TEDxBangkok 2015: ‘Catching the Ripples’

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Kris Sanguanpiyapand[/caption]

TEDxBangkok 2015, Bangkok’s first full-scale, world-renowned talk series for ideas and creativity, took place on June 13th 2015 at Aksra King Power Complex Theatre with 18 TEDx Talks. It brought together some of Thailand's foremost thought leaders, change makers and everyday people from each discipline - as speakers, attendees and enthusiasts.

TEDxBangkok 2015's theme was ‘Catching The Ripples’. Inspired by a quote by An Xiao Mina at TED Global 2013 – “In order to see where the wave is coming from, you have to look at the ripples”-, the theme was a challenge to both speakers and attendees to transform their ideas into tangible action that would make a positive difference in their communities, and subsequently, the whole country. After all, every movement in the society came from small ripples which accumulated into a gigantic wave.

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The conference was divided into 4 sections; ‘Still Water’, ‘Crosswind’, ‘Propagation’ and ‘Full Speed Ahead’, featuring a wide spectrum of ideas delivered through brief, straight-forward talks covering all topics, from science to creativity and politics to drama.

During the first session, ‘Still Water’, one of the highlights was Purin Panichphant, an interactive artist based in Los Angeles and currently the Creative Director at the Museum of Interactive Art in Los Angeles, who kicked off the session by sharing how simply he defied the ordinary in order to lead himself to work with world industry leaders in the field of innovative design: “Everything (we create) should be simple, playful, and easy to understand.”

Next up in ‘Crosswind’, Mahisorn Wongphati, a Robotic Engineer, introduced himself as the ‘Nation Builder via Robotics’. As a driving force behind the Intelligent System Laboratory 2 (ISL2) at Chulalongkorn University and a former RoboCup champion team, Mahisorn encouraged the audience to believe Thailand “as a nation that can, and should, produce robots second to none” by showing some exemplary projects of how useful robots can be for humans in certain situations.

During the third act, ‘Propagation’, Kris Sanguanpiyapand, Co-Founder of Blind Theatre, presented his Peter Pan-inspired vision through his work, ‘being not just a social cause, but to broaden the audience views of how to experience stage performances’. In his opinion, “drama can be a very practical tool for human interaction and therefore it shouldn´t be just misunderstood or misconceived.”

Finally in ‘Full Speed Ahead’, some of the most interesting presentations came onstage. Among others, Natavudh Pungcharoenpong, Tech Entrepreneur and Founder of Ookbee, a leading digital publishing platform in Thailand and expanding across South-East Asia, explained his not-so-secret business recipe of “simply offering a new way for people to read their favourite publications by bringing them to smart devices and at the same time, making it cheaper and friendlier to use.” He also suggested that it may be the right time for some forward-thinking in order to apply start-up ideas to the non-tech world.

Another remarkable act was by the Director of Urban Design and Development Center (UddC), Niramon Kulsrisombat, who announced firmly that “the era of walking has arrived to Bangkok”, unveiling Goodwalk.org campaign, a collaboration between UddC and Thai Health Foundation (THF). It is a new mobility concept that promotes a more efficient and environment-friendly urban map, favouring public transport, cycling or even footpaths over energy-intensive cars. “There is a need to look at data and patterns in a city so that we too can have a better understanding of the society and find ways to make cities more liveable.”

Last but not least, and in fact, probably one of the most striking and wildly-clapped presentation of the conference was ‘performed’ by Pichet Klunchun, an award-winning Contemporary Choreographer who exposed his vision about traditional culture: “arts should transcend and evolve with time.” In particular, he portrayed Thai traditional dance in a hilarious, clever and poignant way, to express his belief that “a better public understanding of body movement would lead to an enlightenment and better appreciation of Thai dance.”

These ripples caused from TEDxBangkok 2015 did not seem to end with the event. Now, through the ideas laid out at the conference, it´s about time for Thailand to create a better understanding among people, before early next year, when TEDxChiang Mai takes the baton.

For those who missed the talks from the speakers, the entire conference can be viewed online from the recorded TEDxBangkok 2015 talks here: www.TEDxBangkok.net or www.facebook.com/tedxbangkok

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About TED

TED is a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world.

TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED created a program called TEDx; a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.

For more details about TED, please check: https://www.ted.com/

About TEDxBangkok

Prior to this first full-scale edition, TED was initially established in Bangkok through TEDxBKK, a series of TEDx events in Bangkok organized between 2010 and 2012. It was previously organized with similar intention which was to empower people with ideas worth spreading. Unlike TEDxBKK, TEDxBangkok is licensed and organized by a separate volunteer team with similar goal which is to drive changes through the power of inspiring stories. Currently TEDxBKK has been discontinued and you can view their archived information on their website here: http://www.tedxbkk.com/

For more details about TEDxBangkok, please check: www.TEDxBangkok.net

About TEDxChiang Mai

A platform for ideas worth spreading, a dialogue, a call for action, and a community of people who believe in ideas, creativity, innovation and collaboration. Apart from the annual large creativity and idea forum “TEDxChiangMai”, some smaller TED events & activities are organized throughout the year.

For your info, another TEDx will be taking place here in Thailand: TEDxChiangMai 2016 on 30 January 2016.

For more details, please check: http://www.tedxchiangmai.com/