ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Zaria Forman - Artist
Zaria Forman uses visual art to connect people with the impact of climate change.

Why you should listen

The inspiration for Zaria Forman's drawings began in early childhood when she traveled with her family throughout several of the world's most remote landscapes, which were the subject of her mother's fine art photography. She was born in South Natick, Massachusetts and currently works and resides in Brooklyn, New York. She studied at the Student Art Centers International in Florence, Italy and received a BS in Studio Arts at Skidmore College in New York. Her works have been in publications such as Juxtapoz Magazine, National Geographic Magazine, Huffington Post, and the Smithsonian Magazine.

Recent achievements include participation in Banksy's Dismaland and a solo exhibition at Winston Wächter Fine Art in New York in September and October of 2015. Her drawings have been used in the set design for the Netflix TV series House of Cards.

In August 2012, Forman led Chasing the Light, an expedition sailing up the coast of Greenland, retracing the 1869 journey of American painter William Bradford and documenting the rapidly changing arctic landscape. Continuing to address climate change in her work, Forman traveled multiple times to the Maldives, the lowest-lying country in the world, and arguably the most vulnerable to rising sea levels.

Forman was invited aboard the National Geographic Explorer, traveling to Antarctica as an artist-in-residence in November and December 2015. Her next solo show will take place at Winston Wächter Fine Art’s Seattle location, in February and March of 2017.

More profile about the speaker
Zaria Forman | Speaker | TED.com
TED Talks Live

Zaria Forman: Drawings that show the beauty and fragility of Earth

Zaria Forman: Desenhos que mostram a beleza e a fragilidade da Terra

Filmed:
1,485,004 views

As enormes composições de Zaria Forman, com geleiras derretidas, icebergs flutuando em água vitrificada e a espuma da crista das ondas, exploram momentos de transição, turbulência e tranquilidade. Nesta palestra, ela discute o processo de criação artística meditativa e a motivação por trás de seu trabalho. "Meus desenhos celebram a beleza daquilo que todos nós podemos perder", ela diz. "Espero que eles possam servir como o registro de paisagens sublimes em mudança."
- Artist
Zaria Forman uses visual art to connect people with the impact of climate change. Full bio

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

00:12
I consider it my life's mission
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Considero a missão da minha vida
alertar sobre a urgência da mudança
climática através do meu trabalho.
00:15
to convey the urgency
of climate change through my work.
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00:19
I've traveled north to the Arctic
to the capture the unfolding story
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Fui para o norte, para o Ártico,
a fim de capturar os desdobramentos
do derretimento polar,
00:23
of polar melt,
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00:25
and south to the Equator to document
the subsequent rising seas.
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e para o equador, no sul, para documentar
a subsequente elevação dos mares.
00:29
Most recently, I visited
the icy coast of Greenland
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Mais recentemente, visitei
a costa congelada da Groenlândia
e as terras baixas das ilhas Maldivas,
00:33
and the low-lying islands of the Maldives,
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conectando duas partes
aparentemente díspares do planeta,
00:36
connecting two seemingly disparate
but equally endangered
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mas igualmente em perigo.
00:41
parts of our planet.
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00:43
My drawings explore moments
of transition, turbulence
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Meus desenhos exploram
momentos de transição,
turbulência
00:49
and tranquility in the landscape,
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e tranquilidade na paisagem,
permitindo às pessoas
se conectarem emocionalmente
00:52
allowing viewers to emotionally connect
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00:55
with a place you might never
have the chance to visit.
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com um lugar que talvez
nunca tenham a chance de visitar.
00:59
I choose to convey the beauty
as opposed to the devastation.
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Escolhi mostrar a beleza
em oposição à devastação.
01:04
If you can experience the sublimity
of these landscapes,
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Se puderem experimentar
a magnificência dessas paisagens,
01:08
perhaps you'll be inspired
to protect and preserve them.
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talvez as pessoas se sintam inspiradas
a protegê-las e preservá-las.
01:13
Behavioral psychology tells us
that we take action
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A psicologia comportamental diz que agimos
e tomamos decisões com base,
acima de tudo, em nossas emoções.
01:16
and make decisions based
on our emotions above all else.
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01:21
And studies have shown
that art impacts our emotions
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E estudos têm mostrado
que a arte impacta nossas emoções
01:24
more effectively than a scary news report.
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mais efetivamente do que
reportagens assustadoras.
01:29
Experts predict ice-free Arctic summers
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Os especialistas preveem
verões sem gelo no Ártico
01:32
as early as 2020.
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já em 2020.
E é provável que os níveis do mar
subam de 60 cm a 3 m
01:35
And sea levels are likely to rise
between two and ten feet
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01:39
by century's end.
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até o final do século.
01:42
I have dedicated my career
to illuminating these projections
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Dediquei minha carreira
a iluminar essas projeções
01:47
with an accessible medium,
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através de um meio acessível,
que nos toca de uma forma
que as estatísticas talvez não consigam.
01:49
one that moves us in a way
that statistics may not.
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01:54
My process begins
with traveling to the places
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Meu processo começa
com viagens para os lugares
da linha de frente da mudança climática.
01:57
at the forefront of climate change.
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01:59
On-site, I take thousands of photographs.
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Uma vez lá, tiro milhares de fotos.
De volta ao estúdio,
02:02
Back in the studio,
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02:03
I work from both my memory
of the experience and the photographs
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trabalho com base na minha memória
da experiência e com as fotos,
para criar obras enormes,
02:08
to create very large-scale compositions,
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02:10
sometimes over 10 feet wide.
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às vezes com 3 metros de largura.
02:13
I draw with soft pastel, which is dry
like charcoal, but colors.
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Desenho com pastel seco,
que é seco como o carvão, mas colorido.
02:18
I consider my work drawings
but others call them painting.
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Classifico meu trabalho como desenho,
mas outros o consideram pintura.
02:22
I cringe, though, when I'm referred to
as a "finger painter."
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No entanto, estremeço quando
o chamam de "pintura a dedo".
(Risos)
02:26
(Laughter)
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02:27
But I don't use any tools
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Mas...
não uso nenhuma ferramenta e sempre
usei os dedos e as palmas das mãos
02:29
and I have always used
my fingers and palms
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02:32
to manipulate the pigment on the paper.
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para manipular o pigmento no papel.
02:35
Drawing is a form of meditation for me.
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Para mim, desenhar
é uma forma de meditação.
02:40
It quiets my mind.
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Aquieta a minha mente.
Não percebo como gelo ou água
o que estou desenhando.
02:42
I don't perceive what I'm drawing
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02:44
as ice or water.
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Em vez disso, a imagem é reduzida
02:45
Instead, the image is stripped down
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02:48
to its most basic form of color and shape.
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a sua cor e forma mais básicas.
Quando a obra está completa,
02:52
Once the piece is complete,
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02:54
I can finally experience
the composition as a whole,
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posso finalmente experimentar
a composição como um todo,
02:57
as an iceberg floating
through glassy water,
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como um iceberg flutuando
através da água vitrificada,
03:00
or a wave cresting with foam.
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ou a espuma na crista de uma onda.
03:03
On average, a piece this size
takes me about,
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Em média, uma obra desse tamanho
me toma aproximadamente,
como podem ver, dez segundos.
03:07
as you can see, 10 seconds.
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03:09
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
03:11
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
03:15
Really, more like 200 hours,
250 hours for something that size.
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Na verdade, gasto cerca de 200 a 250 horas
em algo desse tamanho.
03:19
But I've been drawing ever since
I could hold a crayon, really.
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Desenho desde quando
consegui um lápis de cera.
Minha mãe era uma artista, e crescemos
03:22
My mom was an artist, and growing up,
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03:24
we always had art supplies
all over the house.
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rodeadas por material de arte
pela casa toda.
O amor da minha mãe pela fotografia
03:27
My mother's love of photography
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03:29
propelled her to the most
remote regions of the earth,
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a levou às regiões
mais remotas do planeta,
e minha família e eu tivemos a sorte
03:33
and my family and I were fortunate enough
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03:35
to join and support her
on these adventures.
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de acompanhá-la e apoiá-la
nessas aventuras.
03:39
We rode camels in Northern Africa
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Andamos de camelo no norte da África
03:41
and mushed on dog sleds
near the North Pole.
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e de trenós puxados por cães
perto do polo Norte.
03:45
In August of 2012,
I led my first expedition,
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Em agosto de 2012, liderei
minha primeira expedição,
levando um grupo de artistas e estudiosos
à costa noroeste da Groenlândia.
03:50
taking a group of artists and scholars
up the northwest coast of Greenland.
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03:56
My mother was originally
supposed to lead this trip.
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Era minha mãe quem ia liderar essa viagem.
03:59
She and I were in the early
stages of planning,
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Eu e ela estávamos
iniciando o planejamento,
já que iríamos juntas,
04:01
as we had intended to go together,
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04:04
when she fell victim to a brain tumor.
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quando ela foi vitimada
por um tumor cerebral.
04:07
The cancer quickly took over
her body and mind,
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O câncer rapidamente tomou conta
de seu corpo e sua mente,
e ela faleceu seis meses depois.
04:11
and she passed away six months later.
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04:15
During the months of her illness, though,
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Durante a doença, no entanto,
04:17
her dedication to the expedition
never wavered, and I made a promise
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sua dedicação à expedição nunca esmoreceu,
e eu prometi a ela levar
adiante sua jornada final.
04:22
to carry out her final journey.
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04:25
My mother's passion for the Arctic
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A paixão da minha mãe pelo Ártico
04:28
echoed through my experience in Greenland,
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ecoou na minha experiência na Groenlândia,
04:31
and I felt the power
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e eu senti o poder
04:34
and the fragility of the landscape.
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e a fragilidade da paisagem.
04:38
The sheer size of the icebergs
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A grandiosidade dos icebergs
nos dá uma lição de humildade.
04:41
is humbling.
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04:43
The ice fields are alive
with movement and sound
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Os campos de gelo estão vivos
com movimento e som
04:46
in a way that I never expected.
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de uma forma que nunca esperei.
04:49
I expanded the scale of my compositions
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Expandi o tamanho das minhas obras
04:51
to give you that same sense of awe
that I experienced.
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para nelas imprimir o mesmo sentimento
de reverência que experimentei.
04:57
Yet, while the grandeur
of the ice is evident,
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Mesmo assim, apesar de ser
evidente a magnitude do gelo,
05:00
so, too, is its vulnerability.
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também é evidente a sua vulnerabilidade.
05:03
From our boat,
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Do nosso barco,
05:04
I could see the ice sweating
under the unseasonably warm sun.
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pude ver o gelo transpirando
sob o sol quente temporão.
05:10
We had a chance to visit
many of the Inuit communities in Greenland
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Tivemos a chance de visitar muitas
das comunidades inuítes na Groenlândia,
05:14
that now face huge challenges.
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que agora enfrentam enormes desafios.
05:17
The locals spoke to me
of vast areas of sea ice
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Os habitantes de lá me falaram
de vastas áreas de mar congelado
05:20
that are no longer
freezing over as they once did.
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que não congelam mais como costumavam.
05:23
And without ice, their hunting
and harvesting grounds
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E, sem gelo, suas zonas de caça e colheita
diminuíram tremendamente,
05:26
are severely diminished,
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05:28
threatening their way
of life and survival.
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ameaçando sua subsistência
e sobrevivência.
05:32
The melting glaciers in Greenland
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O derretimento das geleiras na Groenlândia
05:34
are one of the largest
contributing factors to rising sea levels,
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é um dos fatores mais significativos
para a elevação dos níveis do oceano,
que já começou a inundar
05:38
which have already begun to drown
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05:41
some of our world's lowest-lying islands.
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algumas das ilhas mais baixas do mundo.
05:44
One year after my trip to Greenland,
I visited the Maldives,
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Um ano após minha viagem
para a Groenlândia, visitei as Maldivas,
05:49
the lowest and flattest country
in the entire world.
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o país mais baixo e plano do mundo.
Enquanto estava lá,
colhi imagens e inspiração
05:52
While I was there, I collected
images and inspiration
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para um novo trabalho:
05:56
for a new body of work:
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05:59
drawings of waves lapping
on the coast of a nation
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desenhos de ondas esmerilhando
as costas de uma nação
06:03
that could be entirely underwater
within this century.
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que poderá estar inteiramente
debaixo d’água ainda neste século.
06:09
Devastating events happen every day
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Eventos devastadores
acontecem todos os dias
tanto na esfera global quanto na pessoal.
06:13
on scales both global and personal.
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Quando estava na Groenlândia,
06:16
When I was in Greenland,
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06:18
I scattered my mother's ashes
amidst the melting ice.
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joguei as cinzas da minha mãe
no meio do gelo derretido.
06:22
Now she remains a part
of the landscape she loved so much,
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Agora ela é parte da paisagem
que tanto amava,
mesmo que esta também
mude e assuma uma nova forma.
06:27
even as it, too, passes
and takes on new form.
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06:33
Among the many gifts my mother gave me
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Entre as muitas dádivas
que recebi da minha mãe,
06:35
was the ability to focus on the positive,
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está a habilidade de focar
o positivo, em vez do negativo.
06:38
rather than the negative.
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06:41
My drawings celebrate the beauty
of what we all stand to lose.
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Meus desenhos celebram a beleza
daquilo que todos nós podemos perder.
06:47
I hope they can serve as records
of sublime landscapes in flux,
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Espero que eles possam servir
como registros de paisagens
sublimes em mudança,
06:53
documenting the transition
and inspiring our global community
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documentando a transição
e inspirando nossa comunidade global
a tomar uma atitude pelo bem do futuro.
06:58
to take action for the future.
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07:01
Thank you.
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Obrigada.
07:02
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Raissa Mendes
Reviewed by Ruy Lopes Pereira

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Zaria Forman - Artist
Zaria Forman uses visual art to connect people with the impact of climate change.

Why you should listen

The inspiration for Zaria Forman's drawings began in early childhood when she traveled with her family throughout several of the world's most remote landscapes, which were the subject of her mother's fine art photography. She was born in South Natick, Massachusetts and currently works and resides in Brooklyn, New York. She studied at the Student Art Centers International in Florence, Italy and received a BS in Studio Arts at Skidmore College in New York. Her works have been in publications such as Juxtapoz Magazine, National Geographic Magazine, Huffington Post, and the Smithsonian Magazine.

Recent achievements include participation in Banksy's Dismaland and a solo exhibition at Winston Wächter Fine Art in New York in September and October of 2015. Her drawings have been used in the set design for the Netflix TV series House of Cards.

In August 2012, Forman led Chasing the Light, an expedition sailing up the coast of Greenland, retracing the 1869 journey of American painter William Bradford and documenting the rapidly changing arctic landscape. Continuing to address climate change in her work, Forman traveled multiple times to the Maldives, the lowest-lying country in the world, and arguably the most vulnerable to rising sea levels.

Forman was invited aboard the National Geographic Explorer, traveling to Antarctica as an artist-in-residence in November and December 2015. Her next solo show will take place at Winston Wächter Fine Art’s Seattle location, in February and March of 2017.

More profile about the speaker
Zaria Forman | Speaker | TED.com