Leymah Gbowee
The EAIE is honoured to have Leymah Gbowee, leader of the women’s movement that ended the 14-year civil war in Liberia, as the keynote speaker for the EAIE Opening Plenary. Her address will provide insight into the power of belief, the ability to unite and the triumph of achieving peace in times of great despair. Ms Gbowee is the Founder and Executive Director of the Women in Peace and Security Network - Africa (WIPSEN–Africa). The story of Ms Gbowee and the thousands of courageous Liberian women who walked with her has been brought to light in the documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell. Inspiring, uplifting, and most of all motivating, it is a compelling testimony of how grassroots activism can alter the history of nations.
You can hear Ms Gbowee speak at the Opening Plenary.
François Delarozière
The conference will close with an entertaining keynote by François Delarozière, creator of the giant mechanical elephant and the weird and wonderful marine animals. Mr Delarozière is the Artistic Director of the French company La Machine; a collaboration between artists, designers, fabricators and technicians specialised in producing giant performing machines, including the 12 m high mechanical elephant on l'île de Nantes. Mr Delarozière has collaborated with French and international companies in productions ranging from traditional theatre to experimental street art. One of his latest creations, the 'Learned Machines', features two giant mechanical spiders exploring the urban environment. It is an unfolding story that takes place in all the public spaces of a city using the streets and the buildings as its stage This show was first presented in Liverpool, the European Capital of Culture in 2008, and then in Japan to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the port of Yokohama. Mr Delarozière's keynote speech 'Architecture in Motion to reveal the cities of tomorrow' will lead us on a voyage into the world of his creations. His illustrated talk will demonstrate how the movement of the machines arouses emotions in the viewer.
You can hear Mr Delarozière speak at the Closing Plenary.
