Luke AG
ABOUT LUKE AG:
Luke AG is a London based poet with a distinctly political and historical message. He uses poetry and rhyme to navigate through a narrative of his own life, and the people around him. Originally from Hastings, his poetry and ideas provide a narrative of his journey from a small town to the big city, with a couple of pit stops along the way.
Luke, we’re really looking forward to having you speak at TEDxRoyalTunbridgeWells. Can you tell us a little bit about your idea worth spreading?
The camera lens conundrum: Around 32% of the adverts we see include people from multicultural backgrounds, and yet, only 13% of the creative industry is made up of people from these groups. Why can’t the people behind the camera be as diverse as the people in front of it?
Using a mixture of poetry and storytelling, I'm going to challenge the creative industry to embrace an increasingly diverse society, and show how diversity on both sides of the lens is important for myriad reasons, including future-proofing the industry and how popular-culture influences society.
A lot of my poems and writing is about identity, and my Half Stereotype poem will give a taste of the poems that will be integrated into the talk.
What was the main motivation for giving a TEDx talk?
A life long ambition, and an opportunity for me to share my perspectives on diversity in the creative industry to a wider audience. Working at a prominent London advertising agency, I want to share some of my observations from the other side of the camera lens.
When I was studying in Canada, a friend gave me the idea to write a TEDxTalk since I was always talking about change and my ambitions for the future. Two years later, I've taken his advice.
What is the one thing you want the audience to take away from your TEDx talk?
I want the audience to consider the camera lens conundrum when they see diversity on screen. I want them to question the motivations behind advertising, and recognise the disproportionate representation on one side of the lens. In a wider sense, I want the audience to think about how popular-culture influences them, and their decisions.
What are some of your favourite TED or TEDx talks?
This first one is a fantastic book and talk, with insightful perspective into how stories shape our realities. Particularly fascinating in regards to how our own stories determine our world view, and the ways in which we position ourselves as 'hero's' within this narrative.
The first TED talk I ever watched! Absolutely brilliant and incredibly insightful. I watched this when I was in school, and it motivated me to continue being creative in my spare time, even if my career adviser told me that I should study a 'hard' subject at uni...
Salma is very inspirational, and one of the main reasons I want to do a TED talk. I met her a couple of years ago at a spoken word event and recently went on her BBC Radio London show The Scene to talk about my ambitions for the future. A lot of my poetry focuses on identity, and Salma makes a number of amazing points which really resonate with me. The amount of times people have asked me 'where are you from, from?', is ridiculous.
A well put-together talk which shows how media can be manipulated for political gain. The insidious nature of Cambridge Analytica's influence on Brexit and Trump is highlighted here, and Carol is a wonderful speaker.
I mean, this TED talk is the dream. It's one of the reasons I want to integrate poetry into my talk, in a somewhat similar way to how Jon uses music and image to convey his ideas. His book is brilliant, and this talk is a wonderful snippet of a very dark and dangerous topic. His insight within this talk is surprising, and I respect the ways that he challenges mainstream thoughts and his own ideas.
We're really excited to be welcoming you back to Tunbridge Wells, Luke. Is there anything other than giving a TEDx talk that you're looking forward to doing or seeing while you’re here?
I grew up in Hastings, Royal Tunbridge Well's ruffian East Sussex cousin. I spent a lot of time in Tunbridge when I was younger where my mums best friend used to live. I love this corner of the country, and there are so many nuances of culture which are unique to here.
I'm excited to speak to a semi-familiar audience and share my stories and observations about my journey from Hastings to London and my observations of the mysterious world behind the camera lens.
You can find Luke on Facebook and instagram and on his website.
And while you’re at it, make sure you have your ticket to see Luke at TEDxRoyalTunbridgeWells.
