TED2012
Gabriel Barcia-Colombo: Capturing memories in video art
Gabriel Barcia-Colombo: Captura de recuerdos en el arte del vídeo
Filmed:
Readability: 4.1
800,296 views
Mediante la superposición y proyección de vídeos, el artista Gabriel Barcia-Colombo captura y comparte sus recuerdos y amistades. En el marco de las TED Fellow Talks, nos muestra su obra cautivadora y reflexiva en la que las personas de su entorno parecen preservadas en tarros, maletas, licuadoras...
Gabriel Barcia-Colombo - Video sculptor
Gabe Barcia-Colombo creates madcap art inspired both by Renaissance era curiosity cabinets and the modern-day digital chronicling of everyday life. Think: miniature people projected in objects and a DNA Vending Machine. Full bio
Gabe Barcia-Colombo creates madcap art inspired both by Renaissance era curiosity cabinets and the modern-day digital chronicling of everyday life. Think: miniature people projected in objects and a DNA Vending Machine. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:16
I love to collect things.
0
1028
2159
Me encanta coleccionar objetos.
00:19
Ever since I was a kid, I've had massive collections
1
3187
1990
Desde que era un niño, tengo inmensas colecciones
00:21
of random stuff, everything from bizarre hot sauces
2
5177
2729
de cosas de todo tipo, desde extrañas salsas picantes
00:23
from all around the world to insects
3
7906
3238
de todo el mundo hasta insectos
00:27
that I've captured and put in jars.
4
11144
2404
que he ido capturando y metiendo en tarros.
00:29
Now, it's no secret, because I like collecting things,
5
13548
2037
No es de extrañar, dada mi inclinación por las colecciones,
00:31
that I love the Natural History Museum
6
15585
1936
que me encante el Museo de Historia Natural
00:33
and the collections of animals
7
17521
1400
y sus reproducciones en 3D
00:34
at the Natural History Museum in dioramas.
8
18921
1815
de animales en sus hábitats.
00:36
These, to me, are like living sculptures, right,
9
20736
2137
Para mí son como esculturas vivientes
00:38
that you can go and look at,
10
22873
1417
que podemos ir a observar,
00:40
and they memorialize a specific point of time
11
24290
1735
e inmortalizan un instante específico
00:41
in this animal's life.
12
26025
1647
de la vida de ese animal.
00:43
So I was thinking about my own life,
13
27672
1882
Empecé a pensar en mi propia vida,
00:45
and how I'd like to memorialize my life, you know,
14
29554
1913
y en cómo me gustaría inmortalizarla, ya saben,
00:47
for the ages, and also — (Laughter) —
15
31467
2783
para la historia, y también
─(Risas)─
─(Risas)─
00:50
the lives of my friends, but
16
34250
2487
las vidas de mis amigos, pero
00:52
the problem with this is that my friends aren't quite keen
17
36737
2616
el problema es que no son muy partidarios
00:55
on the idea of me taxidermy-ing them. (Laughter)
18
39353
3176
de que los diseque. (Risas)
00:58
So instead, I turned to video,
19
42529
2703
En lugar de eso, me pasé al vídeo,
01:01
and video is the next best way to preserve and memorialize
20
45232
2298
que es la siguiente mejor forma de inmortalizar
01:03
someone and to capture a specific moment in time.
21
47530
2774
a alguien y de capturar un momento específico.
01:06
So what I did was, I filmed six of my friends
22
50304
2177
Así pues, filmé a 6 de mis amigos
01:08
and then, using video mapping and video projection,
23
52481
2400
y, usando superposición y proyección de vídeo,
01:10
I created a video sculpture, which was these six friends
24
54881
2481
creé una vídeo escultura de mis 6 amigos
01:13
projected into jars. (Laughter)
25
57362
3942
proyectados en tarros. (Risas)
01:17
So now I have this collection of my friends
26
61304
1714
Ahora tengo esta colección de mis amigos
01:18
I can take around with me whenever I go,
27
63018
1789
que puedo llevar conmigo dondequiera que vaya,
01:20
and this is called Animalia Chordata,
28
64807
1912
y se llama «Animalia Chordata»,
01:22
from the Latin nomenclature for
29
66719
1817
de la nomenclatura latina
01:24
human being, classification system.
30
68536
2160
para el ser humano, el sistema de clasificación.
01:26
So this piece memorializes my friends in these jars,
31
70696
2962
Esta obra inmortaliza a mis amigos, en estos tarros,
01:29
and they actually move around. (Laughter)
32
73658
4359
los cuales pueden hasta moverse. (Risas)
01:33
So, this is interesting to me,
33
78017
2093
Me resultó interesante,
01:36
but it lacked a certain human element. (Laughter)
34
80110
3890
pero carecía de un cierto elemento humano. (Risas)
01:39
It's a digital sculpture, so I wanted to add
35
84000
1822
Es una escultura digital y quise añadirle
01:41
an interaction system. So what I did was,
36
85822
1612
un sistema de interacción. Integré
01:43
I added a proximity sensor, so that when you get close
37
87434
1783
un sensor de proximidad, para que al acercarnos
01:45
to the people in jars, they react to you in different ways.
38
89217
2159
a las personas de los tarros, estas reaccionaran de diversas formas.
01:47
You know, just like people on the street
39
91376
1727
Justo como la gente en la calle reacciona
01:49
when you get too close to them.
40
93103
1856
cuando te acercas demasiado.
01:50
Some people reacted in terror. (Laughter)
41
94959
2586
Algunos reaccionaban aterrorizados. (Risas)
01:53
Others reacted in asking you for help,
42
97545
2013
Otros te pedían ayuda,
01:55
and some people hide from you.
43
99558
3498
y algunos se escondían de ti.
01:58
So this was really interesting to me, this idea of
44
103056
1631
Me pareció muy interesante esta idea de
02:00
taking video off the screen and putting it in real life,
45
104687
2135
trasladar el vídeo de la pantalla a la vida real,
02:02
and also adding interactivity to sculpture.
46
106822
2247
y también añadir interactividad a la escultura.
02:04
So over the next year, I documented 40 of my other friends
47
109069
4065
Durante el año siguiente, documenté 40 de mis otros amigos,
02:09
and trapped them in jars as well
48
113134
1832
los atrapé en tarros también
02:10
and created a piece known as Garden,
49
114966
1945
y creé una obra llamada «Jardín»,
02:12
which is literally a garden of humanity.
50
116911
2352
que es literalmente un jardín de humanidad.
02:15
But something about the first piece,
51
119263
2144
Pero había algo en la primera obra,
02:17
the Animali Chordata piece, kept coming back to me,
52
121407
1905
la de «Animali Chordata», que no me quería soltar,
02:19
this idea of interaction with art,
53
123312
1821
esta idea de interacción con el arte,
02:21
and I really liked the idea of people being able to interact,
54
125133
2322
realmente me gustaba que la gente pudiera interactuar,
02:23
and also being challenged by interacting with art.
55
127455
2289
y que esto también les supusiera algún reto.
02:25
So I wanted to create a new piece that actually
56
129744
1855
Quise crear una nueva obra que
02:27
forced people to come and interact with something,
57
131599
1889
atrajera a la gente a interactuar con algo,
02:29
and the way I did this was actually by projecting
58
133488
1699
así que proyecté una ama de casa
02:31
a 1950s housewife into a blender. (Laughter)
59
135187
4380
de los años 50 en una licuadora. (Risas)
02:35
This is a piece called Blend, and what it does is
60
139567
2495
Esta obra se llama «Mezcla», y te hace partícipe
02:37
it actually makes you implicit in the work of art.
61
142062
1863
de forma implícita de la obra de arte.
02:39
You may never experience the entire thing yourself.
62
143925
2341
No es necesario que participes totalmente.
02:42
You can walk away, you can just watch as this character
63
146266
2324
Puedes pasar de largo y simplemente observar a esta mujer
02:44
stands there in the blender and looks at you,
64
148590
2425
ahí de pie en la licuadora mientras te mira,
02:46
or you can actually choose to interact with it.
65
151015
2074
o si quieres, puedes interactuar con ella.
02:48
So if you do choose to interact with the piece,
66
153089
4133
Si finalmente interactúas con la obra,
02:53
and you press the blender button, it actually sends
67
157222
2160
y presionas el botón de licuar, la mujer se verá inmersa
02:55
this character into this dizzying disarray of dishevelment.
68
159382
3432
en una vertiginosa nube de caos.
02:58
By doing that, you are now part of my piece.
69
162814
3552
Y al hacerlo, eres ahora parte de mi obra.
03:02
You, like the people that are trapped in my work
70
166366
2032
Ustedes, al igual que la gente atrapada en mis creaciones,
03:04
— (Blender noises, laughter) —
71
168398
4061
─(Ruidos de licuadora, risas)─
03:08
have become part of my work as well. (Laughter)
72
172459
7107
se han convertido en parte de ellas también. (Risas)
03:15
(Laughter)
73
179566
2193
(Risas)
03:17
(Applause)
74
181759
2423
(Aplausos)
03:20
But, but this seems a bit unfair, right?
75
184182
3640
Pero esto parece injusto, ¿no?
03:23
I put my friends in jars, I put this character,
76
187822
2512
Metí a mis amigos en tarros, metí a este personaje
03:26
this sort of endangered species character in a blender.
77
190334
2817
de una especie en peligro de extinción en una licuadora.
03:29
But I'd never done anything about myself.
78
193151
2000
Pero nunca había hecho nada conmigo.
03:31
I'd never really memorialized myself.
79
195151
1712
Nunca me había inmortalizado a mí mismo.
03:32
So I decided to create a piece which is a self-portrait piece.
80
196863
2270
Así que decidí crear un autorretrato,
03:35
This is sort of a self-portrait taxidermy time capsule piece
81
199133
2225
que es una especie de cápsula del tiempo,
03:37
called A Point Just Passed,
82
201358
2247
llamada «Un momento fugaz»,
03:39
in which I project myself on top of a time card punch clock,
83
203605
2632
en la que me proyecto encima de una perforadora de tarjetas de registro horario,
03:42
and it's up to you.
84
206237
1704
y depende de ustedes.
03:43
If you want to choose to punch that punch card clock,
85
207941
1946
Si deciden usar esa perforadora,
03:45
you actually age me.
86
209887
1707
me envejecen.
03:47
So I start as a baby, and then if you punch the clock,
87
211594
2556
Empiezo siendo un bebé, y si perforas,
03:50
you'll actually transform the baby into a toddler,
88
214150
4662
me transformas en un niño pequeño,
03:54
and then from a toddler I'm transformed into a teenager.
89
218812
3231
y luego, en un adolescente.
03:57
From a teenager, I'm transformed into my current self.
90
222043
2520
A continuación, en mi yo actual.
04:00
From my current self, I'm turned into a middle-aged man,
91
224563
3088
Seguidamente, en un hombre de mediana edad,
04:03
and then, from there, into an elderly man.
92
227651
3859
y finalmente, en un anciano.
04:07
And if you punch the punch card clock a hundred times
93
231510
2932
Y si perforas 100 veces en un día,
04:10
in one day, the piece goes black
94
234442
3071
la obra se queda en negro
04:13
and is not to be reset until the next day.
95
237513
2693
y no podrá reiniciarse hasta el día siguiente.
04:16
So, in doing so, you're erasing time.
96
240206
2084
Y al hacerlo, estás borrando el tiempo.
04:18
You're actually implicit in this work
97
242290
1928
Eres partícipe de esta obra
04:20
and you're erasing my life.
98
244218
2006
y estás borrando mi vida.
04:22
So I like this about interactive video sculpture,
99
246224
2146
Esto es lo que me gusta de la vídeo escultura interactiva,
04:24
that you can actually interact with it,
100
248370
1577
que puedes interactuar con ella,
04:25
that all of you can actually touch an artwork
101
249947
1872
que todos ustedes pueden tocar una obra artística
04:27
and be part of the artwork yourselves,
102
251819
1864
y ser parte de ella,
04:29
and hopefully, one day, I'll have each and every one of you
103
253683
2471
y con suerte, un día, los tendré a cada uno de ustedes
04:32
trapped in one of my jars. (Laughter)
104
256154
2160
atrapados en uno de mis tarros. (Risas)
04:34
Thank you. (Applause)
105
258314
5091
Gracias. (Aplausos)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Gabriel Barcia-Colombo - Video sculptorGabe Barcia-Colombo creates madcap art inspired both by Renaissance era curiosity cabinets and the modern-day digital chronicling of everyday life. Think: miniature people projected in objects and a DNA Vending Machine.
Why you should listen
Gabe Barcia-Colombo is an American artist who creates installation pieces that both delight and point to the strangeness of our modern, digital world. His latest work is a DNA Vending Machine, which dispenses vials of DNA extracted from friends at dinner parties. He's also created video installations of "miniature people" encased inside ordinary objects like suitcases, blenders and more. His work comments on the act of leaving one's imprint for the next generation. Call it "artwork with consequences."
As he explains it: "While formally implemented by natural history museums and collections (which find their roots in Renaissance-era 'cabinets of curiosity'), this process has grown more pointed and pervasive in the modern-day obsession with personal digital archiving and the corresponding growth of social media culture. My video sculptures play upon this exigency in our culture to chronicle, preserve and wax nostalgic, an idea which I render visually by 'collecting' human beings (alongside cultural archetypes) as scientific specimens. I repurpose everyday objects like blenders, suitcases and cans of Spam into venues for projecting and inserting videos of people."
Barcia-Colombo is an alumnus and instructor at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program. Read about his latest work on CoolHunting and in his TED Fellows profile.
Gabriel Barcia-Colombo | Speaker | TED.com