June 14 - 20, 2015: Issue 218

 TEDXPITTWATER: THE ART OF BEING PITTWATER - 2015

Rob Tulk with co-pirate at Avalon Sailing Club Opening Day!

 TEDXPITTWATER: THE ART OF BEING PITTWATER

Innovative and Diverse Ideas Worth Sharing from the amazing people of Pittwater 

10 AM - 4.30 p.m. Saturday June 20th at the Newport Community Centre

The theme for TEDxPittwater 2015 references the innovative ideas that members of our local community contribute to the broader global community. 

The word ‘Art’ itself denotes ‘The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power’ and ‘Subjects of study primarily concerned with human creativity and social life, such as languages, literature, and history’. When this is applied to ‘the art of’ anything it extends this to ‘A skill at doing a specified thing, typically one acquired through practice’. 

There’s something for your mind, your body, your heart and your soul in this year’s featured speakers. All have refined great ideas into dynamic workings, and certainly know about 'the art of'. A full list of these runs below but this week we’d like to share an insight into one who sustains and extends the age old profession of naval architecture.

Rob Tulk is a Naval Architect based in Warriewood.  He designs and builds high performance boats with one, two or three hulls. Rob will be talking about the art and science behind designing these innovative vessels, the largest super yacht ever built in Australia and the future of Sydney Ferries fleet.

What attracted you to boat building – where did it all begin?

Good question – we never owned a boat when I was growing up – in fact I hadn’t ever really been on a boat until I finished school and spent what is now ‘schoolies week’ sailing across Bass Strait with some mates – after that I was hooked.

How long have you been doing this? 

All my adult life – I graduated with an engineering degree in Naval Architecture in 1988. After a couple of years with the Department of Defence, a year in Cairns with a shipbuilder and a couple of years as a Plan Approval surveyor with Roads & Maritime Services I joined International Catamaran Designs – a world renowned designer of high speed vessels and never looked back from there. 

After 7 years I went building boats in Tasmania for 5 years, and for the last 10 years I have been the design manager at One2three Naval Architects, where, as the name suggests, we design vessels with one, two or three hulls.

What is your favourite kind of vessel?

Whilst I love sailing, and I appreciate the beauty of modern motoryachts, my favourite jobs are high speed ferries – there is something special about making them as efficient as humanly possible, starting with the hull shape, and then drawing on all my experience to make the boats robust and as light and fast as possible. Perhaps it’s the science geek side of me, but getting the most of out of our design and exceeding expectations on sea trials and having owner’s proud of the boats we design for them is very fulfilling.

What will be in your TedXPittwater talk this year?

The TEDx theme this year is “the art of....” So in my case I’ll be talking about the art of designing boats. My aim is to let people know what Naval Architects actually do, and by show casing some of the incredible projects we have been fortunate enough to be involved in I will attempt to answer the question “Naval Architecture – Art or Science?”

Find out more at: www.one2three.com.au

In Antarctica 

 TEDxPittwater 2015: The art of being Pittwater - Speakers 2015

www.tedxpittwater.com/

Stretching from North Narrabeen to Palm Beach, Pittwater is a unique part of Sydney surrounded by water, beaches and the natural environment. There are many amazing people who live and work in Pittwater. TEDxPittwater celebrates these people and their stories. They truly have ideas worth sharing!

This year we will host TEDxPittwater at Newport Community Centre 10 am – 2.30 pm Saturday June 20th.

$40 adults $20 students covers event, morning tea, lunch and a post event drink.

Tickets on sale now here  Face Book page

CLAIRE MADDEN - THE ART OF UNDERSTANDING GENERATION ALPHA

Claire Madden is a social researcher and Director of Research at McCrindle Research. Claire bridges the gap between the emerging generations,  business leaders and educators. She is a next-gen expert, fluent in social media, youth culture, and engagement styles of these global generations, a professional in interpreting what this means. She will be demystifying generation ALPHA - who surround us. 

ROB TULK - THE ART OF DESIGNING BOATS

Rob Tulk is a Naval Architect based in Warriewood.  He designs and builds high performance boats with one, two or three hulls. Rob will be talking about the art and science behind designing these innovative vessels, the largest super yacht ever built in Australia and the future of Sydney Ferries fleet.

RICHARD MITCHELL  - THE ART OF GOOD BUTCHERY

Richard Mitchell is an artisan butcher based in Elanora Heights. He is passionate about good meat and deli goods. It's not just about how you cook them, its far more complex. He will be enlightening us about the whole butchery experience. 

FRANZISKA ISELI & CHRIS HALL - THE ART OF CREATING PERCEPTIONS 

Franziska Iseli and Chris Hall are authors, entrepreneurs and business world thought-leaders who like to do things a little differently. In their talk they ask How do trends happen? Why do some products sustain popularity while many never take off? How do some ideas and businesses become more irresistible than others? They will show us how anything is possible through perception and how you can take control of your own.

ANDY MARLOW - THE ART OF SUSTAINABLE LIVING

Andy Marlow is a designer with a deep-held passion for sustainability and a core belief that great buildings and places can make people happier. He led the materials specification for the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre at University of Wollongong, a project that seeks to become Australia’s first certified Living Building. His latest project is a Hempcrete house in Mudgee. In 2012 Andy was awarded a Byera Hadley Travelling Scholarship for Engaging Communities: Shifting focus from building to urban scale. He has a passion for deigning low impact buildings that help us live and work more lightly, using less energy, less impactful materials and satisfying our aesthetic needs. Andy will be showing us how we can do simple things to live better with less impact.

CRAIG DUCKMANTON - THE ART OF THE QUIET GARDEN

Craig Duckmanton works in gardens across Pittwater and Sydney. He is passionate about quite gardens, eschewing the grunting, grinding, power tools for beautiful, silent hand tools, making the gardening experience one of relaxation, exercise and recreation. Craig will inspire us to think about our gardening chores in a whole new light.

DR CAROLINE FORD - THE ART OF BEACHES AS PUBLIC SPACE

The idea of a right to free beach access underpins the Australian beach ethos. Yet few realise that most of the sandy shores along Sydney’s northern beaches were privately owned for much of the nineteenth century, part of large estates claimed for their agricultural rather than recreational value. Their transition to prized public spaces came after many decades of community action along the Sydney coast and reflected gradual shifts in local ideas about the ways beaches and coastal spaces should be used. This talk will explain how and why some of Pittwater’s best loved ocean beaches came to be publically owned, and the mutual effects of changing public attitudes on an emerging beach culture.

THE SITUATION ROOM  - WHEN MONEY IS NOT ENOUGH - THE ART OF CREATIVE SATISFACTION

Have you seen Avalon Now www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNXfsXe0bQA and wondered who was behind it? We found them and they will be at TEDxPittwater to talk about the art of laughing at yourself, social parody and what's unique about all of us. Bruce Walters and Felix Williamson have a huge list of big professional production on their CV's but find their greatest satisfaction comes from artistic endeavour (making fun of themselves and their friends) and the pleasure of making stuff.  

GUNTER SWOBODA - THE ART OF MAKING GOOD MEN GREAT

Mona Vale based Gunter Swoboda is a psychologist, author, speaker and mentor with a specific interest in men’s issues which has led Gunter to develop the project ‘Making Good Men Great’. It aims at helping men to rethink masculinity, provide a way to help men shape their lives to be aligned to thrive, and finally to become an inspiration to others. It does this by focussing on getting men on track individually, in the family and at work.