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Interesting
We had talked about the conferences we’d been to, recognising the familiar best and worst bits and provoked by these experiences, we resolved to create a contemporary, engaging and thought provoking one-day event.
We wanted to go to one, just one conference each year, where the entire event was designed to be the conference we really wanted to go to.
Subjects and individuals aren’t selected based upon results or year-on-year, but on how interesting they are: we were looking for something for inquisitive types seeking intellectual and creative sustenance.
The home of Interesting UK is the Conway Hall in Bloomsbury. Chosen because it is terrifically low-fi, personable and furthermore it’s where the Ethical Society first came into being, they are passionate about free speech in a way we hope to be.
The result is eclectic and delightful: Interesting 09 included a school teacher entreating us to reconsider our assumptions about nuclear power; a designer confessing her Indian superpowers; and a media consultant revealing psychological violence in 1970s girls’ comics. There was also the “Bubble Box” – every time the event was twittered it blew out bubbles on to the stage.
We keep the event low-key, we ask people to bring a mug for tea and cake if they fancy and a sense of democracy and community spirit pervades the day, with speakers introduced on a first-name-only basis, everyone lunching together in the park and taking photos to add to their flickr and blog posts.
Since the first conference in July 2007, Interesting has grown, it now visits four cities in three continents and is still as much fun to do. The events sell out within hours of the tickets going on sale.
Now filmed by the BBC, documented by the Guardian and archived on the Interesting thread on Russell Davies’ blog; the event has become a contemporary three-dimensional resource of ideas that is accessible beyond the time and location of the event.
It is intrinsic to Charlyinc’s manifesto to stay aware and to be involved within an arena of creative ideas and people. Events like these inspire and cause other people to look at things with fresh eyes, something our approach thrives upon.
All the participants share their time and ideas for free.