THE MORE
YOU SEE
THE LESS
YOU REALIZE.

The music group “Of Embla” was created in London towards the end of 2013, when the producer Nikos Athanasoulas heard one of the songs by the Norwegian singer Maiken Sunby. The name of the band is inspired by the myth of Ask and Embla, the first human beings according to the Scandinavian mythology. Both were created simultaneously and equally by two pieces of wood and were given various potentials by the gods. Combining  jazz, norse-folk, ambient, cinematic and trip-hop influences, the songs and music of “Of Embla” (meaning that they come from Embla), come to remind us that we all derive and belong to the same land, are part of the same world as well as have the same worth and equal chances. In this year’s TEDxAthens, “of Embla” will present songs from their new album “Phases and Faces”, inspired by moments, faces and decisions that changed their life, as well as memories from the landscapes of Greece and Norway, all of which bring to mind the ancient myth which inspired them in the first place. Band composition / line up: Maiken Sundby: lead singer Spyros Rontogiannis: saxophone Haris Stavrakakis: keyboards, accordion Dimitris Vareltzis: drums Kostas Klagkos: double bass Karolos Berahas: electric guitar Nikos Athanasoulas:  keyboards, glockenspiel

Hyperlinks constitute an artistic group of renowned street dancers, with a years of dancing experience and numerous distinctions. Since its formation, the collective grew steadily and embraced further dancing styles such as the contemporary, dancehall, classic ballet and martial arts (harmony movement wise) among others; by combining the above, the collective manages to create unique dance projects. All Hyperlinks’ members have a rich history of participating in competitions, projects and performances.

Benjamin Von Wong is a viral campaign creator, especially focused on supporting social & environmental causes. He creates outstanding images that people often mistake as photoshopped, with the aim to educate as well as inspire. His work has been featured numerous times on world-famous online platforms such as Buzzfeed, Gizmodo, Mashable and the Huffington Post , to name but a few. Some of his greatest projects include placing a Mermaid on 10,000 plastic bottles which has over 30 million views while his most succesfull fundraising video to date has raised over 2 million dollars. He is currently looking to work with corporations that have a Triple Bottom Line.

Sotiris Kontizas is a renowned chef of Japanese and Greek origin, from his mother and father respectively. Born in Athens (Marousi), he spent his early years in Tokyo and would go on transatlantic journeys from a very young age, a fact that allowed him to familiarize with the flavours and cuisines of different countries. After receiving his BA in Finance from the Panteion University, he worked as a bank employee before deciding to quit and follow his passion for cooking. In 2005, he made his first steps into the culinary world next to Christophoros Peskias in the emblematic "48 the restaurant" only to continue on to "Nobu Matsuhisa Athens" while later on, he became member of the founding team of "ΠΒΟΧ". Next on came Copenhagen and the 3-star "Geranium" (Rasmus Kofoed) as well as the "Studio" (Torsten Vildgaard), all of which finally led him to London's 2-star "The Ledbury" (Brett Graham), featuring in the 27th place on the list of the world's best restaurants. Today, his is the heart and soul of "Nolan" restaurant, which combines the greek and japanese cuisine offering much more than just great food- that is, an outstanding gastronomic experience. At the same time, he is also one of the judges in the cooking television series "Masterchef" for the second season in a row.

Nadia Aboulhosn is a Lebanese-American designer and model, as well as one of the fashion industry’s most sought after influencers. A catalyst for redefining beauty standards, she has collaborated with reputable brands and as of January 2017, she released her self-titled, size inclusive clothing line, ranging from size Small to 3X.

As a model and influencer, she initially managed herself and is now signed to world renowned modeling agency Wilhelmina. She has been featured in numerous magazines and articles such as The NY Times, Business Insider, Paper Magazine and has modelled for Stylist Magazine, Seventeen Magazine and Good American, to name but a few.

She hopes to continue to push societies’ definition of beauty in the years to come, inspiring  men and women to focus on what truly matters to them, understanding that the opinions of others don't define us.

After launching the Broken Greek EP (2016) along with the British electronic music producer Brodsky, Sma Rag Da is back with another music project that merges the greek tradition with contemporary music elements, placing it within a frame of modern aesthetics. This time, Sma Rag Da remakes two traditional songs from Epirus, “Athamania Omorfi” (Beautiful Athamania) and “Tsopanakos Imouna” (I used to be a shepherd), to honor the singer Christos Fotiou, from whom she learned and heard these songs for the first time. By inserting these tunes within an entirely different music frame and by filtering them with her own experiences and music influences, Sma Rag Da managed to create an EP that addresses to a rather broad audience, regardless of age: from the village’s mayor to Dimitra Galani and Stathis Drakos, who will accompany her with their voices. By stripping the songs off their traditional tone, the danger of losing their essence and dynamic is rather present. This is why Sma Rag Da chose to add the element of polyphony, which is deeply rooted in the tradition, although it did not originally exist in the specific songs. In traditional music -not only the greek one- polyphony holds the magic power to touch a rather soft spot within people, since it includes something indefinitely organic and almost ritualistic. When would people gather and sing together? It would be in mourning, joy, pain, festivities, housework, field tasks and religious ceremonies. That is to say, in all those occasions that created the need to feel that they are not alone - but rather one music instrument of many hearts beating as one.

Shannon Shibata-Germanos is half Japanese, half American, and has over a decade of experience in political policy analysis, conflict management, and institutional development. She has worked as an international consultant for foundations and multinational companies, building private-public partnerships and sustainability strategies as well as facilitating cross border business deals in developing markets. Shannon made a big unexpected move, mid-career, to pursue her curiosity in science, changing fields completely to the study neuroscience . She finished her first degree in her thirties, going on to get a master's degree in neuroscience , then enrolled as a PhD candidate in the Rihel lab in the department of Cellular and Developmental Biology at UCL in London. She now investigates the impact of sleep on neuroimmunology and neurodegeneration. Shannon wants her life purpose to be about encouraging others to embrace life-altering change at any stage of life, and to recognize the inherent capacity each human possesses to adapt and learn new things when challenged. Innovation requires those who take a leap, but it also requires those established in the traditional structures of any society or field to recognize a unique spark in another, giving those who challenge paradigms the “bungee cord” to jump. She now lives between Geneva and London with her incredible, Swiss husband Camille, who has given her the wings to fly.

Alethea C. Avramis is a producer and writer/director who works at the intersection of VR/AR and traditional filmmaking, as well as the LA-based producer of French immersive content studio “Atlas V”. Recently, she has been on the producing teams of the Sundance and Tribeca 2018 VR official selections “BattleScar” and the “SPHERES: Songs of Spacetime”, narrated by Jessica Chastain and Patti Smith and co-produced with Darren Aronofsky. “SHERES” made Sundance history as the first-ever VR project to be acquired in a 7-figure deal by a private investor. She has also produced the Sundance 2016 and Tribeca 2016 official selection Perspective: Chapter 2; The Misdemeanor, widely considered one of the best examples of narrative storytelling in VR. In 2016, Alethea collaborated with Google on YoutubeRED's first series in 360, MatPat's Game Lab. Alethea’s traditional filmmaking work has screened at hundreds of film festivals globally and won an Emmy for her short film The Foreigner in 2013. She has worked extensively in Europe, Africa, central America, and Los Angeles. With a focus on human-rights and documentary storytelling, Alethea is passionate about content that connects cultures through new technology.

Dimitris Papastergiou is the mayor of the Municipality of Trikala, in the region of Thessaly, Greece. He holds a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and has worked in the field of software development, as well as been involved in over 300 Renewable energy projects.

Having always a vivid interest in sociopolitical affairs, he was elected as a member of the Municipal Council in 2002 and 2006, also holding the position of the vice president. In 2014, he was elected as the mayor of his hometown, Trikala, a position he successfully holds to this day. He is also member of the administrative council of the Central Union of Greek Municipalities as well as the president of the Committee for Innovation, Development and Entrepreneurship.

Married and a father of three, he strongly believes that no change around us is possible, unless we first change ourselves.

Maria Ioannidou is a graduate of the Psychology Department of Panteion University and after receiving repeated scholarships, she graduated cum laude in 2009. In 2012, she received a BA in Health Psychology from the University of Surrey, while later she was trained in counseling and psychotherapy of the systemic and existential approach, constantly enriching her knowledge in the field. She is also a counselor of professional orientation for adolescents and adults, certified by ISON Psychometrica. She has worked as a psychologist in public as well as special education schools. She has also volunteered for various sectors such as the Hellenic Center for Disease Control & Prevention, the nursing home of Nafplion and the Therapy Center for Depended Individuals, while she offers guidance in self-knowledge groups, parent groups and parishes. In the later years, she offers counseling and psychotherapy services for individuals and groups in her offices in Nafplion and Athens.

Huw Kingston is an Australian adventurer, environmentalist and writer, with more than 30 years of undertaking long human-powered journeys in wild places across the world. Having won numerous awards, he was named one of Time Magazine’s 25 Worldwide Responsibility Pioneers for his work on reducing plastic waste and pollution.

Ten years ago, Kingston was the driving force behind making Bundanoon, his hometown, the first town in the world to go Bottled Water Free. Since then, he has worked around the world to reduce the consumption of this environmental scourge.

Huw's latest journey was a circumnavigation of the Mediterranean Sea by sea kayak, foot, ocean rowboat and bike. It lasted a year and traversed 13,000km through 17 countries, inspiring him to write a book about it. Enthused by Greece's hospitality in the past, he’s very excited regarding his return.

Massimo Pigliucci has a PhD in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Connecticut and a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Tennessee. He currently is the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York. His research interests include the philosophy of biology, the science philosophy relationship, pseudoscience and the philosophy of Stoicism.

Having published in national and international outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, he is a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and a Contributing Editor to Skeptical Inquirer. He owns two blogs: Plato’s Footnote on general philosophy and How to Be a Stoic on his personal exploration of Stoicism as practical philosophy.

Pigliucci has also published 153 technical papers in science and philosophy, while he is the author or editor of 13 books, most recently of the best selling How to Be A Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life. 

 

Dr. Konstantinos D. Karatzas is a historian specializing in political and racial violence; he is an Americanist with a particular interest in African-American history. His work focuses on the interpretation of collective memory, political identities, cultural transfers and oral history: areas that he has also examined during his MA studies at the University of Leiden in The Netherlands. He has been the recipient of several research fellowships in Europe and the United States; he received the first-ever scholarship for doctoral studies in American History from the Greek State Scholarship Foundation (IKY). Konstantinos Karatzas has been a guest scholar at, among others, the University of Kent, the Universities of Zaragoza and Alcala de Henares, Adam Mickiewicz University in Europe, and the Universities of Ohio, Kentucky, Oklahoma and South Florida in the United States. He is a member of the editorial team of the European Journal of American Culture (EJAC), as well as of several historical and scholarly associations worldwide. He serves as a member of the board, reviewer and conference organizer of the London Centre for Interdisciplinary Research (LCIR), and he is a research fellow at both the Institute of International Economic Relations and the Interdisciplinary Research Foundation in Poland. Furthermore, he is the founder of www.historyclusters.org  platform while he is to publish his latest book Violence and Memory in the United States: The Case of the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot in 2018.  

Jeroen van der Schenk has a background in the hospitality industry. Being truly terrified to speak in front of groups, he decided 18 years ago to face his fear by applying for a job as trainer/facilitator. Making the impossible possible, he discovered his love for challenges. He has a deep-rooted passion for disruptive business models and bringing the online and offline world together, in order to create meaningful connections. As a keynote speaker and "experience engineer" at Performance Solutions, he helps organizations all over the world to turn their business into a memorable experience. Though his position, he is transforming companies in a fun way by engaging people, empowering them to make a difference. He strongly believes that we live in a time where success is no longer counted by dollars and likes, but by how many lives we positively impact. To him, emotions are the most powerful currency and connections and experiences make the real profit.

Evan Fotis Georgoulakis is a Greek-American character analyst and artist, specializing in Physiognomy. His insight has been sought by forensic departments, politicians, business people as well as corporations and organizations, amongst others Air-France, Pernod-Ricard, the National Technical University of Athens and YPO International.  His services have been solicited by BBC World Service, CNN, London’s Times, Elle, as well as most major Greek newspapers and magazines, while he has a client list with personalities such as the late Princess Diana, Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Evan appears regularly on Greek television, especially during campaign season, analyzing political candidates and personalities. He the founder of True Face which focuses on the optimization of behavioral and communication skills, offering character assessment and profiling for HR, Leadership programs as well as one on one coaching and group workshops on personal communication & public speaking. He is also the co-founder of Face your Strengths® assessment & coaching, with this unique methodology used in order to develop individualized communication strategies.