Humans are hard-wired to share knowledge, stories, and perspectives. From the beginning of recorded history, we have shared ideas through cave art, song, epic poetry, painting, sculpture, drums, music, the written word, symbols, and computer codes; by land, sea, air, outer space, and vast global digital networks; and in person-to-person relationships, families, and communities.
Our theme for TEDxSHSU 2023 is Tapestries. Throughout time, tapestries have played a pivotal role in conveying stories, recording history, sharing knowledge, sparking wonder, and spreading ideas.
We can think of tapestries both physically and metaphorically.
Physically, a tapestry is a complex woven piece of textile, often made from wool, linen, silk, thread, or other materials. Tapestries have appeared in almost every global context – in ancient civilizations and across continents, populations, and cultures. You might be familiar with famous tapestries – such as the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the Norman Conquest, or tapestries from the Qing Dynasty in what is now called China. Modern cooperative bodies, such as the United Nations, continue to weave tapestries to share global visions of cooperation and peace.
Tapestries take many shapes. You might envision giant wall tapestries - and this is often the form they took traditionally – but tapestries can also be small, covering a table or piece of furniture; they can even function as bed coverings, pillows, or fashion accessories. In modern times, production of tapestries has become more commercialized, but their function remains the same: to use images and design to share big ideas.
And indeed, tapestries have been used to spread all kinds of ideas. Throughout history, tapestries have conveyed information for hunting, planting, and agriculture; to document military conquest and warfare; to inspire social movements and societal change; for spiritual exploration and sharing religious ideas; as a means of documenting landscapes and important people; and for capturing ideas about ceremony, art, music, drama, and the human form. In other words – we have always used tapestries to share big ideas.
Metaphorically, tapestries can symbolize people, ideas, perspectives, questions, answers, and cultures woven together into great beauty, insight, and knowledge. This ancient art form tells us something about the importance of spreading ideas across space and time.
TED and TEDx events bring together people from every background to contemplate, interrogate, dialogue about, and put ideas into action. Each of the talks at TEDxSHSU 2023 is part of a large tapestry of ideas – what TED calls “Ideas worth spreading.” Think of each idea and conversation as a thread in a global tapestry. We all have something to contribute.
Each speaker is a thread. This year’s speakers challenge us to consider a range of important ideas: addressing societal public health concerns and gaps in human relational empathy; thinking about life’s big “what-if” questions; overcoming tragedy and disappointment while finding joy and meaning; rethinking how personal loss can change the course of an entire realm of scientific study; envisioning educational environments where neurodivergence is celebrated; introducing us to lessons from the world’s greatest superpredator; managing our biggest fears and building resilience; and imagining how we use emerging digital technologies to share our purpose and push the limits of neuroscientific discovery. Our TEDxSHSU speakers each add beautiful, strong, unique ideas and perspectives to our collective idea tapestry.
Each audience member is a thread. Like all TEDx events, TEDxSHSU harnesses the power of dialogue, introspection, connection, and wonder of every attendee and partner. We come together each year at TEDxSHSU to build a space where divergent threads of people, perspectives, and cultures are woven together into a tapestry of care, concern, compassion, and curiosity.
Together we are a beautiful tapestry. Together we build. Together we strive. Together we share. Together we envision a different and better world. Together, at TEDxSHSU 2023, we weave the future.