The event is a modern twist on your traditional art exhibit. Instead of allotting an unlimited amount of time to local artists to speak about their work, the format for Pecha Kucha (pronounced “pe-chak-cha”) is simple: 20 slides in 20 seconds.
The global phenomenon was brought to the local level in November 2007, founded by architects Laura Joines-Novotny and Tom di Santo, Cal Poly assistant professor in digital media Enrica Lovaglio and curator Catherine Trujillo.
Pecha Kucha Night originated in 2003 by Tokyo’s Klein-Dytham Architecture firm. Turning PowerPoint, the fixture of cubicle life, into an art form and competitive sport Klein and Dytham gave young designers a venue to meet, network and showcase their work.
The San Luis Obispo chapter is just one of 219 Pecha Kucha Nights worldwide. San Luis Obispo is the smallest town to host Pecha Kucha with audience turnouts as large as Tokyo’s said di Santo.
The format was designed to keep presentations concise and audience members’ interest up while maximizing the number of presenters within the course of one night.
“It’s a great mix of creative types, each with different philosophies, all in one place where they can collaborate and inspire,” Trujillo said.
The strange tongue twister of a name “Pecha Kucha” comes from a Japanese term for the sound of conversation, chatter or “chit-chat.” The Steynberg Gallery owner, Peter Steynberg, agrees that the phrase is fitting.
“It has an incredible buzz,” Steynberg said.
Pecha Kucha Volume 8, San Luis Obispo
The clock ticks to 8:20pm (20:20 in military time). The Steynberg Gallery is packed with at least 100 audience members talking over each other. The show is about to begin.
An accomplished composer makes his way to the stage. Facing him, one large floor-to-ceiling image of his work is projected onto the screen.
The next 6-minutes and 40-seconds is a chance for Garry Eister to show his resonator guitar work as well as his compositions that have been played from Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center.
Ashley Schwellenbach, an arts editor for the New Times, gave her presentation about the creative process that went into photographing local artists for last year’s special issue of the newspaper.
“We wanted to challenge the idea that newspapers aren’t capable of evolving, that they are stale and they are dead and that’s the end of it,” Schwellenbach said. “We also wanted to see what we were capable of bringing up and bringing to fruition.”
The risque concept of last year’s arts edition of the New Times was portraying local artists as though they were dead, without using Photoshop or other digital imagery. Schwellenbach and her team won an third place award at the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Photography Association.
Graphic communications professor Brian Lawler shared his unique panoramic photography technique.
“Two minutes and 40 seconds of photographic geekiness and then we’ll have some photos,” he said before getting into the technical aspect of how his tripod rotates a camera at its central point, instead of the center of the tripod.
The resulting product is perfectly-stitched, high-quality panoramas that have been featured by both Apple and Nikon.
After him comes architects, a KCPR disc jockey, surf photographer and musician — each with local ties.
Since its local induction two years ago, the success has been viral.
“We have a cult following,” Trujillo said.
With an eclectic mix of speakers, the contrasts with the traditional lecture could not be greater.
Ron Work, a musician from Santa Cruz, drove down the coast to surf and ended up attending the event.
“I’m surprised at the diversity of an event like this,” Work said. “It’s neat to see people from different backgrounds coming together around this central theme of photography.”
As an avid art exhibit visitor, Work said Pecha Kucha night was unlike any event he’s ever experienced.
“There’s something very predictable about an art opening,” Work said. “But I got a kick out of the fact that this was so unrehearsed, a lot of spontaneity.”
Trujillo expresses similar sentiments.
“It’s cultural karaoke, where everyone doesn’t have a great set of vocal chords,” Trujillo said.