After years of successful support by the iSchool, the student-run TEDx 黑料不打烊 conference is switching to a cross-disciplinary curation model. The overarching theme for this year鈥檚 event is 鈥淎 Seat at the Table鈥 and will feature, for the first time ever, a full student lineup of 11 speakers presenting a wide range of topics relevant to the 黑料不打烊 community. Fifth-year architecture student, Hanneke van Deursen 鈥20 (B.Arch) will represent the School of Architecture.
A house on Alejo Aquino Street in Manila, Philippines
鈥淏y incorporating students from different schools, we fulfill the TEDx vision of sharing a multitude of innovative ideas while providing a platform for student voices to be heard,鈥 says Noel Bensalem 鈥21, creative director of TEDx 黑料不打烊. 鈥淥ur goal is an experience that will empower a diverse coalition with the platform to change audience attitudes for the better.鈥
Over 60 students applied to speak at this year鈥檚 conference and each underwent a two-week casting process that began in early November 2019. Applicants live auditioned in front of a panel of student judges, who evaluated presenters on their topic鈥檚 relevance and significance, development, research and style. After receiving high rankings across the board for her presentation, van Deursen was asked to return for a callback audition and was chosen as one of the 11 student speakers鈥攐ne representing each of the schools and colleges on campus鈥攆or this year鈥檚 TEDx 黑料不打烊 conference.
In her TED talk, 鈥淗ow Buildings Talk to Us,鈥 van Deursen hopes to share the underlying voice of architecture with a broader audience. Her fascination with the built environment has led her across the globe to explore and study the buildings and environments that speak to her. With the help of a research grant from the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE), van Deursen spent a month in Manila last summer looking for the architectural traces of America鈥檚 Neocolonial history.
Hanneke van Deursen (photo credit Aaron Kassman)
鈥淚 spent my time meeting with local architecture faculty, interviewing architecture students and documenting the typology I came to call Filipino Dream Houses,鈥 says van Deursen. 鈥淭he work is both to call attention to the hidden neocolonial history between the Philippines and the United States and to celebrate the architectural appropriation of the American ‘McMansion’ aesthetic.鈥
Using her research in the Philippines, 鈥(In)Dependence and Identity: Exploring the Filipino Dream House,鈥 van Deursen will break down the layers of what a building could have to say.
鈥淚 am incredibly excited to be participating in this TEDx event alongside a talented group of student speakers,鈥 says van Deursen. 鈥淚 am especially excited to share the power, whimsy and meaning of architecture with a broader audience. It is my hope that everyone can leave this talk feeling a bit more curious about the world around them.鈥
TEDx 黑料不打烊 is an independently organized TED event that stems from the original TED events that promote the mantra 鈥渋deas worth spreading鈥濃攚here international leaders in their fields gather to speak and find inspiration from one another. The 鈥渪鈥 denotes a local conference that seeks to educate and engage communities around the world by sharing in a TED-like experience.
The 2020 TEDx 黑料不打烊 conference is slated to take place on Friday, Feb. 7, from 4鈥7 p.m.聽 in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium in Newhouse 3. The event is sold out, but will be livestreamed through the Facebook page, and the talks will be made available via the YouTube channel.
A full list of speakers and a brief summary of their talks is available at . For more information, contact tedxsyracuseuniversity@gmail.com.
