Life

Making Connections: An ideaCity04 Social Diary

Digital Journal Staff

Published

October 19, 2004

TORONTO, Digital Journal — If there was one theme that consistently popped up throughout this year’s ideaCity conference, it was “connections.” Connections between disparate concepts, connections between diverse people, unprecedented connections between the audience and presenters.

Here’s the idea: Get about 500 intellectual, open-minded individuals to take three days off work, minus the occasional cell-phone break, and hang out at the University of Toronto’s Isabel Bader Theatre. Then get 55 brilliant presenters to cram their minds with more ideas in 20 minutes than the average person digests in a full year. When that’s finished, let them all party together.

Guests of ideaCity04 discuss the hot topics of the day during one of several conversation breaks. — Photo: djc Features

Anyone who’s been to ideaCity knows that it’s the open atmosphere, the intermittent schmoozefests and the parties that really make it such a valuable experience — especially the parties. In the tradition of The Great Gatsby, each night of ideaCity includes a spectacular party at some stunning locale, each more decadent than the last.

Despite the barrage of creative and intellectual materiel absorbed by day, the crowd remained as bright and energetic as a class of gifted high-schoolers throughout the night. The conversation flowed as freely and easily as the great wine from Niagara’s Peninsula Ridge Estates; not once did I hear a word about reality television, even mockingly. However, in consideration to our charismatic host Moses Znaimer, music videos were a relatively hot topic.

Here are just some the things I saw, heard and drank:

Day #1:

Ariel Kwan, 11-year-old violin and piano virtuoso, is the first performer. She’s also the first to get a standing ovation.
The second standing O goes to Severn Cullis-Suzuki, daughter of environmentalist David Suzuki. She shows a clip of herself at 12 years old, delivering a fiery, heartrending speech at 1992’s Earth Summit meeting in Rio; some audience members are brought to tears.
Michael Adams , president and CEO of Environics, tells us 43 per cent of Canadians believe in Hell, while 44 per cent believe in Satan.
François Parenteau, renegade Wall Street investor, says, “I will learn more about investing by spending three days at this conference, than by locking myself up in my office.” He draws the biggest crowds at the break, mostly people wanting to learn more about investing.
I argue at length with an endodontist over whether we should send Canadians to Mars.
I catch a good caffeine buzz.

Party #1:

The stunningly gorgeous glassworks of the Sandra Aisley Gallery give the party an ethereal aura.
A Yamaha executive demonstrates a high-tech player piano, plugging in a diskette marked “Oscar Peterson.”
CHUM camera crews interview hordes of party patrons. I overhear someone say “It’s like a buffet of nourishing intellectualism that makes me feel satiated for at least a week, if not a month.”
A guy randomly asks me if I can imagine what it would be like to be here, high. I direct him to Marijuana Party president Marc Emery.
Space Elevator developer Brad Edwards rocks his baby under what may be the world’s most expensive glass menagerie.
Genetic Savings & Clone owner Lou Hawthorne talks about his guitar collection, his precocious son, his cloned cats.
The wine is great.

Day #2:

Probably the most eccentric speaker so far: Robert Munsch, best-selling children’s author walks on stage past the waiting chairs and sits on the table. He also becomes the first presenter to use the term “totally batshit nutso.”
Digital Journal cover girl Sook-Yin Lee removes her pants, prances around on stage implores others to follow her lead. Only astrophysicist/funnyman Jaymie Matthews complies.
ShakespeareWorks gets volunteers to insult each other as a dramatic exercise. One guy is repeatedly told, “Your breath smells like moose crap, and you stink like a pig.” The next night I see him threaten to jump off the CHUM building’s balcony.
I get a free neck massage from the Aveda cosmetics booth. I catch a good spine buzz.
I put up my own idea on the Wall of Ideas: We should split up lottery jackpots and tax their winnings. Someone disagrees and puts up her own response.
As he ends his speech, architecture giant Jack Diamond begs us not to vote Conservative. The next day, UN peacekeeping commander Major General Lewis Mackenzie will make a compelling argument to increase military spending.
“Stretch with Tesh.” Yoga guru has people holding hands and playing patty-cake.
Volunteer Andrew MacDougall on ideaCity’s intangible benefits: “It’s an incredible boost to the spirit, to morale and the motivation to work. It’s also the realization that you too are capable of achieving great things, that it’s not an unusual amount of brain power, but an unusual amount of effort and drive.”
My favourite work of art: Edward Burtynksy‘s photograph of discarded oil filters unwittingly resembles a chaotic Jackson Pollock painting.
Jimmy Bowskill, 13-year-old blues guitarist and singer, blows the audience away. He thanks his band for helping him with his career.

Party #2:

The high ceilings and Art Deco flourishes of the Design Exchange building are a reminder of Toronto’s financial and architectural history. At least three different caterers have booths, one of them featuring truly incredible sushi.
Ken Finkleman complains about taxes. Jack Diamond complains about urban sprawl.
Jimmy Bowskill, the little blues dude gets bombarded by compliments from partygoers. He seems used to it.
Coolest outfit of the night: Severn Cullis-Suzuki, in some sort of military khakis with multiple straps hanging off.
I spend the night talking to one of the volunteer girls and forget that I’m supposed to be recording items for this piece.
The Amsterdam beer tastes good.

Day #3:

Mers Kutt, inventor of the personal computer, talks about his life in computing and goes 25 minutes over his time limit. He talks about a new invention he calls a Rocket Docket — a tiny supercomputer that sounds like it might be a cell phone/PDA/pc. He gets a standing ovation.
Best opening line: Laura Kipnis, author of Against Love: A Polemic. “Would all the adulterers in the room please stand up?” A few do.
TEDCities founder, ROI institute CEO and man about town Ted Stout: “What really attracts me is the people. I like to meet new people, make lots of good friends, do business with them…plus I got this.” He shows me a CD from violinist Lara St. John, signed “to the coolest dude at this conference and by far the sexiest. Mmmwwwaaaaah! XOXOXO.”
Eva Vertes and Fotini Markopoulou-Kalamara prove that “all the babes are in science.” So says Moses Znaimer.
Environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., despite his laryngitis, gives a fantastic, impassioned speech that’s the talk of the conference. He gets a standing ovation that continues long after he has walked off the stage.
My legs get tired from all the standing ovations.
Lola Rasimsky, advocate for arts education, has people blindly drawing self-portraits. Mine looks like an escaped convict.
The entire crowd gets up and dances for Jane Bunnett‘s scorching Afro-Cuban jazz.
Digital Journal editor-in-chief Chris Hogg wins a $1,500 ultra-ergonomic chair from Steelcase in a raffle draw. I catch a good jealousy buzz.

Party #3:

The CHUM Television building hosts the biggest, booziest and most beautiful party of them all. There’s a Cuban theme, incorporating fusion music, meat-heavy snacks and lots of vodka mojitos.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is swarmed by the Aveda ladies as he gets a prolonged hand massage in the Fashion Television studio. His kids look a little bored.
Three wine glasses break in my presence.
Sex activist John Ince, who refused to take off his clothes during Sook-Yin’s presentation, lets it all hang out for a photo shoot. From a witness: “He should be very proud of himself.”
Tesh explains how you can be a yoga guru and still drink a couple beers once in a while. It’s a compelling argument.
The absence of Marc Emery disappoints some ideaCity guests.
There’s a great view of the MMVAs being set up.
The prevailing attitude, as the night unwinds, is elation mixed with sadness. It’s hard to accept that it’s almost over, and that we’ll soon be returning to reality. But of course, as everyone reminds each other, there’s always next year.