TED2024

TED2024 HIGHLIGHTS CORTADA AS SPEAKER AMBASSADOR AND DISCOVERY SESSION LEAD 

April 15 – 19, 2024

Vancouver Convention Centre
1055 Canada Pl, Vancouver, BC V6C 0C3, Canada

Speaker Ambassador

At TED2024 in Vancouver, Cortada served as a TED Speaker Ambassador, working to support new speakers and facilitate their integration into the TED community. It is an opportunity to give back, connect, and share the blend of excitement and nerves that comes with stepping onto the TED stage. 

Photo credits: TED Photography Team

Discovery Session

Cortada also led a compelling Discovery Session titled “The Underwater: Climate action through art.” This session provided an interactive platform for participants to explore the intersection of climate change and public art, encouraging them to harness creativity as a powerful tool for both environmental advocacy and personal reflection.

Discovery Sessions are intimate, 90-minute long experiences that allow attendees to explore innovative ideas, build relationships with others, and learn new things. 

The Underwater: Climate action through art
It can be hard to act on what you can’t see, but past TED speaker, artist and activist Xavier Cortada is here to help guide you through a creative approach to engaging your community by addressing sea level rise. You’ll review data together as a group before taking part in an introspective exercise in pursuit of purposeful action and finally expressing your personal vulnerability to climate change in an artistic way as part of collaborative community art project, The Underwater.

Photo credits: TED Photography Team

People

At TED2024 in Vancouver, Cortada had the opportunity to engage with a diverse and influential group of leaders who are actively shaping the future across various sectors. His interactions included conversations with prominent figures such as Vice President Al Gore, a stalwart in climate advocacy; Andrew Yang, known for his forward-thinking economic policies; and Paul Stamets, a trailblazer in mycology. These engagements with political, civic, business, scientific and cultural leaders not only enhanced the experience but also broadened the collective dialogue on critical global issues.