Leo Villareal is an artist, but his tools aren't paint and canvas; he manipulates light, color and computer code to create monumental works of public art. In a dazzling talk, he takes us inside his efforts to light up some of the world's...

As "beauty filters" proliferate on social media platforms like TikTok, journalist Elise Hu says we've entered the era of the technological gaze, where the digital world shapes real-world beauty standards. She explains how to navigate...

From a boy setting off small explosions in his living room to the creator of world-famous pyrotechnic events, multidisciplinary artist Cai Guo-Qiang has always been drawn to gunpowder. He gives a stunning tour of his work — including his...

Amir Nizar Zuabi and Kristine McDivitt Tompkins discuss the power of art and conservation in addressing global challenges. Zuabi reflects on his projects, including the moving puppet Amal and "The Herds," which use beauty and...

Lily Yeh calls herself a barefoot artist: she travels the world with a suitcase full of art supplies, working with whoever wants to join her. In an inspiring talk, she shares the fruits of her collaborative art projects that bring color,...

At the end of World War II, the nations of Europe were a shambles. Today we'll learn about how the various countries and blocs approached the problem of rebuilding their infrastructure and helping their residents recover. You'll learn...

Artist Laetitia Ky has a unique medium: using the hair on her head (and some wire), she creates incredible sculptures of objects, animals, people and more, promoting messages of bodily autonomy and self-acceptance. She shares how she...

There’s this idea that beauty is a powerful guide to truth in the mathematics of physical theory. String theory is certainly beautiful in the eyes of many physicists. Beautiful enough to pursue even if it’s wrong?
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The great physicist Hermann Weyl once said: "My work always tried to unite the true with the beautiful, but when I had to choose one or the other, I usually chose the beautiful." But is this actually good advice for doing physics?

Artist Ersin Han Ersin invites us to step inside a giant sequoia tree, peering through the bark into the tapestry of life within. Discover how his multisensory installations explore the concept of "umwelt," or the unique sensory...

With data as his paintbrush, media artist Refik Anadol trains AI algorithms to visualize the disappearing wonders of nature. He gives a beautiful tour of his recent work -- imagery of artificial coral reefs, flowers, rainforests -- and...

How is AI changing the nature of human imagination and creativity? Through a mind-bending tour of new techniques he's been tinkering with, creative technologist Bilawal Sidhu shows how anyone can use AI-powered tools -- like 3D scans...

Learn about the famous red hat wearing underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau! Hosted by: Hank Green

Our bodies instinctually respond to the movements and rhythms of nature, like the uplifting feeling you get when walking in a forest. Can art evoke the same emotions? Experiential artist Lonneke Gordijn takes us through her studio's...

TED collaborates with animator Andrew Park to illustrate Denis Dutton's provocative theory on beauty -- that art, music and other beautiful things, far from being simply "in the eye of the beholder," are a core part of human nature with...

Today Phil follows up last week’s look at the death of low mass stars with what comes next: a white dwarf. White dwarfs are incredibly hot and dense objects roughly the size of Earth. They also can form planetary nebulae: huge,...

Taking inspiration from nature, architect Ma Yansong designs breathtaking buildings that break free from the boxy symmetry of so many modern cities. His exuberant and graceful work -- from a pair of curvy skyscrapers that "dance" with...

What if you could take a smell selfie, a smelfie? What if you had a lipstick that caused plants to grow where you kiss? Ani Liu explores the intersection of technology and sensory perception, and her work is wedged somewhere between...

unlock the mysteries and inner workings of the world through one of the most imaginative art forms ever -- mathematics -- with Roger Antonsen, as he explains how a slight change in perspective can reveal patterns, numbers and formulas as...

You can't open up a magazine without seeing someone with impossibly smooth skin selling some sort of "anti-aging" cream, but could some of these products actually work?

Greg Lynn talks about the mathematical roots of architecture -- and how calculus and digital tools allow modern designers to move beyond the traditional building forms. A glorious church in Queens (and a titanium tea set) illustrate his...

We're on the edge of a new frontier in art and creativity -- and it's not human. Blaise Aguera y Arcas, principal scientist at Google, works with deep neural networks for machine perception and distributed learning. In this captivating...

After Rome was destroyed, people were wary of attachment to physical beauty. As Christianity gained traction, Romans instead began to focus on the metaphysical beauty of virtue, and art began to follow suit. James Earle discusses how...

For more than 1,000 years, Khmer dancers in Cambodia have been seen as living bridges between heaven and earth. In this graceful dance-talk hybrid, artist Prumsodun Ok -- founder of Cambodia's first all-male and gay-identified dance...