Janet Echelman: Taking imagination seriously

www.ted.com Janet Echelman found her true voice as an artist when her paints went missing -- which forced her to look to an unorthodox new art material. Now she makes billowing, flowing, building-sized sculpture with a surprisingly geeky edge. A transporting 10 minutes of pure creativity.
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. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at www.ted.com/tra....

[@rhagedorn]

This woman is incredibly persistent. There's so many things that would have stopped most people in their tracks. Imagine the tenacity it took to create the technology required to make her art. Very impressive.

[@VectorArrow]

When she said "And was rejected by all 7 (Art Schools)" at 0:45, the look on her face said "Can you believe they rejected me? Their loss."

[@metropolismodern]

This is amazing. The fact that she was rejected so many times by art schools but still stayed determined, was hindered in India only to eventually create a type of super sculpture that would take her in new & amazing directions in art & engineering...I am speechless.

[@cait8573]

I just learned about her in Art Appreciation on Tuesday and came back to learn more. What a wonderful artist

[@andrei128]

Her art should be called : Killing flying birds with grace ... This already happens to dolphins in the sea, getting trapped and suffering a horrible death . Why don't people use their damn brain ?

[@sonyalmon]

The 1.26 sculpture was so cool. I live in Denver and remember happening across it one night while riding my bike around. It was absolutely stunning.

[@pianoman47]

I love how she merges the worlds of art, engineering, science, urban design and so many more!

[@bienmabbayad6226]

I learned and relearned it again. Rejections are a means for us to be motivated than feel defeated.

[@sunniesammie9409]

How does this affect birds?

[@euph0rya672]

Sunnie Sammie oof

[@jasonlajoie]

It sounds like her biggest talent is finding and collaborating with brilliant people. People who can write modeling software for her designs, people who can modify machinery to make her netting, etc, etc..

[@kevendubin]

"..to the cities that NEED them?" - I have to assume this means cities with pigeon problems? The water mist following underground trains is nice but the nets are little more than a skyline mess.

[@rmsolympic1]

For all the crticism of her seemng arrogance, I dont see her as arrogant. She is just excited about her work and inspired, too. I dont see her as arrogant, just understandably proud and happy about her work and about sharing it.

[@LeonidasGGG]

Porto, Portugal? That's here! Yeah... the sculpture is still there, and I love just how massive it is. Thanks Janet!

[@leichigo88]

Umm... the engineers made it happen. She didn't "imagine" it, the engineers spent years researching materials, analyzing shapes and fluid forces, and modeling in order to test structural stability.

[@gagzy1989]

This was beautiful! Waiting for your art in LONDON :)

[@TheKillershade]

Almost brings tears to your eyes at the end.

[@tiktokgirl007]

whats with all the thumbs down?

[@euph0rya672]

Norman Osborn its in a school text book and the question are based of this video and it was given well to me as homework so i think that’s a plausible answer

[@aeclimer]

Beautiful work Janet! Thanks for sharing your imagination and creativity with the world. I particularly love your final story about the suits lying in the grass. That's what it's all about.

[@rawsiebee1]

So inspiring!! Love the colors, shapes, this is awesome!!

[@Waranoa]

I've seen her art; it's quite amazing. But as a TED talk, it's not that good. Quality on TED talks has been going down lately....

[@katanaheart]

This made me cry!

[@dug60660]

an amazing artist who's work is fantastic in every sense of the word.the world needs more free thinkers like janet!

[@G4700]

@KemaTheAtheist I 100% agree with this statement but what i ment to say with the previous "weak" rebuttle was that if you feel so strongly about her worthless art then work on getting the sculpture taken down.. posting your views on youtube will only spark dialogue.. it wont stop cities from spending your taxpayer dollars on future similar "worthless" pieces of art.

[@dug60660]

an amazing artist who's work is fantastic in every sense of the word.the world needs more free thinkers like janet! btw we need one of these sculptural forms in chicago..the windy city!

[@VascoElbrecht]

really beautiful sculptures = ) I am just wondering if birds or bats have trouble with them...

[@neanderslob]

@sonicase I think it's worth arguing the notion of what's "needed." Indeed, that statement does sound kind of silly but I think that we do need art in that it gives inspiration to a lot of people for different functional ideas; much of medicine was inspired by science fiction writers. Now I'm not saying that anyone's going to cure cancer after seeing a hanging net but I think we need to be careful about devaluing creativity simply because it's abstract. I think in the end it is indeed helpful.

[@Carolinahalves]

I've seen it! In Porto Portugal !!! And at the time I wondered : Who in the world did somethig as beautiful as this? It was you !!! I'm an artist, and you're an artist too

[@Loermusic]

All of us, with persistent pursuit of our imagination, will one day be able to pull our visions out from depths of our souls, and manifest in reality the senseless death of thousands of birds. Thank you.

[@AbhijitBanerjee_rocks]

so, what have you given back to the Indian fishermen who actually seeded the idea with you ?

[@Magtucker]

613themacs, the TED presentation is intended to be an "I" presentation, to explain, in her case, her path from rejection through wonder to accomplished and impactful urban artist. Good grief--you missed the whole point, which is, in part, how to make an idea visible and permanent. What's the problem / She is realistic and sensitive about the pitfalls of the process and the places that might trip you up.

[@goneutt]

Notice that her use of nets actually started out of desperation for materials. Then she needed FEA experts to fill out the more complex models. Octahedral strain in surfaces isn't as hard as it looks, you just need flipping massive matrices full of trig functions.

[@sparklejan3]

beautiful sculptures.

[@goamovie]

Really, rediscovering wonder! And the inspiration came on the sands of an Indian beach, amidst the fishing community. Great. Congrats.

[@RiesgoGarza]

how did she get a standing ovation?!

[@star666moon]

Just one question: Wouldn't such a big net sculpture a danger for birds that might get caught in it?

[@kyral210]

While I really like the idea of taking art to another dimension, but I agree that the title is wrong.

[@dookiecheez]

5:13 It's so hard to tell the orientation of the net at this angle. My brain can't seem to decided which it is. Neat.

[@mariellebarrow]

Amazing artworks! Public art projects have significant impact on their surrounding communities.They engage audiences and invite them to contemplate something other than themselves and the fast pace life that consumes them. They also help to spark an interest in other communities and other cultures in which the art forms are based.

[@MissKilman]

I find I don't really like the nets, but the thing with the Philadelphia underground was very cool.

[@G4700]

@KemaTheAtheist Because "Art adds to progression insofar as it presents challenges for technology to solve" then there would be no technology if art did not exist..both fields of study require creation... Engineering and Architecture both require art and technology. Just face it You wouln't exist as the person you are today if everything before you hadn't occured how it did. If art didn't exist you wouldn't be you. WE ARE ALL ARTISTS just as long as we create and imagine visually & sonically

[@AlissaRae]

This is amazing! I love your eloquence. I felt moved, full of possibility, and brave. Thank you for sharing and telling us this story in such a full, rich way. Good job.

[@jennypage7991]

beautiful -BUT-massive environmental concerns here....11 years too late. I do like the steam and transit installation-that one is clever.

[@Crazee108]

Hey one of her installations is in Aus, Sydney -- near Town Hall. =) Knew I recognised her work!

[@CrazyLazySnazzyJazzy]

Most "needed"?? You mean most "wanted"? The things that are most needed are food, shelter, and clothing. Do you think one of your little sculptures can provide that?

[@orangebud68]

What about the birds ? Nobody talks about them ,like they don't exist....

[@shortbusdriver]

in true TED fashion, the next step is to get her crew together with some specialists dealing with conductive composite material, and get these things to generate energy. using solar,chemical, or mechanical functions :) i mean, duh?

[@willshakeyou]

i was like "damn, that looks exactly like the monument in Matosinhos (porto, Portugal). and then it was actually one of her works haha

[@andreeaweed]

that pictures are really grate ...i love pictures in black and white ... they represent the true meaning of life.

[@BigO8872]

The nets sorta seem like a gigantic prank on birds. Take that pigeons!

[@soupisgreat]

This woman is such a boss.

[@elchafa337]

Beautiful. I wonder though, why, despite my living in one of the 35 countries in America, I hadn't found out about that sculpture "1.26" until just now.

[@antonietaovalle1484]

She said yes to the project, but hasn´t started

[@leichigo88]

@OEMarekS1 I'm not saying that she doesn't deserve some credit. I'm saying she is taking most of the credit from others. If you listen to her she says I did this, I did that, I built... she does say we sometimes though.

[@guyboy625]

I was an unlikely person to serve my art: durable and anonymous.

[@Tolstoievsky]

@Carolinahalves pretty cool that you've seen and wondered about the sculpture before seeing this

[@OpakeArawra2]

absolutely amazing! bravo!

[@VortexMotiveVision]

I think this is rather excellent to be fair.

[@amason94]

what about all the pigeons that will get caught in nets when they are draped over cities???

[@realspacemodels]

New defination of "Ethereal"

[@AlexZeBeast]

Powerful. I got emotional

[@G4700]

@KemaTheAtheist i agree with everything you said except for "I can think of millions of better things to spend taxpayer money on than this". art adds to our world's progression. Art teaches and open peoples minds, art may bring peace to an envronment, and art can add to a persons well being just as public education, police, medical research all do. You can't evaluate how her sculptures has changed the communities that they are located at. ART IS NEEDED..no matter if it's hers or someone elses

[@CraftsmanBJJ]

Cool, but how about switching up mediums or at least materials every once in a while?

[@jamesdc60]

@xilliah I would assume that since they are slick fibers, outside, and not a static structure, that the rain is sufficient to clean it for a very long time. Of course, if birds are caught in it, I'm not sure how they take care of that.

[@jinwoo517]

such a wonderful cynicism. Thanks for reminding me that not everyone enjoys what is given to be enjoyable and making me feel better. Fantastic reminder :)

[@Jotto999]

@gaiagale Hehehe, yeah. If I had one of those, it would've been blown away by the loud volume of the ending.

[@gilmarapaulis4800]

So inspiring!

[@ngarcia257]

Beautiful... Just that, beautiful!

[@Shaunt1]

OK some look nice but have more function to it. Or instead have interesting looking wind turbines that could have poles designed like a pencil or hot dog or with colorful lines that light up at night and give electricity too.

[@G4700]

@KemaTheAtheist Polymaths Leon Battista Alberti and Leonardo da Vinci wouldn't have been able contribute to the diciplines of engineering, mathematics, cryptography, science, and architecture without addressing their interests in music, painting, and sculpting. There would be no technology if the art of design did not exist. The word technology comes from Greek τεχνολογία (technología); from τέχνη (téchnē), meaning "art, skill, craft", and -λογία (-logía), meaning "study of-".

[@AtnerYegorov]

Как она всё это делает?!!! Удивительно!!! Хочу повторить!

[@theinfiniteawe]

@mrhipocrit That's your opinion, and indeed 15 others.But people that matter, clearly like it.

[@waysworth]

@OurTroopsRule if this is the extent of what you've learned from this dialogue, it makes me think you really believe the speaker is a lier and that you are backed by the smartest people in the world on this observation. And your diagnosis that occasional use of sarcasm is an indication of uncontrolled mood-swings and imbalance, makes me want to run right out and get some drugs so that I don't ever inflict it on anyone undeserving again. Please don't reply.

[@ilotitto]

it just needs a gigantic spider in a side

[@CognosSquare]

The title and content are to self aggrandizing. Mesh art is not new. The scale is not new. The concept is not new. The amount of imagination needed is quite limited.

[@carefulcarpenter]

"Genius creates; others imitate" ~~cc

[@idiallin]

you can't nuke our imaginations maaan!

[@Thestralsxxx]

@gaiagale I know right? It's so loud. haha thanks I thought I was the only one...

[@pierreaupeix]

I really like this.

[@waysworth]

@OurTroopsRule when you begin a statement with "It is my opinion", I cannot disagree. however when you begin a statement with "It is your opinion", you presume to know what you do not, as to when you say "scholars surely follow"... possibly, but you don't know. Simply said, express you opinions... that's fine. But don't call on higher authority (who've not supported you), in attempt to add credibility to your opinion. sorry for getting all sarcastic on you earlier, just a bit of a mood

[@paulahillick4246]

so beautiful :)

[@bassamb]

Cool art ... Arrogant artist

[@tiesneumann8740]

hello Deniz

[@MyDavidsun]

I think you've got some great stuff here.

[@iviewthetube]

@BitterBurst Fish have been known to fall out of the sky.

[@gelnox]

that's cool

[@Triciatly]

They remind me of northern lights, Beautiful

[@rmsolympic1]

She's an awesome artist and a beautiful Lady - a lil round and yet very pretty and down to earth.

[@w00tse]

Damn she's breathing heavy.

[@KLAsHkA]

beautiful :)

[@mmedefarge]

They're all very beautiful. I hope the funding goes through for Times Square tho' there will likely not be a space to lie under it. I'd love to see one in Central Park.

[@sonicase]

it's ok and pretty cool as art but... where they're most needed?.... hmm yeah we NEED a floating net thingy hanging around, we can't live without it standing ovation? really? lol wtf

[@shunyotube]

@andrei128 I'm guessing they aren't the death trap they look like they might be. I hope they aren't. I think the colors and such are visible to birds as much as us, so they avoid them as they would a building. Bat sonar perhaps works on it, to. I can't believe that if it actually did cause such problems that she'd be able to do this. It would make the art looks pretty bad to have dead animals in it, too. Anyway, my two cents about using brains.

[@Kevin507]

what about birds?:(

[@christopherbear5379]

tripppyyyy mane!

[@RockalilyDunne]

PORRTTOOOO THATS WHERE I LIVE :DD AH I'M SO HAPPPY

[@uucqc-unitarianuniversalis1986]

very cool

[@leonardoromero2000]

With all respect. I though you were going to talk about the importance of imagination. But you just talked about your work. I don't care about your personal anecdote. I also don't want to buy your art. I don't like it and they don't communicate the messages you intend to send. Talk me generally, abstractly, about the importance of imagination. Not about your art. Lost my time in my research with the bait of your title.

[@TheDailyMonk]

She takes a lot of calls. :)

[@PussiesUnite]

@KemaTheAtheist You obviously aren't taking imagination seriously. Public education, police (ugh), medical research are great long-term ideals but it will always be in a state of constant flux. Technology changes what we need to learn, crime will never be 100% preventable neither can suffering from medical conditions. While death a guarantee. It may not be the "best" art, but if it accomplishes it's objective of reigniting wonder and accessing "infinitiy in an hour" then why complain?

[@Kevin507]

@larsruberti I can't see the slow death of birds good art...

[@delatroy]

it's amazing what people get paid for these days