Pecha Kucha? You betcha!

“Creative people talking about creative things” is the focus of the international Pecha Kucha movement .

The regular nights, with their unique rapid-fire show-and-tell format, take place in 133 cities around the globe from Paris to Nelson. Pecha Kucha has quickly captured the imaginations of Aucklanders.

The next Pecha Kucha night in Auckland  is on Thursday, 21 August, held in collaboration with Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts.

The curator of Pecha Kucha Auckland, Luka Hinse, promises a night of “thinking, drinking and conversation”.

“This time there will be a mix of presenters, including an artist, architect, costume designer and a sound designer. You never know what to expect, but it’s a great night out, listening to people talk about what they’re passionate about.”

Conversation is the key to the event, which was founded by two British architects in Tokyo in 2003.  The name itself means “chit-chat”.

The night has a unique format in which each speaker shows exactly 20 pictures, each for 20 seconds, making a total of just 6 minutes and 40 seconds per presenter.

Luka says the nights are always held with an accessible bar.  “Beer is important.”

“There are usually 8 to 14 presenters. If one presentation doesn’t interest you, the next one might be really good,” says Luka.

Pecha Kucha is always on the lookout for new presenters. You can apply through the Pecha Kucha website

Designer Karen Walker shared the inspiration behind her collections one night at the MIC. Luka says you don’t need to be an international fashion designer to take part.

“If you’re an artist and you’re not famous enough to show at a gallery then Pecha Kucha is an opportunity for people with a project they’d like to talk about. Get yourself invited, and you’ll get a screen and a stage for 6 minutes and 40 seconds,” he said.

Pecha Kucha starts all around the world at the set time of 8.20pm, with doors open from 7pm.  It costs $7 to get in. Te Tuhi is organising a return trip leaving from K’Rd for the next Auckland event.