TEDxBrisbane was a creative’s wet dream -- so many brilliant people (both speaking and listening) in the one place, all determined and passionate in their own field. This wrap-up is just a handful of our highlights as there were too many inspiring speakers to mention. Aaron, Alex, Jean and I held high expectations and in true TED style -- they were exceeded.
We welcomed our long-time friend and source of constant inspiration, Edward Harran, whose infectious energy is like an extra coffee hit. Eddie introduced us to the digital k/no(w)mad and urged us all to express our inner awesomeness, leaving us wanting more and pumped for the day ahead.
Definitely the most talked about of the day was Eva Cox. We all agreed she was a gun and not just for using Skype at the ripe age of 73. She brought up so many valid points that it was hard to keep track, but in short, Alex wants her to run for PM. In the meantime, we're all motivated to help Eva work out how to prioritise social good rather than economic growth.
Andrew Bartlett shook things up when two chairs were brought onto the red-TED-carpet. Mr. Hassan, an Afghanistan refugee, sat with Bartlett, and we feel the interview that followed should be heard by all Australians. As Jean explained: “Most Australians don't have any interaction with refugees... I think anyone, regardless of political views, would feel nothing but compassion for refugees if they could have the same experience. It really de-stigmatised the highly charged, highly subjective issue of how we should treat refugees.”
Not so far from Afghanistan, working on an environmental battle in Borneo, was Cathy Henkel. Alex persuaded us that Henkel was (secretly) making a Captain Planet movie, whilst all I wanted to know was how to become a planeteer. A sneak peek into her upcoming film, which deals with the deforestation issue in Borneo, told us how we can help from the comfort of our homes – that’s right! There’s no longer an excuse not the be involved when it's just an extra click of your mouse.
So far, we'd been inspired, become aware and felt enriched, but it was Linsey Pollack who had us smiling from ear-to-ear, looking as happy as if someone had spiked our sangas, when really, we were just in awe of his ability to turn everyday objects into superb sounds. A carrot clarinet and rubber glove bagpipe? Yes, you read correctly.
More nutritious than a vegie-orchestra was the very last speaker, Jeff Waldman, the man behind a project that is so simple but generates so much happiness -- installing swings anywhere a smile is needed (which is everywhere). Jeff reminded us about the power of a push and the crowd was left undeniably impressed and enlightened, all wanting to bring out their inner child and swing their legs back and forth.
Post-TEDxBrisbane, the day ended on a high, a hum of conversation and clinking of beers filled the TED tent. If you haven’t already, add ‘watch all TEDxBrisbane talks including the short three-minuters’ to your to-do list. We’re so thankful to Carl Lindgren and Paul Fairweather for making this magic happen -- still buzzing and reflecting on its ‘awesomeness’. We smiled at least fifty times at TEDxBrisbane, so according to Ron Gutman, if one smile generates the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 bars of chocolate, we consumed well over 100,000 bars of chocolate.
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Special mention goes to: Paul Osuch's Anywhere Festival, the work of Matthew Thompson (goodluck in L.A), Frank Ansell's determination, Simon Dylan's courage, Gerard Mapstone's flamenco guitar skills, Andrew Wilford and Mara Bun's eye-popping stats, Hazel's note-scrunching and her 'wanka' sign, Chris Raine and HSM , Gordon Hamilton for creating The Australian Voices, Paul Songhurst for bringing urban spaces to our attention, Street Swags by Jean Madden, the brains of Ross Cunnington, the lawyer smarts of David Abrey, Tuxworth's innovative emergency shelter and Alex Cohen on interaction between places.
