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PechaKucha Night #5: February 18 @ CreateHere Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Described as “part happy hour, part show-n-tell”, PechaKucha Night, or PKN is about coming out from behind the computer screen, shaking hands with real people and getting a live glimpse into what our community has to offer. With a simple format—20 images projected for 20 seconds each—the presentations are kept concise to avoid the dreaded “death by Powerpoint.” For the audience it’s a chance to enjoy some free refreshments, chat with friends, and enjoy an hour or so of quick but diverse presentations. For the presenters it’s an opportunity to gain some experience in public speaking and a chance to share a passion or an idea with a great group of peers. In person. Some history about PKN can be found on the program’s site.
Chattanooga’s Fifth PKN Event!PKN 5 is on February 18, 2010 at CreateHere, starting at 6:20 pm. When we set out to plan our fifth event, we could not have guessed the circumstances that would unfold to bring an additional sense of importance to PKN.
First: Cityshare. On February 18, 2010, we will hold our event in tandem with the CreateHere-sponsored City Share. This two day mini-conference is expected to draw community organizers from at least five different cities and three countries to exchange energy, ideas and plans for making cities better through place-based action. PKN will give Chattanooga an opportunity to showcase its diverse talent, creativity and energy to an international crowd.
Second: PKN for Haiti. Just a few short weeks ago, in response to the catastrophic earthquake that devastated Haiti, Architecture for Humanity founder Cameron Sinclair contacted PKN Headquarters in Tokyo with a simple question: is there a way PKN can help with the rebuilding efforts in Haiti? In the days that followed, PKN HQ devised a plan to hold a global 24 hour PKN “wavecast” on 2/20, to raise money for the reconstruction efforts. Each participating city (out of 280!) will be given the global spotlight for approximately 10 minutes to showcase one presentation. The entire event will be recorded, made available for viewing, voting and donating. We will be recording our event on the 18th in order to submit at least one presentation for the global wavecast.
As the organizers of PKN, we are humbled by the interest and support that our community has expressed. PKN would not be happening here at all if it weren’t for the support and help of a small army of dedicated individuals plugging in their time and energy to ensure the sustainability of a not-for-profit recurring event. In addition to all the behind-the-scenes effort, there is the courage and passion of the 28 presenters who have made the first four events a success. Several sponsors have also come through to ensure our events have something for everyone: AIA Chattanooga, Easy Bistro, Mellow Mushroom, Greenlife, and Big River. The next event will even include the delicious and nutritious handy work of PKN4 presenter Chef Rick Wright.
Moving forward…
We will continue to need food-n-drink sponsors, bartenders, daring presenters, someone to film and photograph the event, and someone to help spread the good word (aka PR). Fortunately, Cole Sweeton has agreed to continue to work his artistic alchemy on our event graphics. With very few resources, we’ve worked hard to make sure PechaKucha Night has something for everyone. It continues to be held free of charge, with refreshments provided, a great energetic crowd, and diverse presentations. There’s really nothing quite like it. As long as there is support and interest, we’ll keep it going.
So the question is this: With only 6 minutes to present, what would your 20 images be?
Cheers!
Matt Brown and Jessica Morrow
