Trans actress, model and writer Hari Nef scrutinizes the concept of passing as a transgender woman and using feminization as a survival tactic. "Hair, makeup and nails keep us strong and safe; does that make us sellouts? Or survivors?" In her talk, Nef boldly investigates trans femininity, asking the question: Why are we shamed for being femme?

What would Latin America look like if colonization hadn't interrupted its ancient civilizations? Imagining a future where ancestral knowledge intertwines with modern aesthetics, designer Catalina Lotero shows how "pre-Columbian futurism" draws inspiration from Indigenous symbolism and technology — empowering Latin America to reclaim lost cultura...

If you've never heard of a McMansion, get ready for a crash course in gaudy, oversized home design. In this hilarious talk, Kate Wagner, creator of the blog McMansion Hell, roasts a few of these architectural eyesores, and discusses how builders and homebuyers can make better design choices with an eye to both sustainability and aesthetics.

Architect and building tech innovator Doris Sung presents a compelling vision for reimagining building facades as active contributors to urban life and public health. Showcasing innovative technologies — like buildings that filter particulates out of the air and facades that react to heat — Sung demonstrates how modern architecture can evolve be...

Jo Michael Rezes creates theatre in collaboration with inspiring artists scattered between fringe and professional companies.

Anjan Chatterjee seeks to answer a tantalizing question: Why is beauty so gripping?

If architect and writer John Cary has his way, women will never need to stand in pointlessly long bathroom lines again. Lines like these are representative of a more serious issue, Cary says: the lack of diversity in design that leads to thoughtless, compassionless spaces. Design has a unique ability to dignify and make people feel valued, respe...

With his futuristic artworks, Daan Roosegaarde illuminates the intersection of technology, humanity and our urban environments.

About this event: Aesthetics was first put forward by Baumgarten, a German philosopher. "Aesthetics" is complex. It can be applied to all aspects of our life, such as music, mathematics, physics, biology, psychology and so on. Have you ever noticed the mathematical aesthetics of the golden ratio in architecture, music around you? Have you ever known the inherent...

Nancy Etcoff is part of a new vanguard of cognitive researchers asking: What makes us happy? Why do we like beautiful things? And how on earth did we evolve that way?

Gala Marija Vrbanic is a leader in the field of contactless and cyber fashion.

As the president of Syyn Labs, Adam Sadowsky merges art and technology to create interactive projects big and small.

Raghava KK's paintings and drawings use cartoonish shapes and colors to examine the body, society, our world.

Punya Mishra leads a range of initiatives that provide a future-forward, equity-driven approach to designing educational systems.

Ingrid Fetell Lee studies joy and reveals how we can find more of it in the world around us.

Catalina Lotero's work illuminates how design shapes our world.

With an outspoken approach to the problems of rebuilding cites and a fearless eye for design, Reed Kroloff is helping to change the urban landscape of cities from New York to New Orleans.

Jacqueline DiBiasie-Sammons is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Mississippi.

With a background as an acrobat and dancer, Qudus Onikeku is one of the preeminent Nigerian choreographers working today.

About this event: Style is not only the external decoration, clothing, but also the social aesthetics, cultural values and social attitudes in a specific period, which may be popular trends, cultural identity, personality symbols, emotional attitudes and so on.We're going to call it "How does style last?"Look behind the style, individual attitudes and ways of sel...

Most people look at cardboard tubes and see something fit for the recycling bin. But architect Shigeru Ban turns them into beautiful buildings.

Terry Moore is the director of the Radius Foundation, a forum for exploring and gaining insight from different worldviews.

Robert Lang merges mathematics with aesthetics to fold elegant modern origami. His scientific approach helps him make folds once thought impossible -- and has secured his place as one of the first great Western masters of the art.

The Pursuit of Happiness Monterey, California February 25-28, 2004 Dear TEDizens, A few years age I stumbled upon a question I found both shocking and exhilarating: Suppose our natural instincts about what we needed to make us happy were dead wrong? That was what the latest scientific research on happiness seemed to suggest: that most of the t...

Brian Skerry is a photojournalist who captures images that not only celebrate the mystery and beauty of the sea but also bring attention to the pressing issue which endanger our oceans.

Inspired by Nature Monterey, California February 2005 Surrounded by imperfect manmade technology, medicine, and production, we are more frequently turning to the world of nature for answers to our ailments. How can nature better serve our pursuit of knowledge? How are our aesthetics shaped by nature? How can we begin to work with nature instead ...

About this event: This event is one of the TEDx Salon gatherings, an intimate setting designed to spark thoughtful discussions on how art transcends aesthetics to communicate, challenge, and connect ideas. The event will explore the power of art in expressing complex messages, shifting perspectives, and raising awareness. We’ll also dive into how art fosters conn...

With just one breath, Guillaume Néry can dive to -125m below the water's surface.

Photo: James Duncan Davidson Jason Silva is a "performance philosopher" driven by the concept of awe. Inspired by Buckminster Fuller and Timothy Leary, his background of film and philosophy has given him the tools to create movie trailers for ideas -- what he calls "philosophical shots of espresso." In his eyes: Awe is ecstatic rapture. I...

About this event: Every generation has had their own share of ups and downs renounced by the foresightedness and doggedness of such fighters who refuse to continue wallowing within the gaps that time has created. At the maiden edition of TEDxSamonda, Ibadan, the pursuit is to look into historical events, see the present challenges and project ideas that can bri...