TEDxDiliman: How Art and Culture Can Change the World

THE PHILIPPINES, OCTOBER 9, 2011: On October 8, TEDxDiliman, an independently organized TED event by the non-profit organization CANVAS, gathered an impressive list of speakers at the UP College of Law’s Malcolm Hall for an audience of 100. 

 

TED (Technology Entertainment Design) is a global conference that brings together the world’s thought leaders, innovators and artists, discussing the future and making the world a better place. Individuals may apply for licenses to stage TEDx events for a limited audience.

 

Deviating from previous TEDxManila programs, CANVAS opted for a curated program arranged into three themed sessions: Storytelling, The Future, and How Art Can Change the World, punctuated by videos of Jose Abreu of Venezuela’s El Sistema and French street artist JR articulating their TED Prize wishes. 

 

TV director Rico Gutierrez started off the first session by recreating what a studio audience would feel like using colorful balloons and a hyperactive host. Gutierrez shared his experience breaking TV conventions in the noontime variety show Party Pilipinas, collaborating with artists, using new technology, and creating episodes such as an Eraserheads musical and a version of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet using rap. "Conventions reinforce TV as an idiot box," said Gutierrez. "Change can be done with the participation of the TV audience." Through social media, the show is able to get feedback and suggestions from its viewers, enabling it to break free from the mold.

 

Inquirer columnist and Storyline producer Patricia Evangelista narrated "Why We Tell Stories". A reluctant journalist, she realized that simply getting the word out will not get people to act. And yet she continues to tell the stories of Jonas Burgos, of the Maguindanao massacre, in the hopes that someone will be able to imagine that these people are someone’s family. "We tell stories in the hope you will tell someone else. The reason I tell the story is because I cannot forget and I’m afraid I will."

 

"Freedom is the one thing we do better than anyone else in the region," said InterAksyon.com’s Roby Alampay. However, freedom for expression is often taken for granted. "It is undervalued…but it has an economic value," he argued, pointing out what other Southeast Asians have done despite their limited freedom. Alampay enjoined the audience to appreciate what we have and to see the potential this has for growth and investment.

 

As the last speaker, artist Jose Tence Ruiz issued a challenge: that of accountability and control. "Creativity would not thrive in a disorganized matrix," said Ruiz, who credits working for a newspaper for instilling discipline in him, a trait that he finds crucial as a visual artist. Aside from maintaining integrity, Ruiz reminded the audience to see and be part of the bigger picture. Alluding to Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time, he described the black hole, a body collapsing into itself, "as a nice metaphor when we are unable to orbit a bigger universe."

 

 

Artist and teacher Fernando Sena taught drawing from lines to faces in a spirited session, while Lourd de Veyra recorded, in his signature style, his attempt to wrap his head around art while knee-deep in floodwater. Museo Pambata’s Nina Lim-Yuson, Payatas FC coach Roy Moore, PETA’s Glecy Atienza, and independent filmmaker Auraeus Solito were also among the speakers who talked about their work and what keeps them going despite the odds. TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno also contributed to TEDxDiliman by designing two posters for the event.

 

 

The afternoon closed with musician and composer Noel Cabangon, who performed three songs as a group of masked artists completed a lightning mural onstage.

 

CANVAS executive director Gigo Alampay, who hosted the event said that TEDxDiliman is like throwing a pebble: "You’re just after the ripples." The goal was to gather people who are passionate about art and culture, in the hopes of starting a conversation. CANVAS hopes to eventually mount another TEDxDiliman. And we hope it will. The opportunities that art and culture provide are immense, effecting change with the right collaboration and support. TEDxDiliman became a trending topic that afternoon, and it was not difficult to see why. Leaving the hall, there was a sense of positivity that was empowering, inspiring and truly worth spreading.