Theme: PERSPECTIVES

In an endeavor to bring to the stage ideas, which are engrossed in the arenas of travel, life, science and culture, TEDxNicosia challenges you to explore different Perspectives.

Perspectives of…

People who have always seen things differently.
People who change gears and expand their perspective.
People who follow the little voice inside of them.

There is no right or wrong perspective. What’s important, is to keep an open spirit and initiate a dialogue of respect regardless of the different points of view. By expanding our perspective, we allow the mind to traverse into multi-dimensional awareness.

So, what’s your Perspective?

Satiriko Theatre
Vladimirou Kaukaridi Street
11-15 Aglandjia
Nicosia, Lefkosia, 2102
Cyprus

Bassick Crew & T.E.A.M.

Bassick crew formed in 2011, counting nine members all known for their national and European qualifications. Bassicks have made their presence noticeable through competitions, classes and European distinctions leading to a promotion of both our country and the Hip Hop culture they represent. T.E.A.M – True Enforcers of Advance Movement, is a collective that promotes the culture along with its elements. They represent street dance in the forms of Hip Hop, Locking, Popping, Bboying & Waacking. Furthermore, this collective is proud for the loyalty to what Hip Hop represents: Peace, Love, Unity and Having Fun.

The Amalgamation Project

Vocals/ compositions: Vasiliki Anastasiou Guitar/arrangements: Ermis Michail Ney: Alkis Agathokleous Double bass: Nikolas Tryphonos Drums: Stelios Xydias Sound Engineer: Christopher Kafkalias The Amalgamation Project has performed at the radio show ‘A world in London’ (SOAS radio),at the Global mixtape (Croydon radio), and various venues in London (Green Note, St. Ethelburgas, Art cage, SOAS University). Vasiliki’s solo performances include Hong Kong (for the premiere of the film Axis of Light), Qatara Art centre in Doha for an Educational concert, 6th and 7th International River Film Festival in Padova/Italy. She also performed at the Europe House in the United Kingdom, Shepherds Bush Empire, 2012 May Ball, Peterhouse Theatre in Cambridge, Hollywell music room in Oxford, at the British Museum and at the 30th ISME World Conference on Music Education in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Achilleas Koukkides

Achilleas Koukkides pursued clinical psychology in Paris by mistake; he worked in places led by coincidence and found himself in hospices and hospitals with cancer patients, dying children and adults, breaking bad news to people who wanted someone to tell them that everything will go well, hugging children and crying over bodies of fighters for their life. He notes: "My life experience has been my memories of an after-war neighborhood and lots of gasping for air. But it was authentic, bright by the light of truthful relationships and human contacts. I have been passionate for people’s feelings and their desires for grief and life, fear and man’s freewill." Achilleas works as a clinical psychologist and adores animals. "I love all seasons and all hours of the day, not every day," he says. "I observe my internal battles and often use my mind more than other functions. I find racism to be an insecurity and believe in the work of individuation for a more human earth."

Anna Marangou

Anna Marangou is an art historian, a mother and grandmother. She is a native of Nicosia, but deep down a Famagustian with Limassolian roots and Macedonian origins. Her passion is the Orient and endeavors to be heard on issues that deal with the real history and culture of Cyprus. Anna believes that there are perspectives ahead as long as we are ready for major changes, and as long as we ourselves reach out for them. Anna is also an author (non-fiction books, scripts, theatre plays & children’s stories). She has curated numerous exhibitions and helped set up museums in Cyprus. She is proud of showing and explaining the culture of her island, and introducing both Cypriots and foreign visitors to this amazing world that contains both the Orient and the Occident. Her latest venture is Historic Cyprus: walks through the eyes of an archaeologist and art historian, but most importantly a cultural activist.

Aristotelis Irzenski

Aristotelis Irzenski is the founder of Ai Architects based in Nicosia. Set up in 2007, Ai Architects are a small boutique practice that have become a melting pot of young/energetic & diverse creativity within the Architectural/Interior Design world, that specialize in bespoke design within a wide range of projects. Aristotelis is the driving force in a company that deals with all things head on and his love for architecture makes everyday a pleasure. Aristotelis has worked with many foreign based companies/businesses/private clients. His multicultural and multilingual background, having grown up in the Middle East, has helped him achieve this. He studied in Krakow, Poland and has an M.Arch degree in Architecture & Urban Design. Back in Nicosia he worked for five years at various Architectural firms where he built the necessary experience and know-how to be able to found his own practice: Ai Architects.

Catalina Buciu

Catalina grew up in Romania, believing that loving one’s country means never leaving it and trying to make it better from within. Through her travels, she had tracked seven different ways to run the tap water in public toilets & she was mesmerized by what the world had to offer. Catalina lived & worked in over ten countries. She learned more about her country from studying culture & politics in Burundi & Papua New Guinea. She became interested in the phenomenon of over-education & underemployment of youth (a topic she is studying for her PhD in Creative Writing). Her interest in storytelling comes from early exposure to propaganda & changing narratives & she wants her stories to give a voice to the voiceless, the underdogs, the ones who don’t get to write history books because they are illiterate, defeated, betrayed, uninformed and marginalized.

Costa Constanti

Costa was born in Melbourne, Australia, and moved to Cyprus as an adult in 2006. In Australia, he studied psychology, psycho-neurosciences, politics and history at a bachelor level, followed by a master’s in international relations. Today he works as an adviser and researcher in the fields of international relations, conflicts, politics, civil society and public diplomacy whilst he travels frequently. Costa is often spotted exploring ancient and historical ruins and rambling through nature trails whilst he engages with local people from around the world, forging relations and links between them and Cypriot civil society in an attempt to enhance international engagement and globalization of the island. Costa is an advocate of the crucial and real power of civil society and social media. He believes that we need to harness these opportunities to improve the local and regional world we live in.

Eleni Xenou

Eleni first started struggling with words when she moved to Athens for her studies. This is where she began to write, realizing that she had an innate tendency to constantly seek refuge. She was born with a large head which shrank to normal size 24hours later. For the rest of her life, 24hours was the least required to resolve or accommodate things around her. She has travelled the world, collected stories, images & colors; has was observing realities. Her wealth and fortune lies in the people she met and the travels she had embarked on, either as a journalist or as a traveller. Her first book was published in 2012 (“P.S. Once upon an April”/«Υ.Γ. Γεννήθηκα ένα Απρίλη»). Her wish: to be a writer who first lives, and then writes…

Elias 'Unique' Schinas

Choreographer Elias ‘Unique’ Schinas, notes that TEDxNicosia’s theme ‘Perspectives’ was blended with ideas on creating a performance. A piece is being presented on stage that will raise awareness on how streetdancers are recklessly perceived false as individuals. “This action has its roots on a cultural perspective of this physical art, gone wrong; which is international.” People watching this performance will be forced to challenge their mindset on their beliefs on the hiphop culture, while getting a taste seeing its social aspects. The audience will witness two different outcomes, based solely on different points of view; therefore engagement is a requirement. Elias ‘Unique’ Schinas is a performer and choreographer who has been working and training the past five years mainly in the United Kingdom, Cyprus and Greece.

Elsa Karpasitis

Elsa Karpasitis started discovering her passions at a young age. There were the family camping trips and Mom’s swimming lessons that fostered an early connection with the natural world; endless hours in both of her grandmothers’ kitchens that continue to inspire countless culinary creations to this day; exposure to diverse cultures that kindled a sense of adventure; and an accidental encounter with an old yoga book that would eventually lead to a drastic career change. Today, Elsa spends her days in search of balance without sacrificing any of her passions. As a kids’ yoga teacher, she utilizes her degrees in Environmental Science and Marine Ecology to instill and cultivate environmental values and healthy lifestyle choices in young minds with fun and imaginative ways. She always packs her running shoes, yoga mat and insatiable appetite everywhere she goes.

Kostas Patinios

Kostas Patinios was born in Nicosia, and developed a passion for his city through his love for running. A long-distance runner and a fervent enthusiast of lifelong fitness, he has been running since the age of 15 (for 28 years, that is). To date, he has completed 140,000 kms - that is 3 ½ times around the world. Kostas notes that he is aware of the fact that: "All I am about to say, has already been said. But every time I hear the sound of my feelings, Like music coming from within, I will always tell you this. I will, because sometimes the orchestration of one’s own feelings Is the one thing that makes the real difference." Kostas writes poetry and short stories, and some of his work has been published.

Nikos Konstantinou

Nikos received a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. He currently spends countless hours in the lab designing and running behavioral experiments combined with neuroimaging techniques (e.g. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging). He is seeking to understand how different types of working memory (for example visual vs. verbal) interact with attention (e.g. our ability to ignore irrelevant distracting information) to give rise to our subjective experience of the world, using healthy populations and patients (e.g. social anxiety/phobia, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s). He also teaches courses related to his research interests and supervises students at the graduate and undergraduate level. He is passionate about science communication and thinks that science is incomplete unless properly communicated. For this reason he participated in FameLab 2013 and is currently organizing and participating in various science communication events (such as Café Scientifique).

Ori Sela

Ori grew up by the sea and hasn’t left the water since. As an ADHD kid, the water was the only place which made him feel good. With over 30 years of experience as a professional swimmer, Ori is also a qualified hydro therapist, swimming coach, toddlers’ swimming instructor, Watzu, Jahara and Shiatsu therapist, triathlon coach, open water coach, therapeutic swimming instructor and pregnancy swimming coach. He works with thousands of babies, children & adults, teaching them how to swim correctly. Some are recovering from CVA or accidents, or have fear of water. Ori coached, swam and broke the world record with five of his friends in the longest relay open-water swim, from Cyprus to Israel. He swam 380 km with his team, in order to raise awareness on sea pollution in the Mediterranean (in association with Zalul NGO). Ori is the founder and owner of Water World and WEST swimming technique.

Stylianos Lambrou

Stylianos is a young, serial entrepreneur, and a recent graduate from UCL. Since a very young age, he deemed technology as the medium which could materialize his ideas, whilst creating true value for others. He founded his first start-up, VillageXpress while at college. Despite graduating during a most financially challenging year for Cyprus, he chose to return to the island and create persistently. He is the Founder & CEO of Social Airways and the co-founder of Heart Cyprus. The latter is the ultimate guide to the best offerings of the island & successfully rebranded Cyprus with over 210k followers. It has also given back to its people (offering €65k worth of scholarships & raised €15k for Olympic medallist, Pavlos Kontides through crowd funding in 2014). Social Airways is a platform which connects people who are on the same flight, by enabling them to utilize flight time constructively by providing them with options which make traveling more social, economical and fun.

Vasiliki Anastasiou

Vasiliki Anastasiou is a vocalist. She created the Amalgamation Project to sing stories from around her ‘neighborhood’, and to glue together traditional sounds of the Balkan peninsula and the Mediterranean breeze, with jazz harmony and improvisation. "The Amalgamation project was created by Vasiliki Anastasiou, a Greek-Cypriot vocalist and composer based in Nicosia/Cyprus. The project’s heart is around her compositions. It also borrows and re-arranges traditional melodies from countries around the shores of the Mediterranean Sea but also from the whole of the Balkan peninsula. The Amalgamation project is more of a musical process than a band… a collective of musicians sharing the vision of music with no borders (physical nor mental) and getting together to just play; Vasiliki invites guest musicians from different backgrounds usually jazz, classical and folk, to share musical thoughts and experiment with the blend…"