Pecha Kucha Night

I attended Pecha Kucha night just a couple of days ago at the Hyde Park Arts Center and had a really great evening listening to the wildest range of subjects ever put together under one roof.

What is Pecha Kucha Night?
Pecha Kucha Night, devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham (http://www.klein-dytham.com), was conceived in 2003 as a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. But as we all know, give a mike to a designer (especially an architect) and you’ll be trapped for hours. The key to Pecha Kucha Night is its patented system for avoiding this fate. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each – giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show.

Pecha Kucha (which is Japanese for the sound of conversation) has tapped into a demand for a forum in which creative work can be easily and informally shown, without having to rent a gallery or chat up a magazine editor. This is a demand that seems to be global – as Pecha Kucha Night, without any pushing, has spread virally to over 100 cities across the world. Find a location and join the conversation.

Although initially the presentations were mostly by architects and artists, as the word-of-mouth has spread, the subject matter (and the presenters) has expanded beyond those initial parameters. Have a hobby or a collection that you're dying to share with others? Go ahead. It can't be any quirkier than the gentleman who collected "do not disturb" signs from all over the globe and decided to share his favorites. Or the scientist who has managed to record the music made by molecules. It was actually quite tunefull and created interesting visual patterns when mapped! You never know what you'll learn about what people are up to and how they spend their time when they're not watching tv.

If you are interested in starting a Pecha Kucha Night in your city, please contact : pechakucha@klein-dytham.com