By Elizabeth Mitkos, Special to Digital Journal
Ideas change the world. So was the mantra behind last year’s ideaCity02 conference in Toronto, a three-day retreat from the regular grind to explore the wonders of sharing ideas in an open, yet intimate, forum. Finding its niche at the University of Toronto’s sociably-adept venue for the feng shui-minded, the aura of free-thinking filled the Isabel Bader Theatre.
This third annual meeting of the minds is unique to Canada, sans prescriptive presentations, symposiums and discussions typical of conventional conferences where everyone knows what is being discussed when and who is talking about what. Instead, those famished for the adrenaline rush of spontaneity and innovation found what they were looking for at ideaCity.
From the extraordinary science of nanotechnology, where life is examined at one-billionth its size, to the passionate discussion of architecture as a dimension of culture and spirituality, more than 50 mostly Canadian presenters shared their ideas with an audience of like-minded progressive thinkers hungry for meaning in a world inundated with information. About 500 participants forked over $2,000 each to register in this think-fest, leaving behind their science labs, boardrooms, newsrooms and university classrooms to indulge in the intellectual nourishment the conference was serving.
Conference-goers typically heard from any mix of astronauts, musicians, architects and scientists all in one session, with a thread of ideas weaving each presenter to the next as each one picked up on another’s ideas.
Some of the poignant thinkers who took to the stage included Canadian author and anthologist John Robert Colombo, Afghan-Canadian documentary filmmaker Nelofer Pazira, 18-year-old Canadian virtuoso violinist Adrian Anantawan, and Michael Budman, the co-founder of Canadian clothing empire, Roots.
Moses Znaimer, the creative force behind Citytv and more than 25 other Canadian and international TV channels, started ideaCity (then called TEDCity) in 2000 in partnership with American architect Richard Saul Wurman. Znaimer’s concept for ideaCity stemmed from attending TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) six years ago, a conference founded by Wurman in 1984 that showcased some of the world’s most intriguing thinkers.
With society facing new terrors such as the al-Qaeda terrorist group and the AIDS pandemic in Africa, Znaimer said that ideaCity responds to the “pressing need for people with great ideas, passion and commitment to make the world a better, smarter, healthier place.”
He opened the conference with few, but inspiring words, saying many speakers are “pursuing themes of social conscience, human dignity and related issues such as the environment and women’s rights,” thus fueling the launch of three days of fevered, fiery discussion.
“The objective [of ideaCity] is that not only are you personally enriched by what you’re hearing and seeing, and thrilled by the information that’s being thrown at you, it’s also professionally a wonderful thing to do because how will you ever discover any new ideas or think about any new connections if you’re constantly exposed to people who do the very same thing that you do?” said Jennifer Mondoux, ideaCity conference manager. ” [ideaCity tries] to challenge, entertain and inform people, and give them an opportunity to hear from people from entirely different professions.”
The only rules were no notes, teleprompters or podiums allowed. In fact, sleek arm chairs on the stage encouraged presenters to take a comfortable seat and to engage in acoustic thinking.
The silently-attentive delegates transformed into outspoken and vibrant speakers themselves, engaging in a more intimate and interactive phase of the intellectual discourse during the conversation breaks in the theatre’s futuristic foyer, furnished with the latest Panasonic tech toys and iMacs.
The transborder audience was inspired, had a few good laughs, and even pondered deep thoughts from some of the ideas conveyed not only by words, but also by art and music. Canadian artist Douglas Coupland decorated the stage with his Spike exhibit. Jumbo-sized, mutated military figures reminiscent of G.I. Joe, and massive models of cleaning agents and detergent bottles depicted the detrimental effects of commercial products which “spike” the environment with contaminants. At times, a grand piano was centre stage for presenters such as the witty and operatic music group from Toronto called Quartetto Gelato and Montreal-native Hershey Felder, a renowned concert pianist, actor and composer.
After each day of eureka exchange, swanky after parties at the theatre and downtown Toronto’s Design Exchange—decorated with gin martinis and succulent Asian food—allowed for networking and creating friendships. And just before the spectacular big-bash finale at Znaimer’s home base at the ChumCity Building, the conference came to a breathtaking close with the sultry voice of chanteuse Sarah Slean, who was celebrating her 25th birthday that day.
With preparations for the conference’s fourth year well underway, an air of reunion resonates with ideaCity, as a strong contingent of returning attendees have already signed up for 2003. The beauty of ideaCity’s simple, yet powerful, concept that exchanging ideas can inspire new thought, dialogue and even positive change, has undeniably kept them hungry for more.
The conference returns with some veteran speakers to add to an entirely new roster on June 18, 19, 20, 2003 for ideaCity03. For more information, e-mail: jenniferm@citytv.com.
ideaCity Quotes:
Marc Garneau—Astronaut and president of the Canadian Space Agency. During a NASA shuttle mission in 1984, Garneau became the first Canadian in space.
“Going into space alters your perception. . . . You look down at [earth] and it is beautiful. But you also see signs of the damage that you’re doing to it. When I flew in ‘84, I saw a pall of smoke over the Amazonian forests. I’ve seen clear cutting over Canada—with the naked eye. . . . That’s where the transformation occurs in your perception. You realize how important it is to take care of our planet.”
John Robert Colombo—Toronto-based author/editor and anthologist. Colombo is known as Canada’s “Master Gatherer” because he is a collector of Canadian quotations and has compiled six volumes of “quotable quotes”.
“[My favourite quotation] goes like this: `Canada only needs to be known in order to be great.` That statement was made by J. Castell Hopkins, a Toronto editor and cultural nationalist. It is as true today as it was when Hopkins first wrote it 103 years ago. . . because they affirm that national greatness lies in the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, not in the massing of wealth and power.”
Michael Ignatieff—Canadian author, journalist, and the director of Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
“We do have enormous power in the West and enormous resources, [but] there’s no tool kit for rebuilding states [like Afghanistan] that have failed. There are mental attitudes you can have that’ll help: respect for the place and an attempt to learn about the place. . . They don’t need a whole bunch of handholding. [Instead], we have to find a way of intervening that helps to foster and build responsibility.”
