Amy Herman: A lesson on looking
Amy Herman: Una lección de observación
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
un gran reloj de péndulo
siempre requiere un segundo.
that this entire work of art
toda esta obra de arte.
Honduras mahogany.
caoba blanquecina hondureña.
about looking at sculpture.
sobre mirar la escultura,
that looking closely can save a life,
mirar detenidamente puede salvar una vida,
why your children behave the way they do.
sus hijos se comportan como lo hacen.
visual intelligence,
llamada inteligencia visual,
para enseñar a todo el mundo,
to those for whom looking is the job,
hasta a aquellos cuyo trabajo es mirar,
detectives and trauma nurses.
los detectives de homicidios
you might be at looking,
lo capacitado que uno esté para mirar,
to learn about seeing.
que aprender acerca de ver.
in a first glance and a sudden flash,
primera vista y en un repentino destello.
how to look slowly
entender cómo mirar lentamente.
that demand our attention --
que demandan nuestra atención.
those lenses to help us see
esas lentes para ayudarnos a ver
perdiendo todo el tiempo.
and sculpture help?
la pintura y la escultura?
una herramienta poderosa.
that engages both sight and insight
incluye tanto la vista como la percepción
of where we are and what we see.
de dónde estamos y qué vemos.
that visual intelligence --
seemingly abstract painting,
aparentemente abstracta
un impacto tan profundo.
in person thousands of times,
el Monumento a Washington miles de veces,
of marble a third of the way up,
mármol a partir de un tercio hacia arriba,
at it out of context
realmente fuera de contexto.
of this architectural icon made me realize
ícono arquitectónico me hizo darme cuenta
and eye-opening perspective.
totalmente nueva y reveladora.
that art just belongs in an art museum.
solo pertenece a un museo de arte.
use beyond its aesthetic value.
más allá de su valor estético.
in every audience I teach.
en cada audiencia que enseño.
their legs are crossed,
sus piernas están cruzadas,
from this lady who talks fast
esta señora que habla rápido
hacérselo relevante a ellos?
at the work of art,
about what they see.
that this entire work of art
de hilo de coser.
para algunos de Uds.
interesting to some of you,
with the work that these people do?
que hacen estas personas?
multiple times on a daily basis,
con personas varias veces al día
at asking questions
the question in such a way
la pregunta de tal manera
that we need to do our jobs,
para hacer nuestro trabajo.
spaces in a painting
en una pintura.
more discreet abnormalities in an MRI.
más discretas en una resonancia magnética.
that understanding the emotional dynamic
entendiendo la dinámica emocional
at a domestic violence crime scene,
de crimen de violencia doméstica
before drawing and firing his weapon.
antes de sacar y disparar su arma.
absences of color in paintings
para verausencias de color en las pinturas
what their children say to them
lo que les dicen sus hijos
more visually intelligent?
para ser visualmente más inteligentes?
cada nuevo problema...
"¿Qué tenemos ante nosotros?"
in a memo, in a text, in an email.
nota, texto o en un correo electrónico.
tomamos una decisión.
seeing and looking plays
de lo que juega y ve un papel
can really improve everything.
puede realmente mejorar todo.
de oficiales antiterroristas
of counterterrorism officials
"The Purification of the Temple,"
"La purificación del templo"
in a sweeping and violent gesture,
en gesto arrebatador y violento,
from the temple of prayer.
del templo de la oración.
had five minutes with that painting,
tuvo cinco minutos con esa pintura,
they had to assess the situation,
que evaluar la situación,
in that painting.
observations and insights differed.
y los puntos de vista diferían.
un buen testigo potencial?
came from a seasoned cop
vino de un policía experimentado
he's causing all the trouble."
él está causando todos los problemas".
vehicle to rethink how we solve problems
para repensar cómo resolvemos problemas
of Felix Gonzalez-Torres,
in perfect synchronicity.
las minuteras y las segunderas
second hand perfectly aligned.
and they're touching,
"'Untitled' (Perfect Lovers)."
(Amantes perfectos)".
nos hace darnos cuenta
battery-operated clocks,
is going to stop before the other.
antes que la otra.
to slow down and die before the other
la velocidad y morirá antes que el otro.
the symmetry of the artwork."
ese proceso de pensamiento,
of a contingency plan.
de un plan de contingencia.
for the unforeseen,
para lo imprevisto,
our visual intelligence
nuestra inteligencia visual
and the small details
y los pequeños detalles
under the train,
in the candlesticks
describes the painting
con más precisión la pintura
there's a train coming out of a fireplace,
"Hay un tren saliendo de la chimenea,
to say what isn't there,
decir lo que no está allí,
una herramienta muy valiosa.
había aprendido inteligencia visual
about visual intelligence
that the boat had flipped over
que el bote había volcado
la escena del crimen buscan lo aparente,
investigators look for what is apparent,
did something different.
lo que es más difícil de hacer.
which is harder to do.
tipped flipped over --
se guardaron en un extremo del bote
at one end of the boat
but critical observation,
from accidental death to homicide.
de muerte accidental a homicidio.
to saying what isn't there
para decir lo que no hay
where they may not be apparent.
visuales donde pueden no ser evidentes,
connections in everyday objects
conexiones ocultas en objetos cotidianos,
from all different people
mantas de diferentes personas
of the blankets write, on a tag,
las mantas escribieran, en una etiqueta,
the blanket to the family.
para la familia.
had been used for baby blankets,
se habían usado para bebés,
as picnic blankets,
para picnics,
that they play.
instruyo a jóvenes médicos.
en la habitación de un paciente,
to the outside world.
una conexión con el mundo exterior.
in the outside world
a alguien en el exterior
with that connection in mind.
mejor atención con esa conexión en mente.
are connected as humans
están conectadas como seres humanos
as doctor and patient.
como médico y paciente.
an overhaul in looking.
of building a brick wall
de construcción de un muro de ladrillos
can be subtle and yet invaluable.
puede ser sutil e invaluable.
how it disrupted the symmetry
directamente encima de ella,
to the end of the sculpture,
al final de la escultura,
in its entirety,
de arte en su totalidad,
of the work's disruption on the bricks
del trabajo en los ladrillos
for over 15 years,
enseñando inteligencia visual.
and astonishment --
and amazement,
with a critical eye
of uncharted waters,
en nuestro mundo de aguas inexploradas,
of what it is that we observe,
las consecuencias de lo que observamos,
into actionable knowledge.
en conocimiento procesable.
of tables standing sentinel
de mesas apiladas como un centinela
of post-Katrina floodwaters
de las inundaciones post-Katrina
la capacidad de actuar afirmativamente
to act affirmatively
the professional spectrum
de todo el espectro profesional
lo extraordinario en lo cotidiano,
creativity and innovation,
creatividad e innovación,
where they may not be apparent,
donde puedan no ser evidentes,
and the world writ large
nuestro trabajo y el mundo a lo grande
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