0:00:01.334,0:00:04.378 In the summer of 2017, 0:00:04.402,0:00:07.550 a woman was murdered[br]by her partner in Sofia. 0:00:08.673,0:00:11.801 The woman, let's call her "V," 0:00:11.825,0:00:15.120 was beaten for over 50 minutes 0:00:15.144,0:00:16.461 before she died. 0:00:17.479,0:00:19.194 The morning after, 0:00:19.218,0:00:22.916 her neighbors told the press[br]that they heard her screams, 0:00:22.940,0:00:24.549 but they didn't intervene. 0:00:25.772,0:00:29.727 You see, in Bulgaria[br]and many other societies, 0:00:29.751,0:00:33.159 domestic violence is typically seen[br]as a private matter. 0:00:34.026,0:00:38.999 Neighbors, however, are quick to react[br]to any other kind of noise. 0:00:40.404,0:00:44.128 We wanted to expose and affect[br]the absurdity of this. 0:00:44.889,0:00:47.427 So we designed an experiment. 0:00:48.224,0:00:52.261 We rented the apartment[br]just below V's for one night. 0:00:53.017,0:00:54.588 And at 10pm, 0:00:54.612,0:00:57.437 Maksim, the artist in our group, 0:00:57.461,0:01:00.958 sat on the drum set[br]we had assembled in the living room 0:01:02.440,0:01:04.097 and started beating it. 0:01:05.418,0:01:06.814 Ten seconds. 0:01:07.910,0:01:09.398 Thirty seconds. 0:01:10.289,0:01:11.903 Fifty seconds. 0:01:12.923,0:01:14.263 A minute. 0:01:15.095,0:01:17.254 A light came on in the hallway. 0:01:18.353,0:01:20.196 One minute and 20 seconds. 0:01:21.295,0:01:24.826 A man was standing at the door,[br]hesitant to press the bell. 0:01:26.032,0:01:28.524 One minute and 52 seconds. 0:01:29.148,0:01:30.983 The doorbell rang, 0:01:31.997,0:01:34.648 a ring that could have saved a life. 0:01:36.400,0:01:39.818 "Beat." is our project exploring[br]the ominous silence 0:01:39.842,0:01:42.085 surrounding domestic violence. 0:01:42.109,0:01:45.706 We filmed the experiment,[br]and it became instantly viral. 0:01:45.730,0:01:48.032 Our campaign amplified[br]the voices of survivors 0:01:48.056,0:01:50.077 who shared similar stories online. 0:01:50.674,0:01:52.789 It equipped neighbors[br]with specific advice, 0:01:52.813,0:01:54.828 and many committed to taking action. 0:01:55.629,0:01:58.364 In a country where every other week, 0:01:58.388,0:02:01.375 the ground quietly embraces[br]the body of a woman 0:02:01.399,0:02:04.184 murdered by a partner or a relative, 0:02:04.208,0:02:06.009 we were loud, 0:02:06.033,0:02:07.484 and we were heard. 0:02:10.627,0:02:12.717 I am an activist, 0:02:12.741,0:02:15.096 passionate about human rights innovation. 0:02:15.958,0:02:19.885 I lead a global organization[br]for socially engaged creative solutions. 0:02:19.909,0:02:24.769 In my work, I think about[br]how to make people care and act. 0:02:25.789,0:02:30.957 I am here to tell you[br]that creative actions can save the world, 0:02:30.981,0:02:33.607 creative actions and play. 0:02:34.576,0:02:39.723 I know it is weird to talk about play[br]and human rights in the same sentence, 0:02:39.747,0:02:41.799 but here is why it's important. 0:02:43.038,0:02:46.848 More and more, we fear[br]that we can't win this. 0:02:47.495,0:02:49.262 Campaigns feel dull, 0:02:49.286,0:02:50.756 messages drown, 0:02:51.267,0:02:52.791 people break. 0:02:54.082,0:02:58.055 Numerous studies, including a recent one[br]published by Columbia University, 0:02:58.079,0:03:01.734 show that burnout and depression[br]are widespread amongst activists. 0:03:02.417,0:03:05.159 Years ago, I myself was burned out. 0:03:05.183,0:03:09.612 In a world of endless ways forward,[br]I felt at my final stop. 0:03:10.605,0:03:15.093 So what melts fear or dullness or gloom? 0:03:15.793,0:03:17.002 Play. 0:03:17.469,0:03:21.730 From this very stage, psychiatrist[br]and play researcher Dr. Stuart Brown 0:03:21.754,0:03:24.534 said that nothing[br]lights up the brain like play, 0:03:25.582,0:03:27.746 and that the opposite of play is not work, 0:03:27.770,0:03:29.040 it's depression. 0:03:29.729,0:03:32.100 So to pull out of my own burnout, 0:03:32.124,0:03:37.769 I decided to turn my activism[br]into what I call today "play-tivism." 0:03:38.160,0:03:39.926 (Laughter) 0:03:40.339,0:03:43.600 When we play, others want to join. 0:03:44.240,0:03:46.711 Today, my playground[br]is filled with artists, 0:03:46.735,0:03:48.440 techies and scientists. 0:03:48.846,0:03:51.981 We fuse disciplines[br]in radical collaboration. 0:03:52.658,0:03:55.713 Together, we seek new ways[br]to empower activism. 0:03:56.346,0:03:59.032 Our outcomes are not meant to be playful, 0:03:59.056,0:04:01.112 but our process is. 0:04:01.832,0:04:05.229 To us, play is an act of resistance. 0:04:06.197,0:04:10.656 For example, "Beat.,"[br]the project I talked about earlier, 0:04:10.680,0:04:14.902 is a concept developed by a drummer[br]and a software engineer 0:04:14.926,0:04:18.093 who didn't know each other[br]two days before they pitched the idea. 0:04:19.165,0:04:21.826 "Beat." is the first winner[br]in our lab series 0:04:21.850,0:04:26.039 where we pair artists and technologists[br]to work on human rights issues. 0:04:26.775,0:04:30.176 Other winning concepts[br]include a pop-up bakery 0:04:30.200,0:04:34.509 that teaches about fake news through[br]beautiful but horrible-tasting cupcakes -- 0:04:34.533,0:04:37.387 (Laughter) 0:04:37.411,0:04:41.277 or a board game that puts you[br]in the shoes of a dictator 0:04:41.301,0:04:45.691 so you get to really grasp the range[br]of tools and tactics of oppression. 0:04:47.382,0:04:50.645 We did our first lab[br]just to test the idea, 0:04:50.669,0:04:53.426 to see where it cracks[br]and if we can make it better. 0:04:53.450,0:04:56.704 Today, we are so in love with the format[br]that we put it all online 0:04:56.728,0:04:58.348 for anyone to implement. 0:04:59.148,0:05:02.747 I cannot overstate the value[br]of experimentation in activism. 0:05:03.312,0:05:06.675 We can only win[br]if we are not afraid to lose. 0:05:08.247,0:05:10.892 When we play, we learn. 0:05:12.332,0:05:14.971 A recent study published[br]by Stanford University 0:05:14.995,0:05:17.065 about the science[br]of what makes people care 0:05:17.089,0:05:20.269 reconfirms what we have[br]been hearing for years: 0:05:20.293,0:05:22.958 opinions are changed[br]not from more information 0:05:22.982,0:05:25.127 but through empathy-inducing experiences. 0:05:26.020,0:05:28.818 So learning from science and art, 0:05:28.842,0:05:34.120 we saw that we can talk about[br]global armed conflict through light bulbs, 0:05:34.144,0:05:37.001 or address racial inequality in the US 0:05:37.025,0:05:38.487 through postcards, 0:05:39.320,0:05:43.917 or tackle the lack of even[br]one single monument of a woman in Sofia 0:05:43.941,0:05:46.045 by flooding the city with them, 0:05:46.655,0:05:48.835 and, with all these works, 0:05:48.859,0:05:52.277 to trigger dialogue,[br]understanding and direct action. 0:05:54.534,0:05:58.795 Sometimes, when I talk about[br]taking risks and trying and failing 0:05:58.819,0:06:00.590 in the context of human rights, 0:06:00.614,0:06:02.947 I meet raised eyebrows, 0:06:03.639,0:06:06.872 eyebrows that say, "How irresponsible," 0:06:06.896,0:06:08.913 or, "How insensitive." 0:06:09.567,0:06:13.294 People often mistake play for negligence. 0:06:13.318,0:06:14.617 It is not. 0:06:16.218,0:06:21.030 Play doesn't just grow our armies stronger[br]or spark better ideas. 0:06:21.741,0:06:24.172 In times of painful injustice, 0:06:24.196,0:06:27.231 play brings the levity we need[br]to be able to breathe. 0:06:27.850,0:06:30.312 When we play, we live. 0:06:33.907,0:06:36.208 I grew up in a time 0:06:36.232,0:06:38.141 when all play was forbidden. 0:06:39.387,0:06:42.659 My family's lives were crushed[br]by a communist dictatorship. 0:06:43.923,0:06:47.720 For my aunt, my grandfather, my father, 0:06:47.744,0:06:50.217 we always held two funerals: 0:06:50.241,0:06:51.617 one for their bodies, 0:06:51.641,0:06:53.184 but, years before that, 0:06:53.208,0:06:54.791 one for their dreams. 0:06:55.657,0:06:59.394 Some of my biggest dreams are nightmares. 0:07:00.685,0:07:04.959 I have a nightmare that one day[br]all the past will be forgotten 0:07:04.983,0:07:08.228 and new clothes will be dripping[br]the blood of past mistakes. 0:07:09.546,0:07:11.521 I have a nightmare 0:07:11.545,0:07:15.025 that one day the lighthouses[br]of our humanity will crumble, 0:07:15.049,0:07:17.325 corroded by acid waves of hate. 0:07:18.301,0:07:20.908 But way more than that, 0:07:20.932,0:07:22.248 I have hope. 0:07:23.169,0:07:25.485 In our fights for justice and freedom, 0:07:25.509,0:07:27.181 I hope that we play, 0:07:28.205,0:07:32.740 and that we see the joy[br]and beauty of us playing together. 0:07:33.626,0:07:35.023 That's how we win. 0:07:36.058,0:07:37.285 Thank you. 0:07:37.858,0:07:40.764 (Applause)