like the image you see here, -
3:04 - 3:06which bears the marks
of its violent creation -
3:06 - 3:08like battle wounds or scars.
-
3:09 - 3:11When I showed this work recently in Miami,
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3:11 - 3:13a woman told me she felt
every gun shot to her soul. -
3:13 - 3:16But she also felt that these artworks
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3:16 - 3:18memorialized the victims of these killings
-
3:18 - 3:21as well as other victims of
racial violence throughout US history. -
3:22 - 3:25But "Lotus" and "BAM" are larger
than just US history. -
3:25 - 3:27While showing in Berlin last year,
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3:27 - 3:30a philosophy student asked me
what prompted these recent killings. -
3:30 - 3:33I showed him a photo
of a lynching postcard -
3:33 - 3:34from the early 1900s
-
3:34 - 3:39and reminded him that these killings
have been going on for over 500 years. -
3:40 - 3:42But it's only through questions like his
-
3:42 - 3:45and more thoughtful dialogue
about history and race -
3:45 - 3:47can we evolve as individuals and society.
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3:48 - 3:51I hope my artwork creates a safe space
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3:51 - 3:53for this type of honest exchange
-
3:53 - 3:56and an opportunity for people
to engage one another -
3:56 - 3:59in real and necessary conversation.
-
3:59 - 4:00Thank you.
-
4:00 - 4:06(Applause)
- Title:
- An artist's unflinching look at racial violence
- Speaker:
- Sanford Biggers
- Description:
-
Conceptual artist and TED Fellow Sanford Biggers uses painting, sculpture, video and performance to spark challenging conversations about the history and trauma of black America. Join him as he details two compelling works and shares the motivation behind his art. "Only through more thoughtful dialogue about history and race can we evolve as individuals and society," Biggers says.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 04:19
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for An artist's unflinching look at racial violence | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for An artist's unflinching look at racial violence | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for An artist's unflinching look at racial violence | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for An artist's unflinching look at racial violence | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for An artist's unflinching look at racial violence | ||
Brian Greene approved English subtitles for An artist's unflinching look at racial violence | ||
Brian Greene accepted English subtitles for An artist's unflinching look at racial violence | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for An artist's unflinching look at racial violence |