1
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My day starts just like yours.

2
00:00:05,581 --> 00:00:10,546
(Laughter)

3
00:00:10,570 --> 00:00:12,586
When I wake up in the morning,

4
00:00:12,610 --> 00:00:14,798
I check my phone,

5
00:00:14,822 --> 00:00:16,484
and then, I have a cup of coffee.

6
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But then my day truly starts.

7
00:00:21,154 --> 00:00:26,333
It may not be like yours,
because I live my life as an artwork.

8
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Picture yourself in a giant jewelry box

9
00:00:32,636 --> 00:00:35,977
with all the beautiful things
that you have ever seen in your life.

10
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Then imagine that your body is a canvas.

11
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And on that canvas,

12
00:00:44,335 --> 00:00:49,397
you have a mission to create a masterpiece

13
00:00:49,421 --> 00:00:52,212
using the contents
of your giant jewelry box.

14
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Once you've created your masterpiece,

15
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you might think, "Wow, I created that.

16
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This is who I am today."

17
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Then you would pick up your house keys,

18
00:01:04,715 --> 00:01:06,961
walk out the door into the real world,

19
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maybe take public transport
to the center of the town ...

20
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Possibly walk along the streets
or even go shopping.

21
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That's my life, every day.

22
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When I walk out the door,

23
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these artworks are me.

24
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I am art.

25
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I have lived as art my entire adult life.

26
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Living as art is how I became myself.

27
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I was brought up in a small village
called Fillongley, in England,

28
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and it was last mentioned
in the "Domesday Book,"

29
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so that's the mentality.

30
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(Laughter)

31
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I was raised by my grandparents,

32
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and they were antiques dealers,

33
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so I grew up surrounded
by history and beautiful things.

34
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I had the most amazing dress-up box.

35
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So as you can imagine, it started then.

36
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I moved to London when I was 17
to become a model.

37
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And then I went to study photography.

38
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I wasn't really happy
with myself at the time,

39
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so I was always looking for escapism.

40
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I studied the works of David LaChappelle

41
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and Steven Arnold,

42
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photographers who both curated
and created worlds

43
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that were mind-blowing to me.

44
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So I decided one day to cross over
from the superficial fashion world

45
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to the superficial art world.

46
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(Laughter)

47
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I decided to live my life
as a work of art.

48
00:02:38,178 --> 00:02:41,071
I spend hours, sometimes
months, making things.

49
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My go-to tool is a safety pin,
like this --

50
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(Laughter)

51
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They're never big enough.

52
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(Laughter)

53
00:02:48,633 --> 00:02:51,157
And I use my fabrics time and time again,

54
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so I recycle everything that I use.

55
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When I get dressed I'm guided
by color, texture and shape.

56
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I rarely have a theme.

57
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I find beautiful objects
from all over the world

58
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and I curate them into 3D tapestries

59
00:03:06,045 --> 00:03:08,705
over a base layer that covers
my whole body shape ...

60
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because I'm not very happy with my body.

61
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(Laughs)

62
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I ask myself, "Should I take something off

63
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or should I put something on?

64
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100 pieces, maybe?"

65
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And sometimes, I do that.

66
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I promise you it's not
too uncomfortable --

67
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well, just a little --

68
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(Laughter)

69
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I might have a safety pin
poking at me sometimes

70
00:03:28,724 --> 00:03:30,629
when I'm having a conversation with you,

71
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so I'll kind of go off --

72
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(Laughter)

73
00:03:35,091 --> 00:03:38,566
It usually takes me
about 20 minutes to get ready,

74
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which nobody ever believes.

75
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It's true --

76
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sometimes.

77
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So, it's my version
of a t-shirt and jeans.

78
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(Laughter)

79
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When I get dressed,
I build like an architect.

80
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I carefully place things
till I feel they belong.

81
00:03:56,157 --> 00:03:58,791
Then, I get a lot of my ideas
from lucid dreaming.

82
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I actually go to sleep
to come up with my ideas,

83
00:04:01,790 --> 00:04:04,319
and I've taught myself to wake up
to write them down.

84
00:04:06,002 --> 00:04:07,995
I wear things till they fall apart,

85
00:04:08,019 --> 00:04:10,200
and then, I give them a new life.

86
00:04:10,686 --> 00:04:12,423
The gold outfit, for example --

87
00:04:12,447 --> 00:04:16,486
it was the outfit that I wore
to the Houses of Parliament in London.

88
00:04:17,411 --> 00:04:20,244
It's made of armor,
sequins and broken jewelry,

89
00:04:20,268 --> 00:04:23,015
and I was the first person
to wear armor to Parliament

90
00:04:23,039 --> 00:04:25,719
since Oliver Cromwell
banned it in the 17th century.

91
00:04:26,889 --> 00:04:29,555
Things don't need
to be expensive to be beautiful.

92
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Try making outfits out of bin liners
or trash you found out on the streets.

93
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You never know,

94
00:04:36,319 --> 00:04:38,660
they might end up on the pages of "Vogue."

95
00:04:39,932 --> 00:04:42,156
There's over 6,000 pieces
in my collection,

96
00:04:42,180 --> 00:04:46,486
ranging from 2,000-year-old Roman rings
to ancient Buddhist artifacts.

97
00:04:47,066 --> 00:04:50,084
I believe in sharing what I do
and what I have with others,

98
00:04:50,108 --> 00:04:53,046
so I decided to create an art exhibition,

99
00:04:53,070 --> 00:04:55,998
which is currently traveling
to museums around the world.

100
00:04:57,080 --> 00:04:59,305
It contains an army of me --

101
00:04:59,329 --> 00:05:01,478
life-size sculptures
as you can see behind me,

102
00:05:01,502 --> 00:05:02,653
they're here --

103
00:05:02,677 --> 00:05:03,894
they are my life, really.

104
00:05:03,918 --> 00:05:07,152
They're kind of like 3D tapestries
of my existence as living as art.

105
00:05:07,176 --> 00:05:09,652
They contain plastic crystals
mixed with diamonds,

106
00:05:09,676 --> 00:05:12,267
beer cans and royal silks all in one look.

107
00:05:12,639 --> 00:05:15,508
I like the fact that the viewer
can never make the assumption

108
00:05:15,532 --> 00:05:17,191
about what's real and what's fake.

109
00:05:17,599 --> 00:05:22,390
I find it important to explore and share
cultures through my works.

110
00:05:23,746 --> 00:05:26,156
I use clothing as a means to investigate

111
00:05:26,180 --> 00:05:28,636
and appreciate people
from all over the world.

112
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Sometimes, people think
I'm a performer or a drag queen.

113
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I'm not.

114
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Although my life appears
to be a performance,

115
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it's not.

116
00:05:42,149 --> 00:05:43,844
It's very real.

117
00:05:44,791 --> 00:05:47,832
People respond to me as they would
any other type of artwork.

118
00:05:48,272 --> 00:05:51,164
Many people are fascinated and engaged.

119
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Some people walk around me,
staring, shy at first.

120
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Then they come up to me and they say
they love or absolutely hate what I do.

121
00:06:00,242 --> 00:06:03,986
I sometimes respond and other times
I let the art talk for itself.

122
00:06:06,187 --> 00:06:09,964
The most annoying thing in the world
is when people want to touch the artwork.

123
00:06:10,550 --> 00:06:11,860
But I understand.

124
00:06:12,822 --> 00:06:14,531
But like a lot of contemporary art,

125
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many people are dismissive.

126
00:06:16,059 --> 00:06:17,966
Some people are critical,

127
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others are abusive.

128
00:06:19,918 --> 00:06:22,809
I think it comes from
the fear of the different --

129
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the unknown.

130
00:06:24,194 --> 00:06:26,671
There are so many reactions to what I do,

131
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and I've just learned
not to take them personally.

132
00:06:30,803 --> 00:06:33,336
I've never lived
as Daniel Lismore, the person.

133
00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:35,454
I've lived as Daniel Lismore, the artwork.

134
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And I've faced every
obstacle as an artwork.

135
00:06:40,402 --> 00:06:42,294
It can be hard ...

136
00:06:42,318 --> 00:06:46,459
especially if your wardrobe
takes up a 40-foot container,

137
00:06:46,483 --> 00:06:49,397
three storage units
and 30 boxes from IKEA --

138
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(Laughter)

139
00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:54,968
and sometimes, it can be
very difficult, getting into cars,

140
00:06:54,992 --> 00:06:56,218
and sometimes --

141
00:06:56,242 --> 00:06:58,910
well, this morning I didn't fit
through my bathroom door,

142
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so that was a problem.

143
00:07:00,201 --> 00:07:01,848
(Laughter)

144
00:07:01,872 --> 00:07:03,847
What does it mean to be yourself?

145
00:07:04,313 --> 00:07:06,182
People say it all the time,

146
00:07:06,206 --> 00:07:07,896
but what does it truly mean,

147
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and why does it matter?

148
00:07:10,257 --> 00:07:14,465
How does life change when you choose
to be unapologetically yourself?

149
00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:20,466
I've had to face struggles
and triumphs whilst living my life as art.

150
00:07:20,490 --> 00:07:22,730
I've been put on private jets

151
00:07:22,754 --> 00:07:24,329
and flown around the world.

152
00:07:24,724 --> 00:07:26,947
My work's been displayed
in prestigious museums

153
00:07:26,971 --> 00:07:28,448
and I've had the opportunity --

154
00:07:28,472 --> 00:07:31,204
that is my grandparents, by the way --

155
00:07:31,228 --> 00:07:32,943
they're the people that raised me --

156
00:07:32,967 --> 00:07:34,323
and there I am --

157
00:07:34,347 --> 00:07:35,348
(Laughs)

158
00:07:35,372 --> 00:07:40,834
(Applause)

159
00:07:40,858 --> 00:07:43,611
So I've been put on private jets,
flown around the world,

160
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and yet, it's not been that easy

161
00:07:45,724 --> 00:07:48,796
because at times, I've been homeless,

162
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I've been spat at,

163
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I've been abused, sometimes daily --

164
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bullied my entire life,

165
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rejected by countless individuals,

166
00:07:56,518 --> 00:07:58,404
and I've been stabbed.

167
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But what hurt the most

168
00:08:00,358 --> 00:08:02,517
was being put on the "Worst Dressed" list.

169
00:08:02,541 --> 00:08:05,751
(Laughter)

170
00:08:05,775 --> 00:08:08,106
It can be hard, being yourself,

171
00:08:08,130 --> 00:08:09,903
but I've found it's the best way.

172
00:08:09,927 --> 00:08:11,284
There's the "Worst Dressed."

173
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(Laughs)

174
00:08:13,768 --> 00:08:16,371
As the quote goes,
"Everyone else is already taken."

175
00:08:17,128 --> 00:08:20,415
I've come to realize that confidence
is a concept you can choose.

176
00:08:20,991 --> 00:08:25,121
I've come to realize that authenticity
is necessary and it's powerful.

177
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I've tried to spend time
being like other people.

178
00:08:29,741 --> 00:08:30,981
It didn't work.

179
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It's a lot of hard work,
not being yourself.

180
00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:37,340
I have a few questions for you all.

181
00:08:38,612 --> 00:08:39,762
Who are you?

182
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How many versions of you are there?

183
00:08:43,850 --> 00:08:46,272
And I have one final question:

184
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are you using them all to your advantage?

185
00:08:51,503 --> 00:08:55,163
In reality, everyone is capable
of creating their own masterpiece.

186
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You should try it sometime.

187
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It's quite fun.

188
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Thank you.

189
00:09:00,628 --> 00:09:05,841
(Applause and cheers)