Amy Herman: A lesson on looking
Amy Herman: Uma lição sobre a observação
By showing people how to look closely at painting, sculpture and photography, Amy Herman helps them hone their visual intelligence to recognize the most pertinent and useful information as well as recognize biases that impede decision making. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
to be a grandfather clock
um relógio de pêndulo
sempre merece uma segunda.
that this entire work of art
que toda esta obra de arte
Honduras mahogany.
de Honduras branqueado.
about looking at sculpture.
sobre análise de esculturas.
that looking closely can save a life,
pode salvar uma vida,
why your children behave the way they do.
seus filhos se comportam da maneira deles.
visual intelligence,
de inteligência visual,
to those for whom looking is the job,
cujo trabalho é observar,
detectives and trauma nurses.
e enfermeiros de trauma.
you might be at looking,
somos na observação,
to learn about seeing.
in a first glance and a sudden flash,
à primeira vista e de modo repentino,
how to look slowly
em entender como observar devagar
that demand our attention --
que exigem nossa atenção,
those lenses to help us see
e olhar por meio dessas lentes
perdendo o tempo todo.
and sculpture help?
e esculturas pode ajudar?
that engages both sight and insight
tanto a visão quanto a percepção
of where we are and what we see.
de onde estamos e do que vemos.
that visual intelligence --
que realmente nunca é dominado.
seemingly abstract painting,
silenciosa e aparentemente abstrata,
duas, até três vezes,
tão profundamente.
in person thousands of times,
em pessoa milhares de vezes,
of marble a third of the way up,
do mármore a um terço do topo,
at it out of context
observado fora do contexto
of this architectural icon made me realize
desse ícone arquitetônico me fez perceber
and eye-opening perspective.
nova e reveladora.
that art just belongs in an art museum.
pertence apenas aos museus de arte.
use beyond its aesthetic value.
além do valor estético.
in every audience I teach.
their legs are crossed,
com essa senhora que fala rápido
from this lady who talks fast
esta obra de arte,
at the work of art,
about what they see.
that this entire work of art
interesting to some of you,
com o trabalho dessas pessoas?
with the work that these people do?
multiple times on a daily basis,
várias vezes, diariamente,
at asking questions
perguntas sobre aquilo que vemos.
the question in such a way
a pergunta de tal maneira
that we need to do our jobs,
para realizar nosso trabalho,
spaces in a painting
negativos em uma pintura
more discreet abnormalities in an MRI.
mais discretas numa ressonância magnética.
that understanding the emotional dynamic
que entender a dinâmica emocional
at a domestic violence crime scene,
numa cena de crime de violência doméstica,
before drawing and firing his weapon.
antes de sacar e disparar sua arma.
absences of color in paintings
para ver ausências de cor nas pinturas
what their children say to them
é tão importante quanto o que não dizem.
more visually intelligent?
mais visualmente inteligente?
Do que preciso? Do que não preciso?"
in a memo, in a text, in an email.
em um memorando, texto ou e-mail.
várias vezes ao dia,
seeing and looking plays
de ver e olhar em todas essas ações,
can really improve everything.
pode realmente melhorar tudo.
of counterterrorism officials
de contraterrorismo
"The Purification of the Temple,"
"The Purification of the Temple",
in a sweeping and violent gesture,
num gesto dramático e violento,
from the temple of prayer.
do templo de oração.
had five minutes with that painting,
cinco minutos com essa pintura
they had to assess the situation,
tiveram que avaliar a situação,
caso estivessem nessa pintura.
in that painting.
observations and insights differed.
as observações e as percepções diferiram.
Quem tinha a maioria das informações?
came from a seasoned cop
veio de um policial experiente,
he's causing all the trouble."
está causando todo o problema".
vehicle to rethink how we solve problems
um meio perfeito para repensar
sem o auxílio da tecnologia.
of Felix Gonzalez-Torres,
de Felix Gonzalez-Torres,
in perfect synchronicity.
second hand perfectly aligned.
e dos segundos perfeitamente alinhados.
and they're touching,
"'Untitled' (Perfect Lovers)."
"'Untitled' (Perfect Lovers)".
nos faz perceber
battery-operated clocks,
operados por bateria,
vai parar antes da outra.
is going to stop before the other.
e parar antes do outro,
to slow down and die before the other
da obra de arte".
the symmetry of the artwork."
desse processo de pensamento
of a contingency plan.
de um plano de contingência.
for the unforeseen,
para o imprevisto,
que possam acontecer.
our visual intelligence
de nossa inteligência visual
and the small details
e dos pequenos detalhes
under the train,
de pistas sob o trem,
in the candlesticks
describes the painting
com mais precisão
there's a train coming out of a fireplace,
"Há um trem saindo de uma lareira,
dizer o que não está lá,
to say what isn't there,
uma ferramenta muito valiosa.
about visual intelligence
inteligência visual
uma fatalidade de barco,
that the boat had flipped over
e o ocupante havia se afogado embaixo.
do crime procuram o que é evidente,
investigators look for what is apparent,
did something different.
which is harder to do.
o mais difícil de fazer.
tipped flipped over --
at one end of the boat
em uma extremidade do barco
but critical observation,
pequena, mas decisiva,
from accidental death to homicide.
de morte acidental para homicídio.
to saying what isn't there
o que não está lá
where they may not be apparent.
visuais onde elas podem não ser evidentes.
connections in everyday objects
ocultas em objetos do cotidiano
de todas as pessoas diferentes
from all different people
of the blankets write, on a tag,
que escrevessem, numa etiqueta,
the blanket to the family.
had been used for baby blankets,
para cobrir bebês,
as picnic blankets,
that they play.
instruo novos médicos:
to the outside world.
com o mundo exterior.
in the outside world
with that connection in mind.
assistência com essa conexão em mente.
are connected as humans
conectadas como seres humanos
as doctor and patient.
como médico e paciente.
an overhaul in looking.
na maneira de observar.
of building a brick wall
da construção de uma parede de tijolos
can be subtle and yet invaluable.
pode ser sutil e, no entanto, inestimável.
how it disrupted the symmetry
interrompeu a simetria
to the end of the sculpture,
ao fim da escultura,
in its entirety,
em sua totalidade,
of the work's disruption on the bricks
do trabalho nos tijolos
for over 15 years,
há mais de 15 anos
and astonishment --
and amazement,
with a critical eye
crítico para a arte
of uncharted waters,
de águas desconhecidas,
as coisas dão errado.
aquela rosquinha num minuto.
as consequências do que observamos
of what it is that we observe,
into actionable knowledge.
em conhecimento contestável.
of tables standing sentinel
of post-Katrina floodwaters
de enchentes pós-Katrina
to act affirmatively
de agir afirmativamente
the professional spectrum
em todo o espectro profissional
creativity and innovation,
criatividade e inovação,
where they may not be apparent,
onde elas podem não ser evidentes,
and the world writ large
nosso trabalho e o mundo em um grau maior
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Amy Herman - Visual educatorBy showing people how to look closely at painting, sculpture and photography, Amy Herman helps them hone their visual intelligence to recognize the most pertinent and useful information as well as recognize biases that impede decision making.
Why you should listen
Amy Herman is a lawyer and art historian who uses works of art to sharpen observation, analysis and communication skills. She developed her Art of Perception seminar in 2000 to improve medical students' observation and communication skills with their patients when she was the head of education at The Frick Collection in New York City. She subsequently adapted the program for a wide range of professionals and leads sessions internationally for the New York City Police Department, the FBI, the French National Police, the Department of Defense, Interpol, the State Department, Fortune 500 companies, first responders, the military and the intelligence community. In her highly participatory presentation, she demonstrates the relevance of visual literacy across the professional spectrum and how the analysis of works of art affords participants in her program an innovative way to refresh their sense of critical inquiry and reconsider the skills necessary for improved performance and effective leadership. The program has been featured in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, "The CBS Evening News" and Smithsonian Magazine, among others.
Herman holds an AB, a JD and an MA in art history. Her book, Visual Intelligence, was published in May 2016 and was on both the New York Times and Washington Post bestseller lists.
Amy Herman | Speaker | TED.com