Nora Atkinson: Why art thrives at Burning Man
Nora Atkinson: Porque é que a arte prolifera em Burning Man
Nora Atkinson is a craft curator, a humanist and a romantic -- as she says, "I can’t believe I get to do what I do for a living." Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
ringed in skeletons,
com esqueletos a toda a volta
a series of heavy ropes at its base,
uma série de pesadas cordas na base.
onde está uma equipa à espera.
where a team is waiting,
and the audience cheers,
e a audiência aplaude.
Peter Hudson's "Charon,"
o "Charon" de Peter Hudson,
from marketable art.
da arte comerciável.
and it doesn't go with the sofa.
em movimento e não condiz com o sofá.
and completely useless,
e não tem utilidade nenhuma.
in the art-world headlines.
nas parangonas do mundo artístico.
and selling of artwork
de obras de arte
than the works themselves.
do que as próprias obras de arte.
sold for 110 million dollars,
foi vendido por 110 milhões de dólares,
for the work of an American artist,
pelo trabalho de um artista americano.
sold for 450 million,
foi vendido por 450 milhões,
and you look at the headlines,
para essas obras e vemos os cabeçalhos,
because they move me,
because they're expensive
to separate those two things.
pode ser difícil separar as duas coisas.
ao valor da arte
between the artist and the audience,
entre o artista e o público,
the artists themselves?
ao próprio artista?
from the galleries of New York
das galerias de Nova Iorque,
30 years, at Burning Man,
em Burning Man,
that does exactly that.
que faz isso, precisamente.
Burning Man has grown up.
Burning Man evoluiu.
in collective dreaming.
de um sonho coletivo.
and every August, for a single week,
e, todos os agostos, durante uma semana,
and pilgrimage out into the desert
e vão em peregrinação até ao deserto
of their everyday lives.
da sua vida quotidiana.
it was better the last,
que foi melhor do que no ano anterior
and freeing and alive,
libertador e com vida
that thrives here.
on the desert playa last year
o ano passado,
a trabalhar incansavelmente.
of Burning Man for several years,
de Burning Man há vários anos,
at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery,
na Galeria Renwick do Smithsonian.
isn't the quality of the work here,
não é a qualidade das obras
into the desert again and again
voltam ao deserto, vezes sem conta,
in our increasingly digital age.
to something that's essentially human.
uma coisa que é essencialmente humana.
encampment of Burning Man
de Burning Man
interactive art installation
instalação de arte interativa
of everyone in it.
from the commercial art world
do mundo da arte comercial
pode exibi-la.
and countless artistic gestures
de arte e inúmeros movimentos artísticos
if the works aren't burned,
se as obras não forem queimadas,
back out and store them.
e guardá-las.
uma estética Burning Man,
a Burning Man aesthetic,
Kate Raudenbush and Michael Christian,
Kate Raudenbush e Michael Christian,
dos trabalhos aqui
character of the work here
to make the journey,
portátil para fazer a viagem,
the wind and weather and participants,
as intempéries e os participantes,
e na escuridão,
and intimate works here feel surreal.
e íntimas parecem surrealistas.
a enganar os olhos.
could get lost on the playa,
de um artista, pode perder-se no deserto,
as big as they can build.
tão alto quanto possam construir.
pela sua graciosidade
it took to bring them here.
necessária para as trazer para aqui.
comes out in pieces
surge em obras
precariamente numa escora de madeira,
on a wooden beam, like a mousetrap,
to find religion --
para encontrar religião
como "Firmamento", de Christopher Schardt
like Christopher Schardt's "Firmament,"
set to classical music,
destinado à música clássica,
ao ritmo avassalador das "raves"
the thumping rave beats
with mutant vehicles,
de veículos mutantes,
is the mother of invention,
de obra de arte em obra de arte,
public transportation system,
bizarro e ao acaso,
com a crítica e os colecionadores,
about critics and collectors
para si mesmos,
of marvelous toys they create.
maravilhosos que criam.
when people first come to Burning Man,
pela primeira vez a Burning Man,
maker community there
colaborativa de colaboradores
come together to share skills
juntam-se para partilhar competências
a single artist would never even attempt,
nunca se atreveria a fazer,
ready to take off at any moment
a qualquer momento,
dentro duma bota gigantesca,
full of artist-made books,
cheias de livros feitos pelo artista,
todos são bem-vindos.
and the innovation of the work here
e da inovação das obras aqui
aren't artists at all,
nem sequer são artistas,
disciplinary boundaries,
as fronteiras disciplinares,
out of the design for a yurt
to the voices and biorhythms
às vozes e aos biorritmos
embedded in its leaves.
inseridos nas suas folhas.
less than 30 seconds with a work of art,
diante de uma obra de arte
a vaguear de tabela em tabela
from label to label,
of a work of art
de uma obra de arte
in that one 80-word text.
num texto de 80 palavras.
there are no gatekeepers
just natural curiosity.
só a curiosidade natural.
and you ride towards it.
e avançamos para ela.
andamos à volta dela,
Will I be impaled by it?
para treparmos?
for extended interaction,
para uma interação alargada
might be short-lived,
possa ser de curta duração,
than at the Temple.
em Burning Man do que no "Templo".
built the first Temple,
construíram o primeiro templo.
was killed tragically in an accident
ter morrido tragicamente num acidente
num memorial improvisado.
piece of architecture,
de arquitetura magnífica,
until it disappears
uma concha, até que desaparece
universal of human experiences,
mais universal dos seres humanos,
is overpowering and indescribable,
é avassaladora e indescritível,
on the last night of the event.
na última noite do evento.
from all different walks of life,
diferentes tipos de vida,
e a fazer arte,
dinheiro nenhum em jogo.
in a way we rarely see anywhere else.
vemos noutro local.
capable of great feats of imagination,
de grandes feitos de imaginação,
cathedrals in the dust.
catedrais na areia.
world if not this?
contemporâneo, se não para isto?
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nora Atkinson - Craft curatorNora Atkinson is a craft curator, a humanist and a romantic -- as she says, "I can’t believe I get to do what I do for a living."
Why you should listen
Nora Atkinson is the Lloyd Herman Curator of Craft Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum Washington, D.C. As she writes, "I was born and raised in the Northwest, and I find my perspective heavily influenced by its laid-back, pioneering spirit. After earning my MA from the University of Washington, I intended to curate art, but fell into the unusual specialty of craft, which appeals to me as a way of living differently in the modern world that tells us something about being human; I continue to be fascinated by the place of the handmade in our increasingly digital age.
"In 2014, after eight years at Bellevue Arts Museum, I moved to DC to join the Renwick Gallery. I attended my first Burning Man in 2017 as research for my exhibition 'No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man,' which explores the event as a creative laboratory and one of the most important cultural movements of our time. As a curator, I tell stories through objects, and I want to teach people to approach the world with curious eyes and find the magic around them. My work is as much about inspiring people as transmitting knowledge."
Nora Atkinson | Speaker | TED.com