BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- TEDxBirmingham, a locally organized event in the spirit of the TED Conferences, will open a new community art project near Railroad Park on Saturday, August 17.
The project, titled “Before I Die,” was inspired by New Orleans artist and urban planner Candy Chang. The purpose is to ask people to reflect on their lives and share their personal aspirations in a public space, and was highlighted in Candy’s TED Talk (http://www.ted.com/talks/candy_chang_before_i_die_i_want_...) last summer.
The interactive exhibit, located at 112 14th Street South across from the Regions Field box office, will remain open through September. Visitors will find a 60 foot long blackboard with the prompt “Before I die I want to…” Anyone is invited to pick up a piece of chalk and complete the sentence.
The project was funded through a Kickstartercampaign through which supporters pledged over $2,000 in less than two weeks. The wall was built by Andrew Morrow of Urbanscapes with help from volunteers.
Birmingham residents interested in learning more about TEDxBirmingham can get information from www.TEDxBirmingham.org. Information is also available by following @TEDxBirmingham (https://twitter.com/TEDxBirmingham)on Twitter.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.) http://www.ted.com/tedx
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a conference in California in 1984, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with many initiatives.
At a TED conference, the world's leading thinkers and doers are asked to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less. TED speakers have included Roger Ebert, Sheryl Sandberg, Bill Gates, Elizabeth Gilbert, Benoit Mandelbrot, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Brian Greene, Isabel Allende and former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Three major TED events are held each year: The TED Conference takes place every spring in Vancouver, Canada, simultaneous with TEDActive, in Whistler, BC; and the TEDGlobal Conference takes place each summer in Edinburgh, Scotland.
On TED.com, talks from TED conferences are shared with the world for free as TED Talks videos. A new TED Talk is posted every weekday. Through the Open Translation Project, TED Talks are subtitled by volunteers worldwide into more than 90 languages. Through our distribution networks, TED Talks are shared on TV, radio, Netflix and many websites.
The TEDx initiative grants free licenses to people around the world to organize TED-style events in their communities with TED Talks and live speakers. More than 5,000 TEDx events have been held, and selected talks from these events are also turned into TED Talks videos.
The annual TED Prize grants $1 million to an exceptional individual with a wish to change the world. The TED Fellows program helps world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities. TED-Ed creates short video lessons by pairing master teachers with animators, for use in classroom instruction or independent learning. http://www.ted.com
About TEDxBirmingham
TEDxBirmingham is an independent TEDx event operated under license from TED. It is not being organized by the TED conferences — this is an independent TEDx event organized by Birmingham volunteers. http://www.TEDxBirmingham.org https://twitter.com/TEDxBirmingham
