Pecha Kucka: a night of chit-chat

Last night I attended San Diego’s 4th edition of Pacha Kucha Night. Pecha Kucha is a Japanese term that means the sound of conversation or chit-chat and that’s exactly what we did! We all gathered around gripping our cervesas and fresh made tacos to share some information and meet some new people. Here is how it works: Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds, giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of floor time and expression before the next presenter is up. Then there’s the 20 “rules”. (This one is awesome: Pecha Kucha Night is about thinking and drinking.) The topics are not limited, but usually focus on design, architecture, photography, art and other creative fields. I enjoyed the format because the presentations didn’t drag on, but we were quick, concise and very interesting. My friend Dave Brown was the MC and introduced the speakers who shared insight about social media, the history of light, alternyms, a small African village and more… Pecha Kucha Night was designed by designers Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham in 2003 as a place for (you guessed it) designers to meet, network, and show their work in public.  Pecha Kucha is now happening in 143 locations globally. I would say overall a very rewarding evening that sparked some new ideas on collaboration and creativity. Hope to see you at the next one! (January 20, 2009 –  I’ll keep you updated… San Diego Creatives UNITE.)

Oh, do you have something you would like to speak about? Contact pkn@sdarchitecture.org for more information.