All images courtesy of Sofia Gomez Fonzo
Always guaranteed to challenge preconceptions and spark dialogue, TEDx, the international initiative dedicated to propagating 'ideas worth spreading', arrived in Ibiza Town for the first time on Wednesday 29 March. Hosted by TEDxDaltVila, the event held in the Can Ventosa cultural centre was appropriately titled 'Expanding Perspectives'.
Run by an army of dedicated volunteers, TEDxDaltVila was conceived and developed over the past year at our shared co-working space theHUB. The enthusiastic team pulled together an impressive 18 speakers from 7 countries. Their intriguing talks were segued with excellent performance interludes by artists from the world of dance, music and comedy.
Spanning a wide range of topics from ancient history to future human evolution, interspersed with important lessons from our past, reasons for optimism about our future and the importance of the conservation of indigenous peoples.
Listeners were provoked to reassess their view of the world we inhabit by putting an end to the legacies of colonialism and nationalism, through the mechanisms of technical innovation and philanthropy.
TEDxDaltVila encouraged personal development and empowerment, underlining the wealth of talent on the islands in the realms of biology, architecture, archaeology, the arts, environmental medicine and physical and mental health.
Whether tackling challenges such as climate change through sustainability and ecological living in revolutionary biotech cities, improving our mental health, healing the world by treating trauma, protecting our immune systems and even pepping up our sex life, there was something at TEDxDaltVila for everyone.
Anyone arriving in a slightly sleepy mode was soon brought up to speed. The event got off to a vibrant start with an explosive dance performance by bailerina Maria Garcia, who fused Hip-Hop and Flamenco to a cool version of In the Air Tonight.
Standout talks came first from Benjamin de Loenen. He explained how the psychedelic renaissance, brought about by growing interest in psilocybin and ayahuasca for therapeutic uses, could stimulate a whole new understanding of the need to protect the ancestral knowledge of indigenous people. Unless we take urgent action, this knowledge may well disappear along with the lands they inhabit.
Ex-Ibiza resident DJ and musicologist Nicc Johnson's talk about how sound impacts the way we feel, and that music could actually save your life, surely resonating with many of our clubbing followers.
Nicc revealed that 80 per cent of all sensory stimulation, particularly memory and emotion, is sound - music being the best sound of all, capable of activating every area of our brain simultaneously. He also encourages us to research the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease through music and urged us to surround ourselves with it – challenge accepted!
A witty, yet fascinating, set of life hacks courtesy of the compelling Functional Medicine physician Zandra Palma MD informed us of how to level up our immune systems by taking off our shoes, fixing a leak and throwing away our coffee cup lids! The underlying lesson was how much the concentration of toxic molecules found in mould, plastics and pesticides in our environment can degrade our body's natural defences.
Supported by some of the biggest names in Ibiza's hospitality industry, TEDxDaltVila ran like clockwork from its first act to the final speaker. Each sponsor helped to make the experience complete, whether it was a health-reviving mocktail from Chaga Health Ibiza, a creamy café con leche from Meke Coffee or a vegan chicken wrap at lunchtime courtesy of Mikasa Boutique Hotel, attendees were very well catered for.
Judging by the turnout and enthusiasm of the sell-out audience, TEDxDaltVila has been a resounding success and will continue to grow. The audience was genuinely engaged from start to finish. All of the brave 'talkers' were utterly inspirational in their own way - some provoking genuine waves of emotion and spontaneous ovations through the auditorium.
Hopefully, this is the first of many more such stimulating events and we look forward to a return next year.
