When Ada Lovelace created the world’s first complex computer program in 1843 she stated she would “rather be great than be known as great”, and - like so many female innovators through the ages, history soon forgot her. Now, as society becomes more gender equal year on year, women are expected to stand up and be counted. “History is full of male role models to inspire the men, but where are the female role models like Ada Lovelace to inspire the rest of us?” asks Zoe Philpott, UK-based experience director, and creator of Ada.Ada.Ada. Philpott tells us about Lovelace, using technology that women helped to create, and asks us to locate more great women from history and tell their stories.
Zoe Philpott combines technology with the arts to tell stories that engage new audiences. Her work has won seven BETTs and one BIMA as well as a BAFTA nomination. She has choreographed 4m high industrial robots for Ford, created a binaural immersive experience to shine a light on world poverty for the Nike Foundation, and created a 50,000-LED interactive Christmas Tree installation at the White House for Google. She is now combining all her STEAM skills to update History with Herstory, starting with the story of Ada Lovelace.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx