The 2014 TEDxArendal speakers

Sissel Morken Gullord is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and artist, that is known as a passionate performer on the goat horn. She was headhunted to play this mystical instrument for both Disney’s ”Frozen” and the TV series ”Lilyhammer”, and has won awards and grants for her creative work.

Often used as an artist for performances on special occasions such as openings and ceremonies, Sissel knows a thing or two about capturing an audience with her amazing sounds. But how does one go about playing such a strange instrument? And how does it fit in with the more modern world of song and dance?

Is violence in close relationships a common thing in Norway? Is the idea that this mainly consists in faraway cultures true? Why do people stay in unhealthy relationships, and what is our perception of the problem?

Meet Anne Grethe Solberg –Author, marathon addict, and with a doctorate in innovation and leadership. After studying the topic for a long time, she will share her unique insights on domestic and cultural violence, and what needs to be done to progress towards a society without it.

How do you help the ones in need, when corrupt people try to stop it? And what cultural shocks do you encounter when you take some things for granted?

Hear Tone Ellefsrud’s amazing stories – some heartbreaking and some hilarious – from her work with human rights and education in Tanzania. There is a good reason she has been named “a colourful crazy nurse” by some.

What does the future look like for us consumers? Will you eat red meat in 2030? Can we travel to and from our office each day and still achieve a carbon reduction? Is vacation by plane a luxury, or did technology solve the emission problems?

Kaj Török works at Futerra Sustainability Communications, and is an expert in predicting changes in society. His talk will share some realistic views on what habits you and I will change in the coming years, and how our society will gradually adopt new thoughts and ideas to cope with the challenges of this new millennium.

Do you enjoy good food? How about technology? Jonathan Brill is an inventor working at the intersection of technology and deliciousness! He believes that innovation is changing our relationship with food at a scale that hasn’t occurred since the invention of agriculture. Over the next decade, these changes will force us to dramatically re-imagine our approach to environmental policy, health and culinary aesthetics.

Jonathan runs the “Food Lab” at “Special Projects Agency”, a product innovation consultancy devoted to helping governments, startups and multinationals invent software, hardware and packaging to make new cuisine possible. Hear what Jonathan sees in the future when it comes to our food habits.

The northern lights: magical and mystical and one of the most fascinating natural phenomenons we have. This beautiful display has sparked curiosity, fear and excitement. But what can they tell us about our planet, the sun and our world? What is a myth and what is modern science?

Pål Brekke is an internationally recognized solar physicist, working for many years at NASA. He is known for great presentations, free of text and full of images – and a whole new technique showing true recording (not composed stills) of this great display.

With the obesity epidemic that is currently going on in the western world, fitness and weight loss have become the focus for many of us. But what new ways are inventors coming up with, to get us up and moving?

“Activetainment” is a true innovation story about merging virtual reality, social experiences online and… working out. Taking fitness into the digital age: learn more about the company that produces the next-generation exercise experiences. 

What makes the basis for building successful businesses? How do you pick the right team, organize yourself, or plan on a workplace based on passion?

Nils-Henrik Stokke is a true serial entrepreneur, currently engaged in almost 10 start-ups and one of the innovative minds behind Stavanger’s hottest start-up scene, “Innovation Dock”. Henrik has done it all – from building a day-care centre for intellectually disabled children to climbing the world’s tallest free-standing mountain with his 70-year-old mother.