TED Talks to focus on sights unseen

TED Europe director Giussani says the Oxford event will “explore what’s hidden.”

Photo: TED

TED Talks, the presentation series given at the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference, is the haiku of the international lecture circuit. Instead of the 17 syllables a poet has to work with in the short Japanese verses, TED speakers have 18 minutes—no more, no less—to give "the talk of their lives," as the organizers put it. TED has been held annually in California since 1984. Four years ago, TED Global was launched in Oxford in the U.K., and in July it’s back, with speakers that include No Logo: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs author Naomi Klein and innovation consultant Janine Benyus. The theme of this year’s event is "The Substance of Things Not Seen."

Says Bruno Giussani, TED’s European director: "The conference will explore what’s hidden or not yet understood, but what still has an important influence on our lives. We don’t see the infrastructure around our cities, or what’s inside our computers, or how our brains work. Our speakers will be delving into these matters, in an original and inspirational way." Topics range from design and architecture to science and economics and everything—seen and unseen—in between.

Check out TED Talks online at ted.com/talks.