TableMountain
x = independently organized TED event

Theme: Exploring the Edge

This event occurred on
November 16, 2013
9:00am - 4:00pm SAST
(UTC +2hrs)
Cape Town, Western Cape
South Africa

Limits, boundaries, peripheries, and the enigmatic attraction to them is part of the human condition. Discovering “the other” as a revelatory process is fundamental to understanding “ourselves”. When we define the “Edge”, we are defining difference – allowing ourselves to see each other in a comparative light. It is this ability to categorize, to separate ourselves along tribal and physical lines that has bounded us, divided us, and inked the history of the world with its permutations. When we find the “Edge” therefore, we find ourselves… our abilities, our affiliations, and our fears. It is also from the edge that we make our leaps into infinite possibilities, and break through boundaries and limitations. Here we find the opportunity to create new blends and commonality.

Extreme sports, new technology, and future art fascinate us and expand our perception of what is considered possible. Exploration of minerals and fuel drive us to the Edge of where technology can take us on earth, from the bottom of the ocean, to the Arctic, to a recently announced space mining company.

Interconnectedness and globalization have made us ever more dependent on peripheral actors… the vast flood of humanity living on the fringe of existence. Events on the perceived “Edge” play a large and growing role in global decision-making, systemic change, and catastrophic failures. Business, government, and military decisions hinge ever more on public opinion and mass action in parts of the world that once were considered unimportant…The global Edge.

What does this insatiable appetite for expansion tell us about the core tenets of human behavior? Where will the “Edge” be in the future, and is surpassing that Edge key to our existence? Is pushing the boundaries of the “Edge” a good or a bad thing?

What kind of people are the ones who “push the Edge”? TEDxTableMountain 2013 brought experts in various fields and disciplines to discuss the concept of the “Edge”.

The African Dance Theatre
44 Long Street
Corner Hout Street
Cape Town, Western Cape, 8001
South Africa
See more ­T­E­Dx­Table­Mountain events

Organizing team

Marion
Adamson

Cape Town, South Africa
Organizer

Candice
Pelser

Cape Town, South Africa
Co-organizer
  • Carryn Ortlepp
    Speaker Coach & Logistics
  • Lee Heathfield
    Speaker Coach
  • Johnny Miller
    Creative Contributor
  • Carlos Alves
    Technical Director
  • Niels Worrell
    Community Manager
  • Linda Thom
    Design and Creative Director
  • Abigail Ornellas
    Awesome Team Admin Abi
  • Celeste Alex Botha
    Logistics Assistant
  • Riaan Fourie
    Brand-Activation Strategist
  • Margaux Thomas
    Speaker & Logistics Support