ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sue Austin - Performance artist
In repurposing her wheelchair to create fantastical art, Sue Austin reshapes how we think about disability.

Why you should listen

Multimedia, performance and installation artist Sue Austin keeps a fascinating mission at the center her work: to challenge the idea of disabled as “other” and represent her experience as a wheelchair user in a brighter light. She does this by creating quirky, unexpected juxtapositions -- bringing a sense of whimsy and empowerment to the discussion of disability.

Austin is the founder and artistic director of Freewheeling, an initiative aiming to further the genre of Disability Arts. In 2012, she was asked to be a part of the Cultural Olympiad in Britain, a celebration of the arts leading up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The work she created for the event, called “Creating the Spectacle!,” is a groundbreaking series of live art and video works of an underwater wheelchair.

More profile about the speaker
Sue Austin | Speaker | TED.com
TEDxWomen 2012

Sue Austin: Deep sea diving ... in a wheelchair

蘇 ‧ 柯士甸 (Sue Austin): 坐輪椅潛行深海

Filmed:
2,295,460 views

16年前蘇 ‧ 柯士甸 (Sue Austin) 得到一部「能量椅」,覺得重獲自由 ── 但外人就覺得佢所失甚多。透過藝術作品,佢希望同外界分享,坐响輪椅漫遊世間嘅心路歷程,其中包括一段佢坐响潛水輪椅潛行海床、穿梭魚群之間、360度浮游的水底片段。(攝於 TEDxWomen)
- Performance artist
In repurposing her wheelchair to create fantastical art, Sue Austin reshapes how we think about disability. Full bio

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

00:16
It's wonderful美妙 to be here
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好高興可以响呢度
00:18
to talk about my journey旅程,
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同大家分享我嘅心路歷程
00:20
to talk about the wheelchair輪椅
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講下輪椅
00:22
and the freedom自由 it has bought me.
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同埋呢張輪椅帶畀我嘅自由
00:25
I started初時 using使用 a wheelchair輪椅 16 years ago
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十六年前我開始坐輪椅
00:27
when an extended擴展 illness疾病
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一場大病
00:29
changed the way I could access訪問 the world世界.
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令我唔可以好似以前咁接觸世界
00:33
When I started初時 using使用 the wheelchair輪椅,
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當我開始坐輪椅
00:35
it was a tremendous巨大 new新增功能 freedom自由.
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佢帶畀我全新嘅自由
00:38
I'd seen看到 my life slip away and become成為 restricted限制.
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我曾經以為病後傷殘,下半世一定唔好過
00:41
It was like having an enormous巨大 new新增功能 toy玩具.
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但呢張輪椅就好似一件神奇玩具
00:44
I could whiz專家 around and feel the wind in my face塊面 again.
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我可以出返去吹風,大叫
00:48
Just being out on the street was exhilarating令人振奮.
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可以出到街真係好爽
00:51
But even though雖然 I had this newfound新嘅 joy喜悅 and freedom自由,
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雖然重獲自由我真係好開心
00:56
people's人民 reaction反應 completely完全 changed towards me.
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但街外人對我嘅態度就完全唔同晒
00:59
It was as if they couldn't唔可以 see me anymore,
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佢哋好似當我透明
01:02
as if an invisibility隱形 cloak斗篷 had descended後裔.
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就好似我著咗件隱形斗篷咁
01:06
They seemed好似 to see me in terms條款 of their佢哋 assumptions假設
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佢哋帶住一份成見嚟睇我
01:09
of what it must必須 be like to be in a wheelchair輪椅.
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覺得我坐輪椅就一定會係點點點
01:13
When I asked問吓 people their佢哋 associations協會 with the wheelchair輪椅,
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當我問「一提起輪椅你哋會諗起乜嘢?」
01:18
they used words的話 like "limitation限制," "fear恐懼,"
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佢哋會話「局限」、「恐慌」
01:22
"pity可惜" and "restriction限制."
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「可憐」、「無自由」
01:25
I realized實現 I'd internalized內在 these responses反應
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我估我暗瓦底都受到呢啲成見影響
01:29
and it had changed who I was on a core核心 level水平.
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亦响深處令我對自己嘅睇法唔同咗
01:33
A part部分 of me had become成為 alienated疏遠 from myself自己.
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有一部份嘅自己好似疏遠咗咁樣
01:37
I was seeing看到 myself自己 not from my perspective視角,
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我再唔係由自己嘅觀點出發去審視自己
01:41
but vividly生動 and continuously係咁 from the perspective視角
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而係來來回回受其他人嘅睇法
01:45
of other people's人民 responses反應 to me.
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影響我點睇自己
01:48
As a result結果, I knew I needed需要 to make my own自己 stories故事
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於是我覺得咁唔掂,我要創造自己嘅故事
01:53
about this experience經驗,
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關於呢個經歷
01:55
new新增功能 narratives敍述 to reclaim回收 my identity身份.
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我要重新演繹,定義自我
01:58
["Finding發現 Freedom自由: 'By"由 creating創建 our own自己 stories故事 we learn學習 to take the texts文本 of our lives生活 as seriously嚴重 as we do 'official'官方 ' narratives敍述.' — Davis戴維斯 2009, TEDxTEDx Women婦女"]
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[字幕] 尋找自我:在開創自己的故事時,
我們學會認真看待寫照生命的一字一句。Davis 2009
02:01
I started初時 making決策 work
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我開始做一啲作品
02:03
that aimed旨在 to communicate溝通 something
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旨在同大家傳遞
02:06
of the joy喜悅 and freedom自由 I felt覺得 when using使用 a wheelchair輪椅 --
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我坐輪椅嘅份內喜悅同自由
02:11
a power權力 chair椅子 -- to negotiate洽談 the world世界.
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我叫佢做能量椅 ── 去同個世界摙過
02:16
I was working工作 to transform變換 these internalized內在 responses反應,
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我將我內心嘅感受盡量傳遞出嚟
02:22
to transform變換 the preconceptions偏見 that had so shaped形狀
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透過破格嘅攝影
02:26
my identity身份 when I started初時 using使用 a wheelchair輪椅,
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去改寫當初我開始坐輪椅時
02:29
by creating創建 unexpected意外 images圖像.
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令我疏遠自己嘅外間成見
02:33
The wheelchair輪椅 became成為 an object對象 to paint油漆 and play with.
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張輪椅變咗一件我可以又寫又畫嘅嘢
02:39
When I literally從字面上 started初時 leaving離開
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當我開始為自己嘅快樂同自由
02:41
traces of my joy喜悅 and freedom自由,
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留下印記
02:45
it was exciting令人興奮 to see
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外界睇到我嘅作品時所有反應
02:47
the interested興趣 and surprised驚訝 responses反應 from people.
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都令我好雀躍
02:51
It seemed好似 to open打開 up new新增功能 perspectives觀點,
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呢啲作品好似打開咗眼界
02:54
and therein其中 lay the paradigm範式 shift轉變.
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樂在其中嘅一切由我主導
02:57
It showed表明 that an arts藝術 practice實踐
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表現到藝術創作
02:59
can remake改造 one's人嘅 identity身份
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可以重塑一個人嘅自我
03:01
and transform變換 preconceptions偏見 by revisioningrevisioning the familiar熟悉.
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同時為司空見慣嘅嘢改變睇法,改變成見
03:06
So when I began初時 to dive潛水, in 2005,
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當我2005年開始坐輪椅潛水
03:10
I realized實現 scuba潛水 gear齒輪 extends延伸 your range範圍 of activity活動
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我發現潛水裝置無論對常人抑或坐輪椅嘅人
03:14
in just the same相同 way as a wheelchair輪椅 does,
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一樣响水底帶畀佢同樣嘅自由
03:16
but the associations協會 attached附加 to scuba潛水 gear齒輪
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但全裝上陣潛水,帶畀人嘅印象
03:19
are ones of excitement興奮 and adventure冒險,
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係充滿刺激同歷奇
03:21
completely完全 different不同 to people's人民 responses反應 to the wheelchair輪椅.
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同時徹底改變外人對輪椅用者嘅睇法
03:25
So I thought, "I wonder what'll乜會 happen發生
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我心諗:唔知兩件事擺埋一齊會點呢?
03:28
if I put the two together一起?" (Laughter笑聲) (Applause掌聲)
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(笑聲) (掌聲)
03:33
And the underwater wheelchair輪椅 that has resulted導致
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最終我哋真係做咗部潛水輪椅
03:37
has taken採取 me on the most amazing驚人 journey旅程
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响過去七年
03:40
over the last seven years.
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佢帶我體驗咗非一般嘅水底旅行
03:42
So to give you an idea想法 of what that's like,
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為咗令你哋明白我講嘅經歷
03:45
I'd like to share共享 with you one of the outcomes結果
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我想同大家分享呢件法寶
03:48
from creating創建 this spectacle奇觀,
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帶畀我嘅其中一段體驗
03:50
and show顯示 you what an amazing驚人 journey旅程 it's taken採取 me on.
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同埋佢帶咗我去一個幾咁精彩嘅世界
03:54
(Music音樂)
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(音樂)
07:24
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)
07:31
It is the most amazing驚人 experience經驗,
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呢個係我呢世人至今最精彩嘅體驗
07:34
beyond超越 most other things I've experienced經歷 in life.
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以前種種都無得比
07:37
I literally從字面上 have the freedom自由 to move移動
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我基本上可以自由咁郁動
07:40
in 360 degrees of space空間
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360度通行無阻
07:43
and an ecstatic欣喜若狂 experience經驗 of joy喜悅 and freedom自由.
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體驗至高無上嘅快樂同自由
07:47
And the incredibly令人難以置信 unexpected意外 thing
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實在喜出望外,妙不可言
07:49
is that other people seem好似 to see and feel that too.
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而見證住呢件事嘅人都可以感同身受
07:54
Their佢哋 eyes眼睛 literally從字面上 light up,
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佢哋對眼當堂發晒光
07:56
and they say things like, "I want one of those,"
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又會話:我都想要要部咁嘅嘢!
07:59
or, "If you can do that, I can do anything."
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或者:如果你都做得到,我都一定得!
08:03
And I'm thinking思維, it's because in that moment時刻
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我覺得,因為嗰一刻
08:06
of them seeing看到 an object對象
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佢哋睇緊一件嘢
08:09
they have no frame框架 of reference參考 for,
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係佢地前所未見
08:11
or so transcends超越 the frames框架 of reference參考
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或者超乎佢哋想像
08:14
they have with the wheelchair輪椅,
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打破晒「輪椅」兩隻字嘅成見
08:16
they have to think in a completely完全 new新增功能 way.
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佢哋會重新睇呢件事
08:19
And I think that moment時刻 of completely完全 new新增功能 thought
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我覺得响新睇法出現嗰一刻
08:23
perhaps或者 creates創建 a freedom自由
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可能就開創咗新嘅自由
08:25
that spreads傳播 to the rest休息 of other people's人民 lives生活.
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伸張到其他人嘅生命之中
08:29
For me, this means意味着 that they're seeing看到
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對我嚟講,佢哋睇得到
08:33
the value價值 of difference差異,
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差異嘅價值
08:35
the joy喜悅 it brings帶嚟
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箇中嘅快樂
08:37
when instead相反 of focusing聚焦 on loss損失 or limitation限制,
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而唔係著眼於損傷或者局限
08:41
we see and discover發現 the power權力 and joy喜悅
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用新觀點去睇世界
08:45
of seeing看到 the world世界 from exciting令人興奮 new新增功能 perspectives觀點.
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可以發掘出振奮人心嘅力量同喜悅
08:49
For me, the wheelchair輪椅 becomes成為
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對我嚟講
08:51
a vehicle車輛 for transformation轉型.
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輪椅係一部轉化器
08:54
In fact事實, I now call the underwater wheelchair輪椅 "Portal門戶,"
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其實我而家叫呢部潛水輪椅做「變身器」
08:57
because it's literally從字面上 pushed me through透過
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因為事實上佢從後推我一把
09:00
into a new新增功能 way of being,
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幫我踏入全新嘅生命
09:01
into new新增功能 dimensions尺寸 and into a new新增功能 level水平 of consciousness意識.
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揭開人生新一頁,對自我嘅新覺悟
09:05
And the other thing is,
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另一方面
09:07
that because nobody's任何人 seen看到 or heard聽到
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因為從來無人知
09:09
of an underwater wheelchair輪椅 before,
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潛水輪潛應該係點
09:12
and creating創建 this spectacle奇觀 is about creating創建
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創造佢嘅事候
09:14
new新增功能 ways方式 of seeing看到, being and knowing,
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就等如創新一種睇法、認知、認同
09:17
now you have this concept概念 in your mind介意.
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而家呢種睇法入晒你哋腦喇
09:20
You're all part部分 of the artwork藝術品 too.
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你哋都係作品嘅一部份
09:24
(Applause掌聲)
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(掌聲)

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sue Austin - Performance artist
In repurposing her wheelchair to create fantastical art, Sue Austin reshapes how we think about disability.

Why you should listen

Multimedia, performance and installation artist Sue Austin keeps a fascinating mission at the center her work: to challenge the idea of disabled as “other” and represent her experience as a wheelchair user in a brighter light. She does this by creating quirky, unexpected juxtapositions -- bringing a sense of whimsy and empowerment to the discussion of disability.

Austin is the founder and artistic director of Freewheeling, an initiative aiming to further the genre of Disability Arts. In 2012, she was asked to be a part of the Cultural Olympiad in Britain, a celebration of the arts leading up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The work she created for the event, called “Creating the Spectacle!,” is a groundbreaking series of live art and video works of an underwater wheelchair.

More profile about the speaker
Sue Austin | Speaker | TED.com