DESCRIPTION:
David Torn (a.k.a. "splattercell"), born in New York, is a film-composer, producer, ECM recording artist and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist known for an expansive musical voice bridging a wide arc of idioms, periods and contexts. His groundbreaking textural work has influenced film scoring and electro-acoustic and electronic music, and current musical technologies. David has scored films including Friday Night Lights, Lars & The Real Girl, The Wackness, Everything Must Go, The Order, Saint John of Las Vegas, The Line, Teenage Paparazzo, and many others. His ensemble work has graced the musical output of artists including David Bowie, Tim Berne, Jeff Beck, Tori Amos, Madonna, Jan Garbarek, Laurie Anderson, Chocolate Genius, John Legend and kd lang. David studied with guitarists John Abercrombie and Pat Martino, and as a youth, with Leonard Bernstein. Among his awards are two Grammys, and three Readers' Poll Awards from Guitar Player magazines. This presentation is the premiere for a piece for solo guitar, oud and live-sampling/modifications; it's entitled, "only sky." Projected visual art provided by Jon 9.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

On January 18, 2013, Caltech hosted TEDxCaltech: The Brain, a forward-looking celebration of humankind's quest to understand the brain, by exploring the past, present and future of neuroscience. Visit TEDxCaltech.com for more details.