TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out in 1984 as a meeting of the minds of like-minded people interested in big ideas. Speakers have 18 minutes to present their ideas in the most engaging ways possible. Surprisingly, people were willing to pay what was then $4400 to attend and hob nob with others also willing to pay to play.

The TED Prize was introduced  in 2005.  It is awarded annually to an exceptional individual who receives $100,000 and much more important, One Wish to Change the World. The 2011 award went to JR, a self-styled artivist from France. 

I wish for you to stand up for what you care about by participating in a global art project, and together we’ll turn the world…INSIDE OUT.

JR has turned number of places in the world inside-out with his black and white portrait projects such as Women are Heroes. It features the faces of resilient women who live in Kibera, Kenya’s largest slum; the portraits are super-sized and cut in two. The bottom half of their faces are glued to rooftops on a hillside; the top half of the portraits shows their eyes pasted onto train cars. Every time the train passes, for a few seconds, the faces are complete.

Israelis and Palestinians are together in his Face 2 Face project; JR wall-papered both sides of security fences/barriers with portraits in 8 different cities.

Want to be a part of the art? Join the Inside-Out Project. Take a black and white photo or series of photos. Send it in to be made into a poster, when it is returned decide where you want it to hang. Open to individuals and groups world-wide. As JR would say, It’s a way to stand up for what you care about.