Calling all idealists –
The other day I was driving down McCaul Street in Toronto, gazing up at The Ontario College Of Art & Design’s new building. The structure always injects me with its spirit of whimsy and I, in turn, am passing that feeling on to you as I reveal our next six presenters in true game show fashion. The answers can be found at the end of this newsletter, so read on. Next time, who knows, perhaps a crossword puzzle?
1. I may already have given away the first "new" presenter for this newsletter but he deserves more of an intro than that! Once dubbed "Mr. Blobby", this prominent UK architect’s striking work explores the latent beauty of unusual forms. He turns conventions on their head with his approach to design – closer to fine art practice than architectural orthodoxy. With structures like his government offices in Marseilles and the Peckham Library and Media Centre in London, he has liberated society from the boredom he believes most buildings so perfectly embody. Pods, blobs, bright colours are among his trademarks and he is guided by the principle that architecture is both a vehicle and a symbol of social change and renewal. In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded the Stirling Prize in 2000.
Who is ………….?
2. The next presenter is a "group" of the finest fiddle and violin virtuosi ever assembled on one stage. In addition to their concert schedule, Cineplex Entertainment screened their live concert in 56 theatres across Canada and they recently performed at Sir Sean Connery’s Charity Benefit Fashion Show, Dressed To Kilt at Club M2 in New York City. Among them, they hold degrees from Juilliard, world step-dance championships, a North American fiddling championship or two, at least one Juno award, and top prizes in prestigious international violin competitions in France, Italy and Spain.
Who is ………….?
3. Virtual Kitchen, The Booze Cruise, The Enterprise Game and Minty Science are only a few of the "serious" games produced by this Director of Research at the University of Coventry’s Serious Games Institute. Her goal is to harness the technology used for entertainment to enhance education, business practice, medical training, disaster management and other areas of health and safety. The Booze Cruise, for example, is a serious videogame where participants get an insider’s feel of how difficult it is to drive while drunk. This game won the Student and People’s Choice awards at the FuturePlay 2007 game competition. With expertise in Artificial Intelligence and games, visualization, mixed reality, augmented reality and location aware technologies, she works closely with international industrial and academic research and development partners.
Who is ………….?
4. William Burroughs called this bestselling author "a fellow writer of exploration literature." His book The Third Man Factor: The Secret to Survival in Extreme Environments, is a riveting combination of popular science and adventure that explores the human capacity to survive and transcend perilous conditions. The book is an extraordinary account of how people at the very edge of death – 9/11 survivors, mountaineers, divers, polar explorers, prisoners of war, sailors, aviators, and astronauts – often sense an incorporeal being beside them who encourages them to make one final effort to survive. His other books include Frozen In Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition. He is Editorial Board Editor at The Globe and Mail, and a Senior Fellow at Massey College, University of Toronto and a Governor of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
Who is ………….?
5. In 2004, this young Canadian nurse decided that she wanted to learn about the world outside North America. She sold all her things, bought a backpack and boarded a plane. She was in Thailand when the tsunami struck and subsequently flew to India to set up a make shift clinic on a beach near a village that had been badly ravaged. In 2005, she returned to Canada to apply to Doctors Without Borders. In March 2009, she made international news after she and two other foreign workers were taken by gunpoint at a medical clinic in strife-torn Northern Darfur. It was her fourth African mission. After four days in captivity, she was released unharmed. She is also a painter, using her art to tell the stories of the fear and suffering of those she encountered.
Who is ………….?
6. From Austria to Ontario and back again … Lured away from the University of Toronto to direct the Austrian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna, he likens cellular parts to Lego pieces and is celebrated both in the laboratory and by popular media. How often does Esquire Magazine cover a molecular geneticist and call him, "the greatest scientist of our time"? On April 3, he was presented with the "2009 ESCI Award for Excellence in Biomedical Investigation", a prize bestowed annually upon an outstanding investigator younger than 45 who has made exceptional contributions to biomedical science in Europe. He always dreamed of playing in the World Cup. ideaCity comes close, no?
Who is ………….?
So, how did you fare? It would not surprise me that you were familiar with a few of our presenters since, in this our 10th Anniversary year, we are checking in with some of our alumni "Greats"; as well as offering other speakers who are completely new. As we have always maintained, we are proud to present the world’s most interesting and innovative speakers that you haven’t heard of, yet.
We are almost at 50 speakers by the way, and then the real countdown begins. With just under 60 days to go, we encourage you to register now and save $300 off the door price. For $3,700, a fraction of the price of other similar conferences (compare: TED @ $6,000 US or $7,200 CDN plus), you can experience our esteemed roster of speakers (and 3 fabulous parties), all of whom you can read about at www.ideacityonline.com. I hope you will join us.
Answers:
1. Who is Will Alsop?
2. Who is Bowfire?
3. Who is Sara de Freitas?
4. Who is John Geiger?
5. Who is Laura Archer?
6. Who is Josef Penninger?
