Mark Applebaum writes music that breaks the rules in fantastic ways, composing a concerto for a florist and crafting a musical instrument from junk and found objects. This quirky talk might just inspire you to shake up the "rules" of your own creative work.

Electric cars are extremely quiet, offering some welcome silence in our cities. But they also bring new dangers, since they can easily sneak up on unsuspecting pedestrians. What kind of sounds should they make to keep people safe? Get a preview of what the future may sound like as acoustic engineer and musician Renzo Vitale shows how he's compos...

Mark Applebaum has built an instrument out of doorstops and combs, as well as composed a piece of music to be performed by a florist.

Imogen Heap's aching voice and surprising electronics infuse countless videos and iPods with bone-chilling atmospherics.

Through visual art, composition and performance, Christine Sun Kim explores ways of transmuting sound and silence.

As a copy editor for the New Yorker, Mary Norris enforces some of the most authoritative (some might say eccentric) style rules in publishing.

Oscar Schwartz's research and writing concerns the influence of digital technology on culture and human interaction.

What's your sign? In Western astrology, it's a constellation determined by when your birthday falls in the calendar. But according to the Chinese zodiac (生肖), it's your shuxiang, meaning the animal assigned to your birth year. And of the many myths explaining these animal signs and their arrangement, the most enduring one is that of The Great Ra...

The Great Wall of China is a 13,000-mile dragon of earth and stone that winds its way through the countryside of China. As it turns out, the wall's history is almost as long and serpentine as its structure. Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen detail the building and subsequent decay of this massive, impressive wall. [Directed by Steff Lee, narrated b...

Jason Yang is recognized for his versatility on multiple instruments as well as his abilities in composing and producing.

At MIT's Media Lab, Tod Machover creates boundary-breaking new music, often using new instruments and music technologies he has invented.

Lili Haydn brings fresh energy and a collaborative spirit to the violin.

Jeff Hancock studies how we interact by email, text message and social media blips, seeking to understand how technology mediates communication.

Pierre Barreau is an entrepreneur, computer scientist, composer and director who loves to create impactful things.

Through his mesmerizing satellite photographs, Benjamin Grant offers us a new way of seeing of our planet and ourselves.

Malian singer Rokia Traore blends the traditions of her Bamana heritage with a modern singer-songwriter's approach to music-making.

About this event: The power of imagination! There is nothing greater than our imagination that we can rely on to let our mind radiate with sparkling bulbs of ideas! We look at ideas more than the imagination of the bulb itself so that every idea has its own shadow and the silhouette means really shadow, but the common meaning is that it is the art of shadow manip...

About this event: In producing a timeless masterpiece, therefore the vision, mission, and spirit are melted and forged by time, composing a dedication to give impact for the environment and the wider community. TEDxJalanTunjungan is featuring esteemed speakers in diverse fields to share their perspectives and experiences for a better meaningful life.

Birke Baehr wants us to know how our food is made, where it comes from, and what's in it. At age 11, he's planning a career as an organic farmer.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever sung to your pets or turned on Spotify for them. Well, cellist David Teie has carried that impulse a few steps -- OK, many steps -- further and written music for specific species of animals. David Teie is on a mission to bring music to the masses -- not just to all of humanity but to the animal kingdom, too. When ...

Dan Visconti is updating the image of the classical composer -- from lone, fusty genius to dynamic community leader who creates music as a tool for social engagement. Whether he's telling the stories of Cleveland's refugee communities or composing a piece for the Mississippi State Prison, Visconti makes concert experiences that invite people...

About this event: The TEDxFlandersWomen team is busy composing another fantastic program around six speakers, special acts & guests, entertainment, lifestyle facilities, ... Every year we dare ourselves to introduce new ideas and get ourselves out of our comfort zone to make TEDxFlandersWomen an out-of-the-ordinary TEDx event. ​ This years theme is ‘Bridges’...

About this event: We at TEDxTodai believe in the power of “ideas worth spreading.” As the first TEDxUniversity event in Japan, our vision was to create the foundation for a collegiate TEDx environment in our nation. Now, with many other institutions joining our side and sharing our dream, we wish to serve as a platform to amplify the voices of our student and alu...

At TED2005, James Horner shared the secret of what made him such a powerhouse film composer — he made it a point to watch each film as a viewer rather than as a creator. “Very often directors will say, ‘That’s not what I had in mind. I shot it with this in mind.’ But when a bystander who’s not been involved in the creation of the movie loo...

Jiaying Zhao's research tackles critical social and environmental challenges with behavioral solutions in order to promote sustainability.

Dan Pacholke aims to keep the Washington State Department of Corrections on the front edge of innovation by rethinking the design of prisons, the training of officers and the education opportunities made available to inmates.

Ever wondered what the music of the cosmos sounds like? You're about to find out. Astrophysicist and TED Senior Fellow Lucianne Walkowicz works on the Kepler mission, looking at a patch of our galaxy to learn about stars and their planets. During an interview at TED2013, she mentioned that she is also an artist and has begun composing music ...

For years now, Target has invited designers like Isaac Mizrahi (watch his TED Talk), Diane von Furstenberg (check out her TED playlist) and, most recently, abstract pattern-master Peter Pilotto to dream up collections. So when it came to creating the Target Design Café at TED2014, we knew it was going to be cool. The space features three enorm...