David Binder: The arts festival revolution

David Binder is a major Broadway producer, but last summer he found himself in a small Australian neighborhood, watching locals dance and perform on their lawns -- and loving it. He shows us the new face of arts festivals, which break the boundary between audience and performer and help cities express themselves.

PHOTO CREDITS for David's 2012 TED Talk:

Minto: Live -- Sydney Festival
2011
3 Courtesy of Lone Twin
4 Courtesy of Lone Twin
5 Courtesy of Lone Twin
6 © Pekka Mäkinen
7 © Amrit MacIntyre
8 Courtesy of Lone Twin
9 © Pekka Mäkinen
10 © Pekka Mäkinen
11 © Pekka Mäkinen
12 © Pekka Mäkinen
13 © Pekka Mäkinen
14 © Pekka Mäkinen

The Mahabharata
16 © Image Entertainment

Einstein on the Beach
17 Spaceship © Lesley Leslie-Spinks 2012

De La Guarda
21 Courtesy of De La Guarda

Sleep No More
22 © Alick Crossley

100% -- Rimini Protokoll
23 100% Berlin, © Barbara Braun, courtesy of Rimini Protokoll
24 100% Karlsruhe, © Jochen Klenk, courtesy of Rimini Protokoll
25 100% Köln, © Sandra Then, courtesy of Rimini Protokoll
26 100% Köln, © Sandra Then, courtesy of Rimini Protokoll
27 100% Köln, © Sandra Then, courtesy of Rimini Protokoll
28 100% Karlsruhe, © Jochen Klenk, courtesy of Rimini Protokoll
29 100% Köln, © Sandra Then, courtesy of Rimini Protokoll

Grown-Up School (Daily Life Series Part 4)
32 LIFT Brecknock Primary School, London 1999
Photograph: Andrew Whittuck

Roam -- a National Theatre of Scotland and Grid Iron production
33 Photo by Richard Campbell, courtesy of National Theatre of Scotland

Urban Dream Capsule

Small Metal Objects, Back to Back Theatre
36 Photo by Berni Sweeney, courtesy of Back to Back Theatre
37 2009 Time-Based Art Festival. Photo: Carole Zoom, courtesy of Portland Institute for Contemporary Art
38 Photo by Jeff Busby, courtesy of Back to Back Theatre
39 Photo by Prudence Upton, courtesy of Back to Back Theatre
40 © Richard Termine

Royal de Luxe
43 © Flickr user Mlle Jordan
46 Photo by Flickr user sw77, licensed by creative commons
47 The Sultan's Elephant produced by Artichoke with funding by Arts Council England and the Mayor's Office of London, photo by Matthew Andrews
48 The Sultan's Elephant produced by Artichoke with funding by Arts Council England and the Mayor's Office of London, photo by Matthew Andrews
50 The Sultan's Elephant produced by Artichoke with funding by Arts Council England and the Mayor's Office of London, photo by Matthew Andrews
51 Photo by Flickr user sw77, licensed by creative commons
52 The Sultan's Elephant produced by Artichoke with funding by Arts Council England and the Mayor's Office of London, photo by Sophie Laslett
54 The Sultan's Elephant produced by Artichoke with funding by Arts Council England and the Mayor's Office of London, photo by Matthew Andrews
55 The Sultan's Elephant produced by Artichoke with funding by Arts Council England and the Mayor's Office of London, photo by Sophie Laslett
56 The Sultan's Elephant produced by Artichoke with funding by Arts Council England and the Mayor's Office of London, photo by Matthew Andrews
57 The Sultan's Elephant produced by Artichoke with funding by Arts Council England and the Mayor's Office of London, photo by Matthew Andrews
58 The Sultan's Elephant produced by Artichoke with funding by Arts Council England and the Mayor's Office of London, photo by Sophie Laslett

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.

[Pshaurk]

its even more awesome when such large events occur spontaneously.... !

[wushish]

Well the whole tagline behind TED is "ideas worth sharing." And that really explains it all. It's just a collection of talks by people who are good at what they do, or people with interesting new ideas that you can watch and learn from. TED spreads new ideas to a global audience.

[wushish]

My pleasure, I think TED is really the greatest idea worth sharing :)

[Whizdomation]

Thank you very much! I really appreciate that. I hope I can learn from these successful people. Thank you! :)

[ArtistsResource]

LOVE this, great talk and such inspiring work

[Whizdomation]

:) Me too. Even though i'm new. But I have learn many things from it so far. :)

[somewhere]

I love this idea I wish one of these festivals would come to a city near me.

[Kevinhillcrest]

Those giant puppets look dangerous. I'd be afraid of those contraptions falling apart and crushing people..

[avedic]

Yeah....but....we should not ban things because they are "offensive." First of all, it's subjective. Second, being offended is good. It's good to be confronted by ideas or creations that offend your sensibilities. It challenges you to look beyond your subjective perspective. Personally, nothing offends me. Nothing. To me, the concept of "taking offense" is nothing more than a desire to be sheltered from reality. I want to be challenged. And we shouldn't hide offensive art from the public.

[Arrktopyis]

watch the video before commenting, you'll understand

[Flippables]

You have to consider individual perception. What may be OK for some people is not OK to highly sensitive people. Offensive art has a right to exist, but should be kept away from unsuspecting people, who came to enjoy their day. There is time and place for everything.

[Flippables]

These festivals have to be handled with care. 4:33 "art" piece would have given me nightmares for days. One has to be careful when material is presented to the public with children and sensitive people. I did like the puppets, though. Also, there might be neighbors or people whose self expression others would find offensive.

[centrumcz]

I mean...what the HELL? This is crazy.

[Whizdomation]

Hi everyone. This is my first time watching TED talk. I've heard about it. English is my second language. I don't know what TED is really about. I know these are professors. But, will any of you explain to me what is it really about? I only understand around 60% on this talk so. Thank you! :)

[AlanKey]

I was expecting to find more women in this talk...

[asddsa]

i rely dont get what he is trying to say

[davidpaynewise]

I would say a very pertinent question then is: *why* exactly is it, do you suppose, that you "rely" on not getting what he is trying to say?

...that's gotta be a freudian slip typo for the ages, given communication failure and what tends to so often be the cause of it deep down...

[Flippables]

It depends on the dancing :)
There are a lot of grey areas, and making art is not about pleasing everybody by playing safe, that goes without saying. But in any society in general the accepted norm is decided by the majority, the critical mass, so to say. Whether we like it or not, this is how it is always going to be. The accepted opinions change overtime once they reach the critical mass. It is always push and pull game between the artist and the society.

[culturehyena]

What is the relationship between the festival as a grouping of events and these specific examples?

[Flippables]

Yet, if people had particularly hard time and want to be sheltered from reality in their own home or on their own street they have the right to do so. Who are we to impose on them? There is plenty of offensive art in the galleries, art magazines, so one has plenty of choice where to find offensive art now days, it exist in great abundance. Everyone's boundaries for offensive are different, but basic things are the same. There is a reason why people do not keep rotting trash at the dinner table.