PechaKucha provides window into the creative process

Ever wonder where creative types — artists, writers, filmmakers and the like — get their ideas? And how they grow seeds of inspiration into something real?
 

Find out tonight when 11 artsy Winnipeggers will take to the stage of the Park Theatre (698 Osborne St.) at 8 p.m. to show their work and share the creative process behind it.

They'll be going up one at a time, of course, for about 6.7 minutes each. Short, sweet and to the point -- just like the formula dictates.

It's PechaKucha Night after all.

Pecha who?

PechaKucha, pronounced "peh-CHAK-cha," is derived from the Japanese word for the sound of conversation, or "chit chat." A PechaKucha night is a free, informal gathering where creative people can share ideas, network and present their latest works or projects.

It follows a 20x20 presentation format: Each speaker presents 20 images, displayed for 20 seconds each. As the presenter talks, the images flow automatically. There's no "Next slide, please" or "Could you go back to that last one for a sec?"

The PechaKucha movement, which started in Tokyo in 2003 when a couple of architects organized a one-off event for young and emerging designers to network and show their work in public, has spread to more than 340 cities across the globe.

According to the website (www.pecha-kucha.org), PechaKucha nights -- typically held in social spaces like bars, galleries and even churches -- are for anyone who wants to "share their passion. Some are incredibly personal, some are incredibly funny, but all are very different, making each PechaKucha Night like a box of chocolates."

This is Winnipeg's third event since Feb. 17, when the Manitoba chapter of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada (GDC) hosted the city's inaugural PechaKucha Night. Playwright Danny Schur, artist Diana Thorneycroft and chocolatier Constance Menzies were among the presenters.

As per the PechaKucha Night Handshake Agreement (it's a trademarked foundation), Winnipeg will host four events a year, says organizer Oliver Oike.

"The whole idea is to recognize that we all share the creative process, but we execute it in very different ways," says Oike, GDC Manitoba chapter president.

"We noticed there were few opportunities to find a cross-section of Winnipeg's world-renowned creative talent in one room, at the same time."

Oike says presenters are selected for expertise and craftmanship in their chosen medium, but also for their storytelling abilities. A presentation is in no way intended to be a sales pitch, he says. Rather, what attendees will witness is "a spectacle not unlike speed dating -- yet far from the tedium of your great-uncle Norbert's vacation slideshow."

The list of presenters for Winnipeg PechaKucha Night, Vol. 3, includes: Arielle and Sarah (owners, Twist Gallery & Boutique); app developer Phil Letourneau; artist Blair Martin; photographer Ian McCausland; actress/writer Ellen Peterson, architect Sasa Radulovic (of the Cube fame); poet Kerry Ryan; Bomber uber-fan (a.k.a. Plungerhead) Michael Smyth; printmaker Darren Stebeleski; filmmaker Leslie Supnet; and designer/illustrator James Van Niekerk.

A fourth edition is planned for November.

carolin.vesely@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 26, 2010 E6