WEBVTT

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My day starts just like yours.

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(Laughter)

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When I wake up in the morning,

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I check my phone

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and then I have a cup of coffee.

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But then my day truly starts.

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It may not be like yours because
I live my life as an artwork.

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Picture yourself in a giant jewelry box

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with all the beautiful things
that you have ever seen in your life.

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Then imagine that your body is a canvas.

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And on that canvas,

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you have a mission to create a masterpiece

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using the contents
of your giant jewelry box.

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Once you've created your masterpiece,

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you might think, "Wow, I created that.

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This is who I am today."

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Then you would pick up your housekeys,

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walk out the door into the real world,

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maybe take public transport
to the center of the town ...

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possibly walk along the streets
or even go shopping.

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That's my life every day.

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When I walk out the door,

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these artworks are me.

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I am art.

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I have lived as art my entire adult life.

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Living as art is how I became myself.

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I was brought up in a small village
called Fillongley in England,

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and it was last mentioned
in the "Domesday Book,"

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so that's the mentality.

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(Laughter)

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I was raised by my grandparents,

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and they were antiques dealers.

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So I grew up surrounded
by history and beautiful things.

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I had the most amazing dress-up box.

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So as you can imagine,

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it started then.

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I moved to London when I was 17
to become a model.

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And then I went to study photography.

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I wasn't really happy
with myself at the time,

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so I was always looking for escapism.

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I studied the works of David LaChappelle


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and Steven Arnold,

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photographers who both curated
and created worlds

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that were mind-blowing to me.

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So I decided one day to cross over
from the superficial fashion world

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to the superficial art world.

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(Laughter)

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I decided to live my life
as a work of art.

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I spend hours, sometimes
months, making things.

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My go-to tool is a safety pin,

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like this --

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(Laughter)

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they're never big enough.

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(Laughter)

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And I use my fabrics time and time again,

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so I recycle everything that I use.

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When I get dressed I'm guided
by color, texture and shape.

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I rarely have a theme.

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I find beautiful objects
from all over the world

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and I curate them into 3-D
tapestries over a base layer

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that covers my whole body shape...

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because I'm not very happy with my body.

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(Laughs)

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I ask myself, "Should I take something off

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or should I put something on?"

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100 pieces maybe,

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and sometimes I do that.

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I promise you it's not
too uncomfortable --

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well, just a little --

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(Laughter)

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I might have a safety pin
poking in me sometimes

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when I'm having a conversation with you,

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so I'll kind of go off --

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(Laughter)

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It usually takes me about
20 minutes to get ready,

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which nobody ever believes.

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It's true --

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sometimes.

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So, it's my version
of a t-shirt and jeans.

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(Laughter)

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When I get dressed
I build like an architect.

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I carefully place things
until I feel they belong.

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Then I get a lot of my ideas
from lucid dreaming.

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I actually go to sleep
to come up with my ideas,

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and I've taught myself to wake up
to write them down.

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I wear things until they fall apart,

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and then I give them a new life.

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The gold outfit for example,

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it was the outfit that I wore
to the Houses of Parliament in London.

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It's made of armor,
sequins and broken jewelry,

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and I was the first person
to wear armor to Parliament

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since Oliver Cromwell
banned it in the 17th century.

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Things don't need
to be expensive to be beautiful.

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Try making outfits out of bin liners
or trash you found out on the streets.

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You never know,

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they might end up on the pages of "Vogue."

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There's over 6,000 pieces
in my collection,

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ranging from 2,000-year-old Roman rings
to ancient Buddhist artifacts.

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I believe in sharing what I do
and what I have with others,

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so I decided to create an art exhibition,

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which is currently traveling
to museums around the world.

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It contains and army of me --

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life-size sculptures
as you can see behind me,

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they're here --

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they are my life, really.

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They're 3-D tapestries
of my existence as living as art.

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They contain plastic crystals
mixed with diamonds,

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beer cans and royal silks all in one look.

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I like the fact that the viewer
can never make the assumption

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about what's real and what's fake.

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I find it important to explore and share
cultures through my works.

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I use clothing as a means to investigate

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and appreciate people
from all over the world.

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Sometimes people think
I'm a performer or a drag queen.

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I'm not.

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Although my life appears
to be a performance,

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it's not.

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It's very real.

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People respond to me as they would
any other type of artwork.

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Many people are fascinated and engaged.

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Some people walk around me,
staring, shy at first.

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Then they come up to me and they say
they love or absolutely hate what I do.

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I sometimes respond and other times
I let the art talk for itself.

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The most annoying thing in the world
is when people want to touch the artwork.

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But I understand.

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But like a lot of contemporary art,

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many people are dismissive.

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Some people are critical,

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others are abusive.

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I think it comes from
the fear of the different --

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the unknown.

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There are so many reactions to what I do,

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and I've just learnt
not to take them personally.

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I've never lived
as Daniel Lismore the person.

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I've lived as Daniel Lismore the artwork.

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And I've faced every
obstacle as an artwork.

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It can be hard ...

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especially if your wardrobe
takes up a 40-foot container,

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three storage units

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and 30 boxes from IKEA --

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(Laughter)

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and sometimes it can be
very difficult getting into cars,

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and sometimes --

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well, this morning I didn't fit
through my bathroom door,

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so that was a problem.

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(Laughter)

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What does it mean to be yourself?

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People say it all the time,

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but what does it truly mean

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and why does it matter?

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How does life change when you choose
to be unapolegetically yourself?

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I've had to face struggles
and triumphs whilst living my life as art.

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I've been put on private jets

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and flown around the world.

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My work's been displayed
in prestigious museums

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and I've had the opportunity --

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that is my grandparents by the way --

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they're people that raised me --

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and there I am --

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(Applause)

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So I've been put on private jets,

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flown around the world

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and it's not been that easy

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because at times I've been homeless,

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I've been spat at,

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I've been abused --

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sometimes daily --

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bullied by entire life,

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rejected by countless individuals,

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and I've been stabbed.

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But what hurt the most
was being put on the "Worst Dressed" list.

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(Laughter)

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It can be hard being yourself,

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but I've found it's the best way.

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There's the "Worst Dressed."

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(Laughs)

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As the quote goes, "Everyone
else is already taken,"

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I've come to realize that confidence
is a concept you can choose.

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I've come to realize that authenticity
is necessary and it's powerful.

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I've tried to spend time
being like other people.

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It didn't work.

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It's a lot of hard work,

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not being yourself.

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I have a few questions for you all.

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Who are you?

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How many versions of you are there?

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And I have one final question:

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are you using them all
to your advantage?

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In reality, everyone is capable
of creating their own masterpiece.

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You should try it some time.

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It's quite fun.

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Thank you.

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(Applause and cheers)