The visionary presentation format that is Pecha Kucha (pronounced “peh-chak-cha”) is back with its fifth evening of Cincinnati area speakers that have something to say. Friday, March 19th, PK Volume 5 will be held at the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) from 6pm to midnight. Pecha Kucha, Japanese for “chit-chat,” is a format of sharing ideas designed to move the speaker along at a quick page and get their message across in a succinct and interesting way.
Each speaker gets 6 minutes and 20 seconds to present their information. They show a series of 20 slides, and get 20 seconds to speak about each particular slide. This style prevents the presenter from getting stuck on one point, and allows the audience to remain interested and engaged throughout.
Pecha Kucha is an international movement dating back to 2002, but the Cincinnati chapter is just over a year old. Its inaugural event was held at the Contemporary Arts Center in February 2009, and has since hosted events at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Art Museum, and most recently a breakfast meeting for professionals at the METS Center in Northern Kentucky. The upcoming event at the CAC has PK Cincinnati founder Greg Lewis excited.
“We’ve got a pretty good representation from students and faculty at both the Art Academy and University of Cincinnati,” said Lewis. “One stand out presentation I’m really looking forward to is Jim Rauth, who has written a book about mannequins from all over the world.”
So far the majority of PK presenters have been architects and design professionals, but the reality is that anyone can be a presenter. “We’re really trying to diversify outside of architecture and design. We are trying to reach into science, medicine and philosophy,” explained Lewis who emphasized that the point is to have an interesting story to share, and from there, the presentation topics are limitless.
Pecha Kucha Night Volume 5 is Friday, March 19 at the Contemporary Arts Center in downtown Cincinnati (map). Tickets are $8 for CAC members and $12 for non-members. You can order tickets online or at the door. The doors and art galleries open at 6pm, presentations run from 7.45pm to 9.30pm, and the after party is from 9.30pm to 12am.
CAC Pecha Kucha photograph by Scott Beseler.
