Extreme tidying up. Swiss artist/comedian Ursus Wehrli (auf Deutsch) sorts his alphabet soup, makes living histograms out of his fruit salad, and in his TED talk poured Pollock's paint back into the can.
posted by madcaptenor on Sep 13, 2011 - 12 comments

Candy Chang is a public installation artist, designer, urban planner and 2011 TED Senior Fellow based in New Orleans. Her Civic Center creates projects that try to "make cities more comfortable", and encourage residents to envision alternate urban realities: "I Wish This Was...." (site) / The NYC Street Vendor Guide / "Before I Die... In NOLA" / The Restroom Map Notepad / The Sexy Trees of the Marigny 2011 Calendar / The Neighbor Doorknob-Hanger / A Nice Place for a Tree and Post-It Notes for Neighbors. (Via). [more inside]
posted by zarq on Mar 2, 2011 - 7 comments

X-Ray art is the use of radiography to take a different look at flowers, foliage and faux landscapes, sea shells and sea life (one of a number of flash galleries), and a weird look at the world. But these folks are all millennia behind some artists from Australia, Siberia, and elsewhere. [more inside]
posted by filthy light thief on Oct 6, 2010 - 7 comments

The Seven Vices of Highly Creative People vs. Elizabeth Gilbert on How We Kill Geniuses [more inside]
posted by The Devil Tesla on Aug 5, 2009 - 109 comments

Understanding comics - Scott McCloud recaps his comics theory work at TED. [more inside]
posted by Artw on Jan 31, 2009 - 30 comments

Speaking of speeches, David Eggers delivers one at TED on grassroots community tutoring for kids who need help with their English homework: "There's something about the kids finishing their homework in a given day, working one on one, getting all this attention. They finish their homework, they go home -- they're finished. They don't stall. They don't do their homework in front of the TV. They're allowed to go home 5:30, enjoy their family, enjoy other hobbies, get outside, play and that makes a happy family. A bunch of happy families in a neighborhood is a happy community. A bunch of happy communities tied together is a happy city and a happy world, right? So, the key to it all is homework." Love him or hate him (mefi consensus) it's a great example of nervous energy microphilanthropy, social entrepreneurship and, if I may make the connection, machines of loving grace. [previously]
posted by kliuless on Mar 23, 2008 - 26 comments