TED2016
Angélica Dass: The beauty of human skin in every color
Angélica Dass: A beleza da pel humana de calquera cor
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As fotografías de Angélica Dass desafían a nosa forma de pensar a cor da pel e a identidade étnica. Nesta charla persoal fala de que inspira o seu proxecto de retratos, Humanae, e do seu desexo de documentar as verdadeiras cores da humanidade, e non as falaces branca, vermella, negra e amarela, cando aparecen asociadas á raza.
Angélica Dass - Artist and photographer
By cataloging every conceivable human skin tone, Angélica Dass illustrates that skin color and race are more complex than they might appear at first glance. Full bio
By cataloging every conceivable human skin tone, Angélica Dass illustrates that skin color and race are more complex than they might appear at first glance. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
It has been 128 years
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Pasaron 128 anos
00:16
since the last country
in the world abolished slavery
in the world abolished slavery
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desde que o último país do mundo
aboliu a escravitude,
aboliu a escravitude,
00:21
and 53 years
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e 53 anos
00:23
since Martin Luther King pronounced
his "I Have A Dream" speech.
his "I Have A Dream" speech.
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desde que Martin L. King
deu o discurso: "Teño un soño".
deu o discurso: "Teño un soño".
00:29
But we still live in a world
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Mais aínda vivimos nun mundo
00:32
where the color of our skin
not only gives a first impression,
not only gives a first impression,
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onde a cor da nosa pel,
non só xera unha primeira impresión,
non só xera unha primeira impresión,
00:37
but a lasting one that remains.
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senón unha que dura e permanece.
00:43
I was born in a family full of colors.
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Eu nacín nunha familia chea de cores.
00:47
My father is the son of a maid
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O meu pai é fillo
dunha empregada de fogar,
dunha empregada de fogar,
00:50
from whom he inherited
an intense dark chocolate tone.
an intense dark chocolate tone.
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de quen herdou un ton intenso
de chocolate negro.
de chocolate negro.
00:56
He was adopted by those
who I know as my grandparents.
who I know as my grandparents.
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Foi adoptado por quen coñezo
como meus avós.
como meus avós.
01:01
The matriarch, my grandma,
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A matriarca, miña avoa,
01:03
has a porcelain skin and cotton-like hair.
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ten pel de porcelana
e cabelo como algodón.
e cabelo como algodón.
01:07
My grandpa was somewhere between
a vanilla and strawberry yogurt tone,
a vanilla and strawberry yogurt tone,
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O meu avó estaba entre o ton
do iogur de vainilla e o de amorodo,
do iogur de vainilla e o de amorodo,
01:13
like my uncle and my cousin.
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como meu tío e meu curmán.
01:16
My mother is a cinnamon-skin
daughter of a native Brazilian,
daughter of a native Brazilian,
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A miña nai ten pel de canela,
e é filla dunha brasileira
e é filla dunha brasileira
01:23
with a pinch of hazel and honey,
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cun pouquiño de avelá e mel,
01:26
and a man [who is]
a mix of coffee with milk,
a mix of coffee with milk,
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e dun home que é mestura
de café con leite,
de café con leite,
01:29
but with a lot of coffee.
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mais con moito café.
01:32
She has two sisters.
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Ten dúas irmás:
01:34
One in a toasted-peanut skin
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unha con pel cacahuete torrado,
01:37
and the other,
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e outra,
01:39
also adopted,
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tamén adoptada,
01:40
more on the beige side,
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máis tirando a beixe,
01:42
like a pancake.
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como unha filloa.
01:43
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
01:45
Growing up in this family,
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Ao crecer nesta familia,
01:48
color was never important for me.
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a cor nunca foi importante para min.
01:51
Outside home, however,
things were different soon.
things were different soon.
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Fóra de casa, no entanto,
as cousas eran diferentes.
as cousas eran diferentes.
01:57
Color had many other meanings.
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A cor tiña moitos outros significados.
02:02
I remember my first
drawing lessons in school
drawing lessons in school
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Lembro as miñas primeiras
clases de debuxo na escola
clases de debuxo na escola
02:05
as a bunch of contradictory feelings.
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como un feixe
de sentimentos contraditorios.
de sentimentos contraditorios.
02:08
It was exciting and creative
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Era excitante e creativo,
02:11
but I never understood
the unique flesh-colored pencil.
the unique flesh-colored pencil.
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mais eu nunca entendín
o curioso lapis "cor carne".
o curioso lapis "cor carne".
02:17
I was made of flesh but I wasn't pink.
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Eu tiña carne, mais non era
de cor rosada.
de cor rosada.
02:20
My skin was brown,
and people said I was black.
and people said I was black.
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A miña pel era castaña,
e a xente dicía que eu era negra.
e a xente dicía que eu era negra.
02:24
I was seven years old
with a mess of colors in my head.
with a mess of colors in my head.
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Tiña sete anos de idade
e un barullo de cores na miña cabeza.
e un barullo de cores na miña cabeza.
02:29
Later,
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Máis tarde,
02:31
when I took my cousin to school,
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cando levaba o meu curmán á escola,
02:34
I was usually taken for the nanny.
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confundíanme sempre coa coidadora.
02:37
By helping in the kitchen
at a friend's party,
at a friend's party,
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Ao axudar na cociña
nas festas de amizades,
nas festas de amizades,
02:41
people thought I was the maid.
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a xente pensaba que
eu era a empregada.
eu era a empregada.
02:43
I was even treated like a prostitute
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Mesmo me trataron como a unha prostituta
02:46
just because I was walking alone
on the beach with European friends.
on the beach with European friends.
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por ir camiñando por unha praia, soa,
con amigos europeos.
con amigos europeos.
02:51
And many times,
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E moitas veces,
02:53
visiting my grandma or friends
in upper class buildings,
in upper class buildings,
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ao visitar a miña avoa ou amizades
en edificios de clase alta,
en edificios de clase alta,
02:57
I was invited not to use
the main elevator.
the main elevator.
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convidábanme a non usar
o ascensor principal.
o ascensor principal.
Porque, a fin de contas,
03:02
Because in the end,
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con esta cor e este cabelo,
03:05
with this color and this hair,
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eu non podo estar en certos sitios.
03:07
I cannot belong to some places.
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03:12
In some way,
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Dalgún xeito,
03:13
I get to used to it and accept part of it.
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habitueime e acepteino en parte.
03:17
However, something inside of me
keeps revolving and struggling.
keeps revolving and struggling.
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Con todo, algo dentro de min continuaba
a revolverse e a rebelarse.
a revolverse e a rebelarse.
03:23
Years later I married a Spaniard.
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Anos máis tarde, casei cun español.
03:27
But not any Spaniard.
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Mais non un español calquera.
03:29
I chose one with the skin color
of a lobster when sunburnt.
of a lobster when sunburnt.
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Escollín un con ton de pel de lagosta
escaldada ao sol.
escaldada ao sol.
03:33
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
03:35
Since then, a new question
started to chase me.
started to chase me.
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Desde entón, unha nova pregunta
comezou a perseguirme.
comezou a perseguirme.
03:39
What will be the color of your children?
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"Cal irá ser a cor dos vosos fillos?".
03:43
As you can understand,
this is my last concern.
this is my last concern.
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Como podedes entender,
esta era a última das miñas preocupacións.
esta era a última das miñas preocupacións.
03:46
But thinking about it,
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Mais, pensando niso,
03:49
with my previous background,
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coa miña experiencia previa,
03:50
my story led me to make
my personal exercise as a photographer.
my personal exercise as a photographer.
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a miña historia levoume a facer
un exercicio persoal como fotógrafa.
un exercicio persoal como fotógrafa.
03:57
And that is how Humanae was born.
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E foi así com naceu Humanae.
04:00
Humanae is a pursuit
to highlight our true colors,
to highlight our true colors,
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Humanae é un intento de destacar
as nosas verdadeiras cores,
as nosas verdadeiras cores,
04:05
rather than the untrue
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en vez de as falaces
04:07
white, red, black or yellow
associated with race.
associated with race.
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branca, vermella, negra ou amarela,
asociadas á raza.
asociadas á raza.
04:12
It's a kind of game to question our codes.
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É como un xogo para cuestionar
as nosas convencións.
as nosas convencións.
04:17
It's a work in progress
from a personal story to a global history.
from a personal story to a global history.
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É un proxecto que evolúe
de historia persoal a historia global.
de historia persoal a historia global.
04:22
I portray the subjects
in a white background.
in a white background.
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Retrato as persoas sobre un fondo branco.
04:27
Then I choose an 11-pixel
square from the nose,
square from the nose,
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Despois, selecciono un cadrado
de 11 píxeles desde o nariz,
de 11 píxeles desde o nariz,
04:32
paint the background,
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pinto o fondo,
04:35
and look for the corresponding color
in the industrial palette, Pantone.
in the industrial palette, Pantone.
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e procuro a cor correspondente
na paleta industrial Pantone.
na paleta industrial Pantone.
04:40
I started with my family and friends,
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Comecei coa miña familia e amizades,
04:43
then more and more people
joined the adventure,
joined the adventure,
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despois, máis e máis persoas
xuntáronse na aventura,
xuntáronse na aventura,
04:47
thanks to public calls
coming through the social media.
coming through the social media.
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grazas a chamadas públicas
a través das redes sociais.
a través das redes sociais.
04:52
I thought that the main space
to show my work was the Internet
to show my work was the Internet
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Pensei que Internet era o mellor espazo
para mostrar o meu traballo,
para mostrar o meu traballo,
04:57
because I want an open concept
that invites everybody
that invites everybody
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porque pensaba nun concepto aberto
que convidase a todo o mundo
que convidase a todo o mundo
05:01
to push the share button
in both the computer and their brain.
in both the computer and their brain.
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a premer no botón "compartir",
tanto no computador como na mente.
tanto no computador como na mente.
05:08
The snowball started to roll.
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A bóla de neve comezou a rodar.
05:11
The project had a great welcome --
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O proxecto foi moi ben recibido:
05:15
invitations, exhibitions,
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convites, exposicións,
05:19
physical formats,
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diversos soportes,
05:21
galleries and museums ...
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galerías e museos...
05:23
just happened.
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simplemente, todo foi chegando.
05:25
And among them, my favorite:
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E entre todos os eventos,
os meus favoritos:
os meus favoritos:
05:29
when Humanae occupies public spaces
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cando Humanae ocupa espazos públicos
05:33
and appears in the street,
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e aparece na rúa,
05:36
it fosters a popular debate
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estimula un debate público
05:39
and creates a feeling of community.
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e crea un sentimento de comunidade.
05:46
I have portrayed more than 3,000 people
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Xa retratei máis de 3000 persoas
05:50
in 13 different countries,
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en 13 países diferentes,
05:53
19 different cities around the world.
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19 cidades distintas por todo o mundo.
05:56
Just to mention some of them --
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Apenas para mencionar algunhas...
05:59
from someone included in the Forbes list,
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desde alguén incluído na lista Forbes,
06:01
to refugees who crossed
the Mediterranean by boat.
the Mediterranean by boat.
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a persoas refuxiadas
que atravesaron o Mediterráneo en barco.
que atravesaron o Mediterráneo en barco.
06:05
In Paris, from the UNESCO
Headquarters to a shelter.
Headquarters to a shelter.
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En París, desde a sede da UNESCO
a un albergue para persoas sen teito.
a un albergue para persoas sen teito.
06:09
And students both in Switzerland
and favelas in Rio de Janeiro.
and favelas in Rio de Janeiro.
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E estudantes na Suíza
e nas favelas do Río de Xaneiro.
e nas favelas do Río de Xaneiro.
06:15
All kinds of beliefs,
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Todas as crenzas,
06:17
gender identities
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identidades de xénero
06:18
or physical impairments,
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ou impedimentos físicos;
06:21
a newborn or terminally ill.
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un bebé ou un doente terminal.
06:24
We all together build Humanae.
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Todos xuntos, construímos Humanae.
06:29
Those portraits make us rethink
how we see each other.
how we see each other.
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Eses retratos fannos repensar
como nos vemos.
como nos vemos.
06:34
When modern science
is questioning the race concept,
is questioning the race concept,
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Cando a ciencia moderna
está a cuestionar o concepto de raza,
está a cuestionar o concepto de raza,
06:38
what does it mean for us
to be black, white, yellow, red?
to be black, white, yellow, red?
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que significa para nós ser unha persoa
negra, branca, amarela, vermella?
negra, branca, amarela, vermella?
06:44
Is it the eye, the nose,
the mouth, the hair?
the mouth, the hair?
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Que conta? O ollo, o nariz,
a boca, o cabelo?
a boca, o cabelo?
06:49
Or does it have to do with our origin,
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Ou ten a ver coa nosa orixe,
nacionalidade
06:53
nationality
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06:54
or bank account?
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ou conta bancaria?
06:58
This personal exercise
turned out to be a discovery.
turned out to be a discovery.
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Este exercicio persoal
tornouse un descubrimento.
tornouse un descubrimento.
07:03
Suddenly I realized that Humanae
was useful for many people.
was useful for many people.
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De repente, decateime de que Humanae
era útil para moitas persoas.
era útil para moitas persoas.
07:09
It represents a sort of mirror
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Representa unha especie de espello
07:12
for those who cannot find
themselves reflected in any label.
themselves reflected in any label.
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para aquelas persoas que non se ven
reflectidas en ningunha outra etiqueta.
reflectidas en ningunha outra etiqueta.
07:17
It was amazing
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Foi incríbel
07:18
that people started to share
their thoughts about the work with me.
their thoughts about the work with me.
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ver como a xente comezaba a dicirme
o que pensaba sobre o traballo.
o que pensaba sobre o traballo.
07:23
I have hundreds of that,
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Teño centos deses comentarios,
07:25
I will share with you, too.
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que tamén vou compartir convosco.
07:27
A mother of 11 years --
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Unha nai...
07:30
A mother of an 11-year-old girl wrote me,
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Unha nai dunha meniña de 11 anos
escribiume:
escribiume:
07:35
"Very good for me as a tool
to work on her confidence,
to work on her confidence,
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"Foi moi bo para min como ferramenta
para traballar a súa confianza,
para traballar a súa confianza,
porque a fin de semana pasada,
07:38
as this past weekend
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unha das súas amigas discutiu con ela
e díxolle que ela non era de alí
e díxolle que ela non era de alí
07:40
one of her girlfriends argued with her
that she does not belong
that she does not belong
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07:45
and should not be allowed
to live in Norway.
to live in Norway.
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e que non debería estar autorizada
a vivir na Noruega.
a vivir na Noruega.
07:50
So your work has
a very special place in my heart
a very special place in my heart
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Por iso, o seu traballo ten un lugar
moi especial no meu corazón
moi especial no meu corazón
07:53
and it's very important for me."
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e é moi importante para min".
07:58
A woman shared her portrait
on Facebook and wrote,
on Facebook and wrote,
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Unha muller compartiu
o seu retrato no Facebook e escribiu:
o seu retrato no Facebook e escribiu:
08:03
"All my life,
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"Toda a miña vida,
08:04
people from across the globe
had difficulties to place me in a group,
had difficulties to place me in a group,
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xente de todo o mundo, tivo dificultade
para colocarme nun grupo,
para colocarme nun grupo,
08:10
a stereotype,
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nun estereotipo,
08:11
a box.
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nunha caixa.
08:12
Perhaps we should stop.
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Quizais debésemos deixar de facer isto.
08:15
Instead of framing, ask the individual,
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E en vez de clasificar,
preguntarlle á persoa:
preguntarlle á persoa:
08:18
'How would you label yourself?'
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Que etiqueta te porías?
08:20
Then I would say,
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Despois, eu diría:
08:22
'Hi. I'm Massiel.
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'Ola. Son Massiel.
08:24
I'm a Dominican-Dutch,
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Son unha alemá dominicana,
08:25
I grew up in a mixed family
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crecín nunha familia mixta
08:27
and I'm a bisexual woman.' "
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e son unha muller bisexual'".
08:31
Besides these unexpected
and touching reactions,
and touching reactions,
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Para alén destas reaccións
inesperadas e emocionantes,
inesperadas e emocionantes,
08:36
Humanae finds a new life
in a different variety of fields.
in a different variety of fields.
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Humanae encontra nova vida
en diferentes áreas.
en diferentes áreas.
08:40
Just to show you some examples,
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Para mostrarvos algúns exemplos,
08:43
illustrators and art students
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persoas que ilustran e estudantes de arte
úsano como referencia
para os seus esbozos e estudos.
para os seus esbozos e estudos.
08:45
using it as a reference
for their sketches and their studies.
for their sketches and their studies.
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08:50
It's a collection of faces.
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É unha colección de rostros.
08:52
Researchers in the fields of anthropology,
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Investigadores das áreas da antropoloxía,
08:56
physics and neuroscience
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a física e a neurociencia
08:59
use Humanae with different
scientific approaches
scientific approaches
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usan Humanae
para diversas abordaxes científicas
para diversas abordaxes científicas
09:03
related to human ethnicity,
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relacionadas coa etnicidade,
09:05
optophysiology,
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optofisioloxía,
09:07
face recognition
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recoñecemento facial
09:09
or Alzheimer's.
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ou alzhéimer.
09:12
One of the most important
impacts of the project
impacts of the project
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Un dos resultados
máis importantes do proxecto
máis importantes do proxecto
09:15
is that Humanae was chosen
to be the cover of Foreign Affairs,
to be the cover of Foreign Affairs,
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foi que Humanae resultase escollida
como portada da revista Foreign Affairs,
como portada da revista Foreign Affairs,
09:20
one of the most relevant
political publications.
political publications.
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unha das máis relevantes
publicacións políticas.
publicacións políticas.
09:24
And talking about foreign affairs,
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E falando de asuntos exteriores,
09:28
I found the perfect
ambassadors for my project ...
ambassadors for my project ...
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encontrei os embaixadores
perfectos para o meu proxecto...
perfectos para o meu proxecto...
09:32
teachers.
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o profesorado.
09:33
They are the ones that use Humanae
as a tool for educational purposes.
as a tool for educational purposes.
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Usan Humanae como unha ferramenta
para educar.
para educar.
09:40
Their passion encourages me
to go back to drawing classes,
to go back to drawing classes,
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A súa paixón animoume a volver
ás clases de deseño,
ás clases de deseño,
09:46
but this time as a teacher myself.
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mais desta vez como profesora.
09:50
My students,
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O meu alumnado,
09:51
both adults and kids,
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persoas adultas e crianzas,
09:53
paint their self-portraits,
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pintan os seus autorretratos,
09:56
trying to discover
their own unique color.
their own unique color.
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tentando descubrir
a súa cor propia e única.
a súa cor propia e única.
10:08
As a photographer,
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Como fotógrafa,
10:10
I realize that I can be a channel
for others to communicate.
for others to communicate.
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sei que podo ser unha canle
para que outras persoas se comuniquen.
para que outras persoas se comuniquen.
10:17
As an individual,
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Como individuo,
10:18
as Angélica,
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como Angélica,
10:21
every time I take a picture,
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cada vez que tiro unha fotografía,
10:24
I feel that I am sitting
in front of a therapist.
in front of a therapist.
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sinto como se estivese sentada
perante unha ou un terapeuta.
perante unha ou un terapeuta.
10:29
All the frustration, fear and loneliness
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Toda a frustración, medo e soidade
10:34
that I once felt ...
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que unha vez sentín...
10:36
becomes love.
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tórnase amor.
10:41
The last country --
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O último país...
10:44
the last country in the world
who abolished slavery
who abolished slavery
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O último país do mundo
en abolir a escravitude
en abolir a escravitude
10:49
is the country where I was born,
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foi o país onde nacín,
10:51
Brazil.
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o Brasil.
10:54
We still have to work hard
to abolish discrimination.
to abolish discrimination.
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Aínda temos que traballar moito
para abolirmos a discriminación,
para abolirmos a discriminación,
11:00
That remains a common practice worldwide,
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que continúa a ser algo habitual
en todo o mundo,
en todo o mundo,
11:04
and that will not disappear by itself.
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e que non vai desaparecer por si soa.
11:08
Thank you.
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Grazas.
11:09
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Grazas.
11:23
Thank you.
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Angélica Dass - Artist and photographerBy cataloging every conceivable human skin tone, Angélica Dass illustrates that skin color and race are more complex than they might appear at first glance.
Why you should listen
As a member of a multiracial family, Brazilian artist Angélica Dass is acutely aware of how small differences in skin tone can swell into large misconceptions and stereotypes about race.
In her ongoing project Humanæ, Dass pairs thousands of portraits of people from diverse parts of the world with their Pantone codes, revealing that our racially charged skin color labels -- red, white, brown -- as not only inaccurate but also absurd. Instead, she shows us that "these colors make us see each other as different, even though we are equal."
Angélica Dass | Speaker | TED.com