Finally made it to PechaKucha on Monday night as a part of Boston’s Fashion Week. No excuses-it was within crawling distance of my office. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into the event, thought it might be a bunch of designers, as in graphic designers , discussing their creative work. Surprisingly, PechaKucha is more about presenters, from all different industries showcasing their big ideas, closest I can equate it to would be a mini-TED Talks.
First things first, I got a quick education on the event starting with the name. It’s not “Pehcha-Koocha” as I naturally thought to say it, but more of a “Pi-chucka-chuh”. Yeah, I’m still going to butcher it. Regardless..the format of the events is that each presenter shows 20 slides, with 20 seconds to describe each slide. Once the slideshow starts, it doesn’t stop and many of the presenters were understandably flustered trying to keep up, I would have been a nutcase. “So this slide shows a craypas drawing I did in 1st grade of my dad shaving and I like it bec..oh..this is my dog..WAIT!” But this format is great for keeping things moving, allowing the maximum amount of people to speak, and not having to bring out the cane to yank chatty Cathy’s off the stage.
A few notable presentations included Alexandria Chiesa’s fashion collection inspired by Pippy Long-stockings
Andrzej Zarzycki and Sapir Ng’s dream of creating an underground theater space called Tuts(Tremont Underground Theater Space)in Boston utilizing abandoned T-tunnels
and Nicole Keane’s customizable and stylish ecofriendly carryall bags for men, F.Rock
There was also an interpretive dancer. … I’m not going to touch that one.
Surprised to be penning a nametag at the beginning of the event, PechaKucha seems to be another great social/networking resource in this city to connect like minded individuals. Just another way for people to meet people that isn’t akin to stumbling into each other at 1AM at Ned Devines. Well, in theory that is..I admit I wasn’t the most social of butterflies that night..cut to me huddled in a corner with my friend, hoarding communal naan, and drinking IPA. Anti-social bliss.
The events are free to all, no RSVPs, and seem to happen every few months. Be sure to check out the next one! ♥
