As kids, when we lost our mittens we’d simply check the Lost and Found, right? If only there was a grown-up, existential equivalent that we could check when we’ve lost something like…our perspective…or sense of humor…or even just our way.
Well, this year at TEDActive there is; it’s the PUBLIC heART LOST AND FOUND PROJECT.
At this interactive, installation-in-progress, you can anonymously speak your truth/ speak your heart by sharing what you may feel lost about (career? love? life path?) and then tacking it onto our lovely Lost and Found board. Once posted, it will only be a matter of time until the right soul “finds” it and offers a bit of sincere advice, some direction, or even specific leads.
At the end of the conference, we will be creating The Lost and Found Book comprised of all the questions and responses. We believe the actual cards become individual pieces of art, and so they will be returned to their original owners as such.
We totally welcome your input and thoughts now, pre-conference.
yours,
amy (my good friends just call me Amy Krouse Rosenthal)
TEDActive Blog 
Feeling very “duh”, but exactly how do we enter our “lost”?
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Wondering the same thing….where to send my “lost”?
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hey guys… the easiest way at this point is just to email me and i’ll post it here at TED. send to missamykr at yahoo dot com thanks much… now send away!!!
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hey guys… the easiest way at this point is just to email me and i’ll post it here at TED.
send to missamykr at yahoo dot com thanks much… now send away!!!
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In response to Martha–After the TED Conference, Can you post “lost” ads on the Mission Blog (maybe as a Thursday Thingy), allowing people to comment? Do something through Google Docs? I’m not familiar with all that Google Docs can do.
Now I’m picturing the scene in Desperately Seeking Susan when she draws a red heart around an ad in the paper–Maybe you could make a slideshow of sorts, with people’s lost ads, and people could respond in the comment section, for a Mission–or regular feature of the Mission Blog?
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Seconded. This is a great idea! :)
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Can we participate in this from a distance? I live in Britain, and it would be nice if people who can’t be there could send in their ‘lost’ things, and possibly help ‘find’ things as well (not sure how, though, but it’s just a thought)
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hi Martha. The broad answer is: yes, absolutely! The micro answer is: Yes, but let’s see what is the simplest, most logical way. You could certainly email me your note (in a doc or jpeg form) and I can print and post. That’s easy. But I’ll throw this question back out to you and group to see if a cooler idea is looming… in the meantime, so you have it, Martha…my email is missamykr at yahoo dot com.
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nice idea martha!
i wonder if we can leverage tweets and tweeting images of “lost” posted items, so that folks in the virtual space can also participate by tweeting back the “found” counterpart. then someone at TEDActive would have to just create it for that tweet-er. (Amy, maybe some of the pre-designed cards can say “via twitter, from @_______” with a blank space). just a thought!
–this suggestion is coming from someone who does not have a smart phone. heheh
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What if the cards are signed with the creator’s passion rather than their name?
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cool thought, Kat. i was thinking that we would just let this detail present itself on the spot… let people use whatever alias comes to them right there in the moment… so if people are stumped about it, we could guide them per your suggestion…what do you think?
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This is a great idea! Since it’s called the “public heART project,” what if all the “lost” cards are shaped like the left hand side of a heart, and the “right” cards are shaped like the right hand side so it’s easy to tell which cards haven’t been found yet and which ones have? The shape doesn’t necessarily have to be a heart, but something that lends itself to easily discovering which cards haven’t been found yet.
I’d love to contribute to this project, so please keep me updated!!
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in addition to providing plain old index cards, I’m also going to make a pile of “pre-designed” cards for the board and can totally fold this idea in! you could bring a few that you design as well if you’d like! come find me/us at the start of conference, k?
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sounds like a fun idea… the beckoning of the lovely was, well, lovely!
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from one Amy to another… THANK YOU!
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