PECHA KUCHA
Talkingdapanese
Pecha Kucha nights have become an underground global phenomenon. Kirstin Innes finds out what all the fuss is about
ouerl’oiiit presentations are reth not say .I\\l\ aii_\one \\ho\ e\ er sat through a \xohhl} hadl_\ rltlllllleti headlines. dodg} elip art and inetimprehensihle animated pie ehai'ts meant to ‘ia// up' a sales report or seetor gi‘o\\th anahsis . . .
\L‘l‘te\ ol
\L‘L'. i.\L‘ hi\l _\oti ahead}. ha\en't l'.’ llo\\e\ei'. on \Vednesda} 5 |)eeeinher. around lSll Seottish musieiaus. artists and genei'a||_\ ei'eati\ e seenexter t_\pe\ are going to eongregate around a night long l’oxxerl’oint \Iide\ho\\ held in (i|a\go\\ \ .'\i'ehe\. in the knouledge that tlie_\'re taking part in an iiher—eool international phenomenon.
(‘liekz red nails digging into e\po\ed l‘att_\ tissue on an operating tahle. ('liek: \Vondemoman. ('liek: the e_\ e ol'a giant squid.
ln Still}. 'l’iik§ii»lxi\etl arehiteetx .v\\trid Klein and Mark lbtham eame tip \\ith an idea tor a \oeial L‘\Clll [0 promote litL‘ll‘ ltL‘\\ Cillli \[NtL‘L‘ Superl)e|u\e. 'l‘he_\ ealled it l’eeha Kueha. uhieh translates rou1—‘hl_\ lrom Japanese as 'ehit ehat'. 'l'hefd get up to H people lllti\li} liello\\ to talk about their ideas and the things that inspired them aesthetieall}. in a rela\ed setting. \\ ith drinks and musie on hand.
ttl'k‘itllL‘L‘h and dC\lgllL‘l'\
llo\\e\ei'. to a\oid o\ei‘—
10 THE LIST . -' \
Clllilll\l.l\lle aiid uiideiv.hehiiiiig laiixt‘h dioiiiii_:' on. eaeh presenter \‘.illliti he eilll\ll.illtt‘ti h_\ a \ti‘iet tiiiie hunt and a last iiio\in-_:. ieniotel} eoiitrolled l‘o\\ei|’oint \iltit'\ilit\‘. aheath pie programmed \\ ith then llll.tf.'e\
(‘helxi elllltl/_\ ehiiia dogs ('liek \oiiieliodtk gianii}. \iiiiling
In the iiitei‘\ening _\eai’\. l’eeha kueha \ight has morphed into \itlllt‘lilllljJ huge and glol‘e sealing. \\ith nights iio\\ heiiig run iii o\ei .\ll eities; all ol llioxe htihs ol lllll\le. design and ei‘eatn it_\ that people \\.tlll to h\ e iii. i,l\i‘iill. San l'i‘;iiiei\eo. Berlin. \ladi'itl \tl\llll. |e\a\. \e\\ York. \eu York. It's heeii running in (i|.i\go\\ \inee Illllti. and this is the lotii‘th exent. It attraets artists. designers. lllll\lel;lll\. ( Men the presenters are part ol the (‘reati\e |.iiti'epi’eiieur\ (‘luh i(‘l:('i. the lighthouse run organisation \xhieh sets tip networking e\ent\ and Seottish th'\lj_‘ll eonlei'eiiees. l'here ha\ e heen thiee I’eeha l\'ueha lllg‘ilh lll ( ii;t\f_‘ti\\ ;tllti title at [ilL‘ “CC Red Hat lll Izdiiihtirgh.
(’hek: .\ \ereaiuing punk at a gig in Heihn.
"l‘he \PL‘dixL‘lN gtl‘t‘ [‘lt'ixt‘d lit l‘t'Itl‘tNt‘lll .t ell)“ \eetion ol' the ei‘eatn e industries] \a_\\ I )iise} Smith. \\ho runs the ('l:(‘ and l’eeha Kneha. \o the} pull a huge \ariet_\ ol aiidieiiee iiieiuhers. \Vhen me started the ehih. \\ e made a rule that people \xeren‘t allou ed to talk dii‘eetl} ai‘otll their husinessex or \xorle either. lherek nothing \\oi'\e than heing \tuek il\lt‘lllllj_‘ to someone ad\ei‘ti\ing theiuxel\e\7 l eiieoui'age people to share their ideas and lll\[‘ll'.tllilll\. and aixo to keep to things that inspire them personally.
'I'hix time around. presenters ineliide a lllll\le
fl 1 i E \, BA‘HA.’
‘ W «fl“— 99
‘C’ ‘ hfikh
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\ideo diieetoi \\ho \‘.illi\\ \\llil \iitoio t\ the .iiiillt\itll\ and l iaii/ Ieidiiiand. a I‘ialla \Kllllllll‘.‘ doetiiiieiitau piodueei. a [‘ili‘li't'lal‘ilt'l \\ll|l a reputation loi uiieoiiipioiiiixiiig llllth‘\ and a man ili\
eoiiipeied h} lioiia \lilligaii. \kho keeps l’etha
\kho lll.ti\e\ llltl\lt' iii itl\ liediooiii
l\iieha iiiiuiiii:' \\llil \\l_\ liiiiiioiii and a health_\ attitude to potential teehiiologieal eliaos
(‘hele the I‘Vlls l’eiiguin papeiliaek eo\ei ol .liiltltl [‘tilixe\ /\’i'i/.' Kit/WI! /\'iii:
Iaeh \lide shoux loi Ill \eeonds e\aet|_\. and that\ all the tune the [\lt'\t'lllt'l ha\ to e\p|aiii the image lieloie the_\ 'ie on to the .ie\t one |\\eiit\ \eeoiidx eaeh loi jtl \iltit‘\ l\ \l\ lllllltllt'\ 1H \eeoiids e\aetl_\, \ltei that. the \ilth'\ilii\\ pauses lot the \eeond\ \\illi\‘ the eoiiipeie lllllittillet'\ the iie\t piexeiiter. heloie \egueiiig stiaight into then lll\l iinage. It's lt‘it'lllit‘\\. .i hieakneek i‘lll\l ol image» eoloiii and lute \i/ed nuggets ol inlorinatioii to \lllt the lia_\ed attention span ol the lllil\l t‘;t\li} distiaeted iiieiiihei ol the \II\ geiieiatioii. It‘s not a iaiidoiii haiiage ol \‘.iilti\ and [‘IellllL‘\. though the pie piogiaiiiiiied \ildexiiou keeps the \peakeix to a light. lllt'lletliiltl\i_\ \ti'netiiied loiiiiat,
(‘heki e\aiiiple\ \ilil\‘.lll_‘,_‘ \\il_\ people iihilht' the lont llehetiea.
‘\l} la\l presentation \\a\ i'ea|l_\ liaxed on Ill}
‘YOU END UP TOSSING YOUR PRE-PREPARED CUE CARDS AND WINGING IT'