ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Hetain Patel - Artist
In his compelling stage works, Hetain Patel uses powerful imagery and storytelling to examine questions of identity.

Why you should listen

"What determines our identities anyway?" asks Hetain Patel. As a child, Patel wanted to be like Spider-Man or Bruce Lee; later, he aimed to be more like his father, who displays a much different kind of bravery. From these ambitions, Patel's new show Be Like Water examines shifting identities of all kinds, using dance and bold imagery to power a story of self-examination and self-creation. 

As a conceptual artist, Patel has used photography, sculpture, installation and performance to challenge cultural identity. For his work, he has grown a mustache exactly like the one his father wore when he emigrated from India to the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and remixed the practice henna tattooing to incorporate English words and comics books. Patel's conclusion about identity: that it is an ever-shifting game of imitation. 

 

More profile about the speaker
Hetain Patel | Speaker | TED.com
Yuyu Rau - Dancer
Yuyu Rau's dance skills span a wide range, from ballet to contemporary to Chinese classical.

Why you should listen

Yuyu Rau is a dancer trained in ballet, contemporary and Chinese classical dance. Born in Taiwan and now a resident of the United Kingdom, Rau has performed with a wide range of dance companies and worked with choreographers like Wayne McGregor, Javier De Frutos, Luca Silvestrini and Douglas Thorpe.

Yau has toured with conceptual artist Hetain Patel, performing in his stage work Be Like Water. In the piece, Rau acts as Patel's translator, and often stands in to help him tell his story. 

More profile about the speaker
Yuyu Rau | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2013

Hetain Patel: Who am I? Think again

Hetain Patel: Quem sou eu? Pense de novo

Filmed:
2,878,196 views

Como decidimos quem somos? A surpreendente apresentação de Hetain Patel brinca com identidade, linguagem e sotaque -- e te desafia a pensar mais a fundo, além das aparências superficiais. Uma encantadora meditação do ser, com a artista Yuyu Rau e inspirada por Bruce Lee.
- Artist
In his compelling stage works, Hetain Patel uses powerful imagery and storytelling to examine questions of identity. Full bio - Dancer
Yuyu Rau's dance skills span a wide range, from ballet to contemporary to Chinese classical. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
Hetain Patel: (In Chinese)
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Hetain Patel: (Em chinês)
00:23
Yuyu Rau: Hi, I'm Hetain. I'm an artist.
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Yuyu Rau: Olá, eu sou Hetain.
Sou um artista.
00:26
And this is Yuyu,
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E esta é Yuyu,
00:28
who is a dancer I have been working with.
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que é uma dançarina com quem trabalho.
00:30
I have asked her to translate for me.
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Eu pedi que ela traduzisse para mim.
00:34
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP: (Em chinês)
00:39
YR: If I may, I would like to tell you
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YR: Se me permitem, gostaria de lhes contar
00:41
a little bit about myself
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um pouco sobre mim
00:43
and my artwork.
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e meu trabalho artístico.
00:45
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP: (em chinês)
00:51
YR: I was born and raised near Manchester,
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YR: Eu nasci e cresci
nos arredores de Manchester,
00:54
in England,
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na Inglaterra,
00:55
but I'm not going to say it in English to you,
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mas não vou falar em inglês com vocês,
00:59
because I'm trying to avoid any assumptions
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pois estou tentando evitar
quaisquer suposições
01:01
that might be made from my northern accent.
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que possam ser feitas
pelo meu sotaque do norte.
01:04
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
01:07
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP: (em chinês)
01:16
YR: The only problem with masking it
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YR: O único problema de escondê-lo
01:19
with Chinese Mandarin
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com mandarim chinês
01:21
is I can only speak this paragraph,
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é que eu só sei falar este parágrafo,
01:23
which I have learned by heart
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que eu decorei
01:25
when I was visiting in China. (Laughter)
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quando estava visitando a China. (Risos)
01:28
So all I can do is keep repeating it in different tones
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Então tudo que posso fazer é
ficar repetindo-o em diversos tons
01:32
and hope you won't notice.
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e torcer para que vocês não percebam.
01:33
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
01:39
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP: (Em chinês)
01:43
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
01:44
YR: Needless to say, I would like to apologize
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YR: Não preciso nem dizer
que gostaria de me desculpar
01:47
to any Mandarin speakers in the audience.
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com qualquer falante
de mandarim na plateia.
01:54
As a child, I would hate being made
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Quando era criança, eu odiava
01:56
to wear the Indian kurta pajama,
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ter que vestir a kurta indiana,
01:59
because I didn't think it was very cool.
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porque eu não achava que era muito legal.
02:02
It felt a bit girly to me, like a dress,
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Parecia um pouco feminino
para mim, como um vestido,
02:05
and it had this baggy trouser part
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e tinha esta parte larga nas calças
02:08
you had to tie really tight
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que tinha que ser amarrada bem forte
02:10
to avoid the embarrassment of them falling down.
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para evitar o constrangimento
de caírem.
02:14
My dad never wore it,
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Meu pai nunca usava,
02:16
so I didn't see why I had to.
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Então eu não entendia
por que eu tinha que usar.
02:19
Also, it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable,
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Além disso, fico um pouco desconfortável,
02:22
that people assume I represent something
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que as pessoas imaginem
que eu represento uma coisa
02:25
genuinely Indian when I wear it,
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genuinamente indiana quando a uso,
02:27
because that's not how I feel.
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porque não é assim que me sinto.
02:30
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP: (Em chinês)
02:36
YR: Actually, the only way I feel comfortable
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YR: Na verdade, a única maneira
que fico confortável
02:39
wearing it is by pretending
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usando isso é fingindo
02:42
they are the robes of a kung fu warrior
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que são as túnicas
de um guerreiro de kung fu
02:45
like Li Mu Bai from that film,
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como Li Mu Bai, daquele filme,
02:48
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."
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"O Tigre e o Dragão".
02:52
(Music)
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(Música)
03:35
Okay.
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Ok.
03:36
So my artwork is about identity and language,
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Meu trabalho artístico é sobre
identidade e linguagem,
03:44
challenging common assumptions
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desafiando suposições comuns
03:46
based on how we look like or where we come from,
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baseadas em nossa aparência
ou nossa origem,
03:51
gender, race, class.
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gênero, raça, classe.
03:55
What makes us who we are anyway?
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O que nos faz ser o que somos, afinal?
03:58
HP: (In Chinese)
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HP: (Em chinês)
04:04
YR: I used to read Spider-Man comics,
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YR: Eu costumava ler histórias
do Homem-Aranha,
04:07
watch kung fu movies,
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assistir a filmes de kung fu,
04:08
take philosophy lessons from Bruce Lee.
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ter aulas de filosofia com Bruce Lee.
04:11
He would say things like --
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Ele dizia coisas como --
04:13
HP: Empty your mind.
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HP: Desocupe sua mente.
04:15
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
04:16
Be formless, shapeless, like water.
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Seja amorfo, dismorfo, como água.
04:22
Now you put water into a cup.
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Agora você coloca água num copo.
04:24
It becomes the cup.
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Ela se torna o copo.
04:27
You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle.
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Coloca água em uma garrafa,
ela se torna a garrafa.
04:30
Put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot.
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Coloque em uma chaleira,
ela se torna a chaleira.
04:33
Now, water can flow
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Agora, a água pode fluir
04:36
or it can crash.
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ou pode quebrar.
04:39
Be water, my friend. (Applause)
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Seja água, amigo. (Aplausos)
04:42
YR: This year, I am 32 years old,
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YR: Neste ano, tenho 32 anos,
04:46
the same age Bruce Lee was when he died.
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a mesma idade de Bruce Lee
quando ele morreu.
04:49
I have been wondering recently,
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Eu tenho pensado recentemente,
04:52
if he were alive today,
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se ele estivesse vivo hoje,
04:54
what advice he would give me
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que conselho ele me daria
04:56
about making this TED Talk.
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para dar esta palestra TED.
05:00
HP: Don't imitate my voice.
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HP: Não imite minha voz.
05:03
It offends me.
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Isso me ofende.
05:05
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
05:08
YR: Good advice,
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YR: Bom conselho,
05:09
but I still think that we learn who we are
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mas ainda acho
que aprendemos quem somos
05:13
by copying others.
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copiando dos outros.
05:15
Who here hasn't imitated their childhood hero
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Quem aqui nunca imitou
seu herói de infância
05:19
in the playground, or mum or father?
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no parquinho, ou a mãe ou o pai?
05:23
I have.
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Eu já.
05:25
HP: A few years ago, in order to make this video
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HP: Há alguns anos, para fazer esse vídeo
05:30
for my artwork, I shaved off all my hair
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para meu trabalho artístico,
eu raspei todo meu cabelo
05:34
so that I could grow it back as my father had it
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para que eu pudesse deixá-lo
crescer como o do meu pai
05:37
when he first emigrated from India
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quando ele emigrou da Índia
05:40
to the U.K. in the 1960s.
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para o Reino Unido na década de 60.
05:43
He had a side parting and a neat mustache.
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Ele repartia de lado
e tinha um bigode elegante.
05:47
At first, it was going very well.
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No começo, tudo correu bem.
05:50
I even started to get discounts in Indian shops.
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Até comecei a ganhar
descontos em lojas indianas,
05:53
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
05:57
But then very quickly,
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Mas então, rapidamente,
05:59
I started to underestimate
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eu comecei a subestimar
06:00
my mustache growing ability,
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minha capacidade de deixar o bigode
06:02
and it got way too big.
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e ele ficou grande demais.
06:05
It didn't look Indian anymore.
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Não parecia mais indiano.
06:08
Instead, people from across the road,
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Em vez disso, as pessoas do outro lado da rua
06:10
they would shout things like --
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gritavam coisas como --
06:12
HP and YR: Arriba! Arriba! Ándale! Ándale!
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HP e YR: Arriba! Arriba! Ándale! Ándale!
06:14
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
06:16
HP: Actually, I don't know why I am even talking like this.
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HP: Na verdade, não sei nem
por que estou falando deste jeito.
06:18
My dad doesn't even have an Indian accent anymore.
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Meu pai nem tem mais sotaque indiano.
06:21
He talks like this now.
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Agora ele fala assim.
06:24
So it's not just my father that I've imitated.
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E não era só meu pai que eu imitava.
06:28
A few years ago I went to China for a few months,
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Há alguns anos eu fui
para a China por alguns meses,
06:32
and I couldn't speak Chinese,
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e eu não falava chinês,
06:34
and this frustrated me,
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e isso me deixava frustrado,
06:36
so I wrote about this and had it translated
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então eu escrevi sobre isso
e pedi para traduzirem
06:40
into Chinese, and then I learned this by heart,
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para chinês, e então decorei o trecho,
06:47
like music, I guess.
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como música, acho.
06:50
YR: This phrase is now etched into my mind
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YR: Agora esta frase
está gravada na minha mente
06:53
clearer than the pin number to my bank card,
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mais nítida que a minha
senha do cartão do banco.
06:56
so I can pretend I speak Chinese fluently.
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Então, eu posso fingir
que falo chinês fluente.
07:00
When I had learned this phrase,
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Quando aprendi esta frase,
07:02
I had an artist over there hear me out
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eu pedi para um artista lá me ouvir
07:05
to see how accurate it sounded.
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para ver se soava corretamente.
07:07
I spoke the phrase, and then he laughed
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Eu falei a frase, e ele deu risada
07:10
and told me, "Oh yeah, that's great,
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e me disse: "Ah sim, está ótimo,
07:13
only it kind of sounds like a woman."
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só que soa um pouco como uma mulher."
07:15
I said, "What?"
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Eu disse: "O quê?"
07:16
He said, "Yeah, you learned from a woman?"
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Ele disse: "Pois é,
você aprendeu com uma mulher?"
07:20
I said, "Yes. So?"
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Eu disse: "Sim, por quê?"
07:22
He then explained the tonal differences
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Ele então explicou que as diferenças de tom
07:25
between male and female voices
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entre vozes masculinas e femininas
07:27
are very different and distinct, and that I had learned it very well,
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são bem diferentes e distintas,
e que eu tinha aprendido direitinho,
07:31
but in a woman's voice.
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mas com uma voz feminina.
07:33
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
07:35
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
07:43
HP: Okay. So this imitation business
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HP: Ok. Esse ramo da imitação
07:46
does come with risk.
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também tem seus riscos.
07:48
It doesn't always go as you plan it,
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Nem sempre acontece como planejado,
07:50
even with a talented translator.
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mesmo com uma tradutora talentosa.
07:54
But I am going to stick with it,
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Mas eu vou continuar com ele,
07:56
because contrary to what we might usually assume,
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porque, diferente do que
normalmente supomos,
08:01
imitating somebody can reveal something unique.
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imitar alguém pode revelar algo único.
08:05
So every time I fail
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E toda vez que não consigo
08:08
to become more like my father,
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ser mais parecido com meu pai,
08:10
I become more like myself.
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eu me torno mais parecido comigo mesmo.
08:14
Every time I fail to become Bruce Lee,
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Toda vez que não consigo ser o Bruce Lee,
08:19
I become more authentically me.
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eu me torno mais autenticamente eu.
08:23
This is my art.
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Esta é minha arte.
08:24
I strive for authenticity,
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Eu busco autenticidade,
08:27
even if it comes in a shape
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mesmo se vier em uma forma
08:30
that we might not usually expect.
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que normalmente não esperaríamos.
08:33
It's only recently that I've started to understand
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Foi só recentemente
que eu comecei a entender
08:38
that I didn't learn to sit like this
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que eu não aprendi a sentar assim
08:41
through being Indian.
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por ser indiano.
08:43
I learned this from Spider-Man.
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Eu aprendi isto com o Homem-Aranha.
08:47
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
08:48
Thank you.
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Obrigado.
08:50
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Gustavo Rocha
Reviewed by Leonardo Silva

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Hetain Patel - Artist
In his compelling stage works, Hetain Patel uses powerful imagery and storytelling to examine questions of identity.

Why you should listen

"What determines our identities anyway?" asks Hetain Patel. As a child, Patel wanted to be like Spider-Man or Bruce Lee; later, he aimed to be more like his father, who displays a much different kind of bravery. From these ambitions, Patel's new show Be Like Water examines shifting identities of all kinds, using dance and bold imagery to power a story of self-examination and self-creation. 

As a conceptual artist, Patel has used photography, sculpture, installation and performance to challenge cultural identity. For his work, he has grown a mustache exactly like the one his father wore when he emigrated from India to the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and remixed the practice henna tattooing to incorporate English words and comics books. Patel's conclusion about identity: that it is an ever-shifting game of imitation. 

 

More profile about the speaker
Hetain Patel | Speaker | TED.com
Yuyu Rau - Dancer
Yuyu Rau's dance skills span a wide range, from ballet to contemporary to Chinese classical.

Why you should listen

Yuyu Rau is a dancer trained in ballet, contemporary and Chinese classical dance. Born in Taiwan and now a resident of the United Kingdom, Rau has performed with a wide range of dance companies and worked with choreographers like Wayne McGregor, Javier De Frutos, Luca Silvestrini and Douglas Thorpe.

Yau has toured with conceptual artist Hetain Patel, performing in his stage work Be Like Water. In the piece, Rau acts as Patel's translator, and often stands in to help him tell his story. 

More profile about the speaker
Yuyu Rau | Speaker | TED.com