Posts tagged with ‘TN2020’

Blog post for britishcouncil.com on my recent trip to Paris for the Wanted Now cultural rights workshop.

(via Drumming up culture « British Council)

Group Photo: The WANTED NOW! workshop on cultural rights. Paris, France.

Photo by Ben Walker

Lost in Translation

Tonight was the welcoming event for the British Council’s cultural leadership program at Maison des Métallos here in Paris. It’s a former instrument factory built in 1881, now home to various exhibitions and events that reflect the rich and diverse culture of the neighborhood. Forty of us gathered and introduced ourselves and our work to one another. An eclectic collection of entrepreneurs, artists, filmmakers, dancers, musicians and professionals who work in the cultural arts in one form or another.

Introductions and translations (French/English) were a good exercise in listening and interpretation as we were then sectioned off in pairs to talk about who we are and what we do. We then had to have the listener introduce us to the group. I say interpretation because for many of us, English is our second or sometimes third language. It was enlightening to hear what may have gotten lost in translation, what words were substituted for others and what was altogether forgotten. Even more, it was great to hear what resonated the most in the process of translating the information received. There is something to be said about the quick-on-your-feet interpretive storytelling we employ by listening to body language and tone of voice, which is often-times closer to the truth.

After our gathering, we walked over to the main hall where we watched Les Pas Dans Les Pas, a documentary following the story of the first B-Boys in Paris in the early 80s. They were personal stories about how the hip-hop dance movement was carried over from the US, emerged in the streets of Paris and was reinterpreted.

A favorite scene was when a B-Boy mentioned how he learned his moves from the VHS tapes he used to get from America. The problem was that he didn’t realize the tapes were NTSC and not the standard European PAL, so when he played them back for his friends, it was sped up. They thought “How are they moving so fast?!” So, when the B-Boys began practicing, they aimed for speed of movement above all else. When the American B-Boys finally saw how quick the Parisians were, they didn’t understand how their moves were possible. The Parisians, on the other hand, didn’t understand why the Americans were dancing so slow. All thanks to the mistranslation of the International television encoding system.

Sometimes getting a little lost in translation is okay. It can force readjustments to the way we think. It can make us listen more closely, pay better attention. And sometimes it can be the game-changer that takes us to a whole new level of conversation.

Slowing in Paris

I’m writing this from the second floor of a little hotel room on the East side of Paris. It’s a tiny place with enough room for a bed and a desk. It’s about 11pm and I’ve just finished having my second baguette with chorizo. It’s simple, just a thin layer of meat and bread, nothing fancy at all, and I think it may be the best sandwhich I’ve ever eaten in my life.

Maybe I’m still jet-lagged. Maybe I’m still frazzled from having to disembark after a security concern on my flight. Maybe my senses are heightened because I’m in a strange place pretending to be a local, but there is something about this place that makes everything taste better.

Maybe because it just does.

It was refreshing to see that most food here (still have to explore) is not super-sized. For the most part, it doesn’t seem to be injected, processed and packaged. I stopped in at the local supermarket to pick up a few items, and I stopped in my tracks to marvel at the meat aisle. I didn’t see the usual bright red and pink parade so common in the States. The chicken wasn’t big, plump and bright, they were small, kind of dark pink, and… normal. The first thought in my head was “what are we putting in our bodies?”

I know the answer to this, but to see the contrast first-hand has its own kind of impact.

I continued walking down the aisles and noticed how all the packaging was smaller. There were no “family-sized” packs or “extra-value” containers. They were an appropriate size. When I paid for my items I realized that even the bags were smaller. Little tiny shopping bags.

As I walked outside I started craving coffee and noticed that no one had a coffee cup in their hand. I Googled “Starbucks” and was surprised (and kind of happy) that the closest one was too far to walk to. It was either sit down and enjoy my coffee or don’t have any at all.

When I went to pick up dessert, the lady from this cute little corner pastry shop handed me my chocolate purchase wrapped in paper. Another reminder of how I don’t need a plastic bag for everything. Especially when it’s going to disappear in a few minutes.

I’m here with the British Council for a workshop on cultural rights. Figuring out the role of arts and culture when it comes to social inclusion. How it can connect and transform marginalized and excluded communities…

So I have no idea why I’m talking about food right now. I guess this place inspires that kind of conversation. It’s making me seriously rethink my eating habits. Habits that I think are pretty healthy for the most part, but can use some adjustments when it comes to pairings, portions and ingredients.

Part of this trip is to be open to all experiences, to let it affect you and to share them with others. So, here I am sharing my simple thoughts on food. Granted, these experiences may not be new to the seasoned traveler, but part of this work is to look at everything with new eyes. It’s always new to someone.

The Internet is very slow in my hotel room. The photos of my adventures in the airport, navigating the Parisian subway system and finally finding my way to the hotel failed to upload. I’m forced to slow down and think and perhaps paint the images that are in my camera.

I haven’t painted any of those images in this post. I guess that baguette turned it all around.

I’ll try and paint better pictures tomorrow. xo

As some of you know, I’m involved with the British Council’s TN2020 program. Every now and then they have some amazing creative programs, initiatives and contests. Below is one of them. Please pass along to any young filmmakers you may know.

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For the second year, the British Council is partnering with the global campaign 1 Minute to Save the World, a global competition for filmmakers.

Young film-makers from around the world can take part in the international film competition by entering 1 minute films on regional climate change.  The films will be shown on the internet, at targeted political screenings and film festivals worldwide.

Winning films will be screened in front of world leaders at the COP16, an international summit on climate change and be part of an on-line campaign going out to millions of viewers. Winners also have a chance of receiving £5000 as well as other film making equipment.

Competition deadline is 17 December 2010.
Deadline for applicants aged under 18 is 12 November 2010.

For more information about the competition, visit 1 Minute to Save the World.

#TN2020: Problem solving through storyboarding

At GravityTank we worked on different ways to problem solve.

One way we explored problem solving was by using the storyboarding technique beyond its typical use of creating a modular story outline for a film. It worked incredibly and unexpectedly well. Thinking of a real-world problem from a character’s (or your) perspective really allows visual people to see the problem as a whole. You can then begin targeting and solving obstacles. I definitely recommend it… especially if you’re the visual type.

Basically, you storyboard the entire problem as it stands. You then annotate main obstacle areas (those are the stickies that you see), and then you create a new storyboard with the sticky notes implemented into the storyline to see how it would play out. We took it a step further by actually physically creating the problem solving element in 3D form. Our storyline was about going through airport security from a technophile’s perspective. Our problem solving element was an improved scanning system (yes, we built one out of poster board). We then went an extra step and our team acted out the new storyboard to see how it may feel to our main character (which was actually a mixture of all of us). It was very enlightening. It’s mindmapping taken to the 10th degree.

How do YOU define innovation? #TN2020 / Track 5

More photos of #TN2020 Chicago architecture river tour here.

Today we went on an architecture river tour around downtown Chicago, which was incredibly informative and provided a nice foundation for the rest of the week. We traveled along the Chicago river which has gone from extremely toxic to now only mildly polluted. Sea life has now made a comeback, though the tour guide did not advise having any of the fish for dinner just yet.

The architecture in Chicago is beautifully varied ranging from Art Deco, to modern glass, to revitalized warehouses and everything in between. This is where Chicago’s history began.

After the tour, we had drinks and dinner, jumped on Ustream for some getting to know you talks, took some videos, did some speed networking, and began planning on collaborations.

All in all, good first day. Tomorrow we start bright and early. I better get some sleep!

PS: You can join in on the fun tomorrow virtually. Here’s some info.

Just checked into my hotel room. That’s Daryl. We shared a cab. #TN2020

I’m currently in Chicago for the British Council’s TN2020 summit. I’ll be here for a week with over 100 other young entrepreneurs, artists, thought leaders, technologists, politicians, and all around amazing people. We’ll be exploring themes around sustainable living, building resilience in communities and creativity and innovation.

Our days start at 8am and go on full-force late into the night. We have a lot of activities planned and I hope to keep a fairly active photo journal about what I learn here in the windy city. For now, I have to hurry up and go down to the registration desk. I also have to find an ATM so I can pay Daryl back for the cab ride.

LAX bathroom stall graffiti.

TN2020 Chicago 2010 Travels:

http://www.britishcouncil.org/tn2020.htm