TEDxSalford

Performer Announcement – Hetain Patel

“It is Patel’s skilled precision in realising an almost seamless harmony of his culturally and historically divergent source material that gives his installations a distinctive resonance.”
- Robert Clark, The Guardian

We are very excited to welcome visual artist Hetain Patel to TEDxSalford as a performer this year, so expect the unexpected as Patel brings us his fascinating and vibrant work to our stage in November.

Born in Bolton in 1980, Patel completed his degree in 2003 and won the Arts Council England East Midlands Decibel award the following year. From 2005 to 2007 he was resident artist at Lakeside Arts Centre in Nottingham where he evolved his style and experimented with different types of media.

His latest piece, ‘Be Like Water’ is funny and heartwarming as well as being an interesting exploration of culture and personal identity. The title refers to a quote from Bruce Lee, one of two characters who dominate this piece alongside Patel’s father as inspiration for both the audience and for Patel.

Be Like Water is performed by Patel and Taiwanese dancer, Yuyu Rau in a unique and exciting way. Mixing dance, martial arts, they tell a powerful story that examines self identity and how we view ourselves in relation to others. It also explores the personal cultural identity of Patel and how he feels about being Indian and being English at the same time.

Patel uses tools such as photography, video and live performance to project his art to a wide audience. From drums and Indian classical music to his own body, he uses many different methods to discover more about his own Anglo-Indian identity and to involve his audience with his vision. A noticeable part of all his performances is how fluid and full of life they are with their vibrant energy, sleek movements and usage of design and colour.

Although much of his work explores culture and ethnicity, he doesn’t overtly express a particular political message:

“My work is not consciously political. Any explorations of identity are not statements but rather a result of ideas allowed to develop from their residence in my body. I almost wish to deny the burden of representation in order to engage with subtler layers of placing oneself in the world, often using humour as a way into this.”

As a child, Patel developed an interest in comic books and television, both of which still influence his work today. He was especially a fan of Spider-Man and of Bruce Lee, two characters he enjoyed because they were both “skinny guys who beat bad guys up in style.” He also watched a lot of Eddie Murphy, a man he credits with his love of comedy and using humour in his performances.

No matter what he’ll perform for us, there is no doubt that it will be exciting, unique and unusual. Hetain Patel is certainly worth looking forward to.

We are pleased to announce that Hetain Patel will be performing at TEDxSalford 3.0 on the 10^th of November at The Lowry, Salford Quays. You can find out more about him on his website. Also, don’t forget to check on our other guests over on our speaker page.