TED Tuesday presents ‘Photo Greater Than 1000’
Students gathered in the student lounge in the Student Services Center yesterday to view the first TED Tuesday presentation of the semester, “Photo Greater Than 1000: Angelo Merendino at TEDxUSU.”
Saddleback College encourages students and faculty to share their favorite talks to be shared and viewed every Tuesday until April 22.
“People started coming for the free food, but then they ended up staying to watch the TED Talks,” DJ Tate, a 22-year-old education major, said. “Now we have people just coming for the videos.”
For some viewers this was their first time hearing about TED Talks. Others have watched online, but never at a live showing.
Ervin Page, a 42-year-old computer maintenance and technology major, said, “I saw TED Talk videos on YouTube before and today I just walked by, saw the sign at the door and decided to stay and watch it right here.”
Cameron Shalaby, an 18-year-old photography major, said the TED Talks have changed his outlook on education.
“If you ever need to learn something by just looking at a screen–TED Talks– it’s the only way to go,” said Shalaby.
Italian photographer Angelo Merendino has received worldwide recognition for his photo-documentary, “The Battle We Didn’t Choose – My Wife’s Fight With Breast Cancer.” This past March, Angelo and Jennifer’s story went viral.
“Photo Greater Than 1000” shares Jennifer Merendino’s four-year journey fighting breast cancer.
“There were no thoughts about making a book or having exhibitions or giving a TED Talk. These photographs were born and made out of necessity,” Merendino said. “I continued to share these photographs on my blog. The somewhat anonymous world of blogging gave me a voice to get these feelings out of my head.”
Merendino’s wife, Jennifer, battled her disease for four years before her passing in 2011. He says his photos of their love story have been vital to accepting Jennifer’s death, embracing his own mortality and finding peace within himself.
What started in 1984 has now become a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. TED Talks are intended to educate and grasp the attention of people around the world. Technology, Entertainment and Design are the three components that make up the acronym TED.