Theaster Gates: How to revive a neighborhood: with imagination, beauty and art
Theaster Gates: Como reviver um bairro: com imaginação, beleza e arte
Theaster Gates is a potter whose ambitions stretch far beyond the wheel and the kiln. In Chicago, his leadership of artist-led spaces has catalyzed interest and excitement in a formerly neglected neighborhood, as he uses culture as a transformational weapon. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
em minha atividade artística,
excites me in my artistic practice
how to make great things out of nothing;
coisas grandiosas a partir do nada;
with mounds of clay trying stuff;
tentando fazer coisas com argila;
of my capacity, my ability,
minha habilidade,
e minha imaginação;
a really nice bowl
tem sido muito, muito útil na minha vida.
has been very, very helpful to my life.
how to shape the world.
a aprender a moldar o mundo.
in my artistic capacity
em minha aptidão artística,
the history of the world
from that content?
mangueiras de incêndio do Alabama,
discontinued firehoses from Alabama,
dos direitos civis nos anos 60?
of civil rights in the '60s?
and I doing labor projects?
fazendo projetos de trabalho?
he owned small businesses,
da construção, tinha pequenos negócios
and his tar kettle was my inheritance.
sua caldeira de asfalto como herança.
like much of an inheritance. It wasn't.
ser bem uma herança, e não era.
a lot of space in my studio,
espaço no meu estúdio.
to make some art with me,
se ele gostaria de fazer arte comigo,
of nothing material
este tipo de material inútil
and my dad's skill,
e a habilidade do meu pai,
just like clay, in a new way,
como barro, de um novo jeito,
helping us to imagine what was possible?
a imaginar o que seria possível?
to lots of different kinds of materials,
em vários tipos de materiais diferentes
because I thought, well,
porque pensei: "Bem,
mas a capacidade de moldar coisas."
it's about our capacity to shape things.
interessado nas ideias
were happening just outside my studio.
acontecendo fora do meu estúdio.
I live in Chicago.
eu moro em Chicago.
I'm a West Sider.
Eu era do Lado Oeste.
that won't mean anything,
isso não quer dizer nada.
que era do Lado Oeste,
that I was a West Sider,
ficaria bem chateada.
in the city that would be very upset.
is Grand Crossing.
that has seen better days.
in my neighborhood,
making pots and busy making art
fazendo vasos e arte,
that was happening
failing housing markets
do mercado imobiliário
em algumas cidades do que em outras,
with some of our cities more than others,
cidades nos EUA, e outras,
U.S. cities and beyond
no longer know what to do anything with.
com as quais não se sabe o que fazer.
de começar a ver
that I could start to think
or an expansion of my artistic practice?
ou expansão da minha prática artística?"
along with other creatives --
com outros criadores,
real estate finance people --
financiadores imobiliários,
to kind of think
about the reshaping of cities.
sobre a reformulação das cidades?
to try to just get some activity happening
para ter alguma atividade acontecendo
por cerca de US$ 18 mil,
for about 18,000 dollars,
as a kind of performance.
como um tipo de performance.
and people would come over,
e as pessoas chegariam
and sweeping was free.
e varrer também.
to stage exhibitions, small dinners,
exposições, pequenos jantares,
on my block, Dorchester --
no meu quarteirão, Dorchester,
como "projeto Dorchester",
as Dorchester projects --
became a kind of gathering site
de área de encontro
de atividades diferentes.
what we called now the Archive House.
no que chamamos de "Casa do Arquivo".
all of these amazing things.
fazer várias coisas incríveis.
in the city and beyond
e de outros lugares
in the middle of the hood.
entre minha história com o barro
between my history with clay
starting to develop,
começando a desenvolver,
the South Side of the city.
imaginavam o Lado Sul da cidade.
a beautiful vessel important,
um ambiente bonito,
in those buildings is also very important.
desses lugares também é importante.
about development,
apenas em empreendimentos,
that could happen
que poderiam acontecer
between one neighbor and another.
entre um vizinho e outro.
no que chamamos de "Casa da Escuta",
the Listening House,
that was going out of business.
que estava fechando.
these buildings as much as I could
esses lugares o máximo possível
e com quem quisesse se juntar a mim.
amazing building stock.
the former crack house on the block,
uma casa de drogados no quarteirão,
imagine what else could happen there.
para imaginar o que poderia acontecer lá.
what we call Black Cinema House.
no que chamamos de "Casa do Cinema Negro".
in the hood to screen films
foi uma chance de exibir filmes no gueto
to the folk who lived around me,
para as pessoas que viviam ali;
do Melvin Van Peebles, nós podíamos;
an old Melvin Van Peebles film, we could.
"Car Wash", tudo bem.
from just a small piece of clay,
a partir de um pequeno pedaço de barro,
piece of clay, which is now my studio.
que é agora o meu estúdio.
for those of you who are zoning junkies,
é viciado em zoneamento,
that had been left behind,
sido abandonados,
the buildings were built,
original dos prédios.
deve permanecer residencial."
needs to stay residential."
ain't nobody interested in living there?
onde ninguém tem interesse em viver lá?
the means to leave have already left?
para sair, já saíram.
these abandoned buildings?
construções abandonadas?
to wake them up using culture.
por meio da cultura.
was so exciting for folk,
animador para as pessoas
that we had to then find bigger buildings.
que tivemos que encontrar lugares maiores.
achamos lugares maiores,
necessary to think about those things.
para pensar sobre aquelas coisas.
it was in pretty bad shape.
das Artes", estava em mau estado.
of standing water.
in the neighborhood
interesse no bairro;
in the neighborhood
interesse no bairro;
It was nowhere.
what else could happen in this building?
o que mais poderia acontecer lá?
do meu quarteirão se espalhou,
of my block has spread,
começando a visitar,
pode agora ser um centro
can now be a center
music performance,
performances musicais;
who are now interested
because we brought some heat,
porque trouxemos calor,
is this Johnson Publishing Corporation.
é o Johnson Publishing Corporation.
memorabilia from American history,
“memorabilia” da historia americana,
or have lived in that neighborhood.
are degraded images of black people,
são imagens degradadas de pessoas negras,
of very challenging content,
bastante desafiador,
asking themselves about their identity
se perguntando sobre sua identidade,
o Banco representa um centro,
hardcore node of cultural activity,
atmosfera de atividade cultural,
to make multiple hubs
a fazer vários centros
green stuff around there,
purchased and rehabbed,
de 60 ou 70 unidades,
miniature Versailles on top of that,
pequenas "Versalhes" por lá,
by a beautiful greenbelt --
com um belo cinturão verde...
never wanted to be
nunca quiseram estar,
the country and world.
muito com um oleiro,
very much like I'm a potter,
that are at our wheel,
que estão na nossa roda,
that I want to make.
que quero fazer.
house to a block to a neighborhood
para um bloco, para um bairro,
to thinking about the city,
para pensar sobre a cidade,
that I didn't know that I had to learn.
que eu não sabia que tinha que aprender.
about zoning law in my life.
lei de zoneamento na minha vida.
estou achando que não há espaço apenas
that there's not just room
artistic practices.
outras atividades artísticas.
vai escalar isso?"
going to go to scale?"
(Aplausos)
que eu não poderia me exportar,
I couldn't export myself,
em cidades como Akron em Ohio,
in cities like Akron, Ohio,
who already believe in those places,
nesses lugares que acreditam neles,
to make those places beautiful,
para torná-los belos;
who are passionate about a place
que são apaixonadas por um lugar
necessary to make cool things happen,
para fazer coisas legais acontecerem,
contingência de pessoas
a contingency of people
a fazer as coisas acontecerem.
a aconselhar, pelo país,
around the country
that are in front of you,
que estão à sua frente;
at a wheel or at your block
numa roda, ou no seu quarteirão
many people watching this
pessoas que estão nos assistindo,
the question you just raised at the end:
que você levantou no final:
em sua própria cidade?"
about what someone who is inspired
sobre o que alguém que se inspira
to take on projects like yours?
para adotar projetos como o seu?
I've found that's really important
que acho importante
the kind of individual project,
between an old house,
between those things?
entre essas coisas?
essas pessoas conversarem?
where neighborhoods have failed,
onde os bairros fracassaram,
in that place, the passionate people,
desse lugar, as pessoas apaixonadas
who have been fighting,
que esteve lutando,
about the place that they live?
vibrar com o lugar que eles vivem?
I would be talking about buildings alone,
estaria falando somente sobre construções
a "For Lease" sign in the window.
de "Aluga-se" na janela.
que fazer mais do que isso;
have to curate more than that,
you have to be mindful about,
você deve estar atento,
that I want to grow here?
que eu quero que cresçam aqui?
who live in this place
apenas de um espaço cultural ou habitação;
a cultural space or housing;
of an economic core.
de um núcleo econômico.
together feels right.
juntas parece o certo.
se animem novamente
to create the spark again
slogging for 20 years.
que tenha ajudado a romper com isso?
that have helped break through?
há vários exemplos
there are lots of examples
fazendo um trabalho incrível,
when the media is constantly saying
Quando a mídia constantemente diz
happen in a place,
acontecem num lugar,
e no contexto particular,
and the particular context,
in your neighborhood
pode fazer no seu bairro
if you're a theater person,
for uma pessoa do teatro,
ao ar livre.
the resources in certain neighborhoods
em determinados bairros,
a certain kind of splashy,
of making sure that people
de assegurar que as pessoas
of the things that are happening locally,
as coisas que acontecem localmente,
que você está criando
that the projects you're creating
vegetarian indie movie crowd
de vegetarianos de um filme hippie
para tirar vantagem.
to take advantage of them.
it starts to get into the thick weeds.
é onde as coisas começam a ficar sérias.
TG: Right now, Grand Crossing
TG: Neste momento, o Grand Crossing
os que vivem ali,
who owns property in a place
quem seja dono do imóvel
the streets every day.
pelas ruas todos os dias.
that Grand Crossing is already
que o Grand Crossing já está
different than it is today.
diferente do que é hoje.
housing trusts or land trusts
cooperativas de habitação
alguma parte do espaço,
some of the space that happens,
7,500 empty lots in a city,
7.500 lotes vazios numa cidade,
just interested in the development piece,
entidades não apenas interessadas
in the stabilization piece,
is really motivated,
empreendimento está bem motivada,
of neighborhood consciousness,
important watchdogs
defensores importantes
que são disponibilizados
that are made available
who have lived in a place for a long time.
vivem num lugar há muito tempo?
One more question:
Mais uma pergunta:
a importância dela e também as artes.
and the importance of beauty and the arts.
that funds would be better spent
que os fundos seriam melhor gastos
para os desfavorecidos.
or come against it?
ou como o contesta?
is a basic service.
é um serviço básico.
que quando há recursos
when there are resources
to certain under-resourced cities
a certas cidades, bairros,
that helps to ignite,
que ajuda a incentivar,
if you can start with culture
em que se pode começar com a cultura
reinvested in their place,
a reinvestirem no seu lugar;
amenities start to grow,
começam a surgir,
that's a poetic demand,
uma exigência poética,
are necessary to wake up our cities,
necessárias para despertar nossas cidades
hoje aqui conosco.
for being here with us today.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Theaster Gates - Artist, potter, community builderTheaster Gates is a potter whose ambitions stretch far beyond the wheel and the kiln. In Chicago, his leadership of artist-led spaces has catalyzed interest and excitement in a formerly neglected neighborhood, as he uses culture as a transformational weapon.
Why you should listen
Theaster Gates is helping to define the future of artistic place-based efforts, in research and practice. Beginning with interventions in small-scale residences now known as Dorchester Projects, Gates’ houses in Greater Grand Crossing in Chicago have become a nexus for globally engaged experiments in structures of individual and collective living, working and art-making. Launched into the international art world at Documenta(13), the houses embodied a new system of values and celebrated both a flexible use of space and provided a way for artists, visitors and students to connect and collaborate.
The latest example of this kind of work is the Stony Island Arts Bank, set to open for the Chicago Architecture Biennial in October 2015. Gates will convert a formerly derelict bank on Chicago's south side to create an artwork -- and a communal and creative space.
At the University of Chicago, where he is a professor and the director of arts and public life, Gates leads the Arts Incubator in Washington Park. Gates also leads an urban research initiative known as the Place Lab, a team of social scientists, architects, creative professionals and business leaders. With support from the Knight Foundation, Gates and his team will create frameworks for reimagining the role that culture plays in the redevelopment of transforming African American communities.
Theaster Gates | Speaker | TED.com