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 Pecha Kucha night was a huge success. Change was in the air. We all felt it. Held at the Mövenpick Hotel & Resort’s Beach at Al Bida'a Kuwait, Pecha Kucha Night attracted more than 500 attendees. Pronounced pe-chak-cha, Pecha Kucha Night “is a nonprofit event, conceived, inspired, and performed solely to strengthen creative talent whether it be famous or famous-to-be artist.” Artists from different mediums, nationalities, races, genders and ages were united to support and learn about emerging talents. You could say it was one the best places for artists to network. Everything was picture perfect, everywhere you looked you saw smiles, people were high on the environment. Pecha Kucha was created by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham (Klein Dytham architecture) in 2003 as a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. Maybe it’s because they’re architects or maybe it’s because they know their audiences, but they genius-ly devised along with the main idea, a step-by-step plan for the event. Every presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds – giving 6 minutes and 40 seconds of fame to each presenter to leave an impression. Pressure much? It is genius since the timely plan “keeps presentation concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show.” This idea began in Tokyo and has spread faster than swine flu to over 250 cities worldwide. Pecha Kucha which is Japanese for the sound of conversation or chit chat (rightly so) is hosted 4 times a year and targets everyone including “artists, architects, cooks, entrepreneurs, flâneurs, dandies, sport jocks, scientists, mathematicians, engineers, fashion designers, photographers, students and more make to make this event possible.” It was only through the efforts of a written proposal to Klein Dytham from Dr. Aseel al-Ragam, Assistant Professor at the Department of Architecture at Kuwait University, that Pecha Kucha Night Kuwait became possible. Organizers of the event include Dr Aseel, KASA (Kuwait Architectural Student Association), and Kynn (the regional home of several internationally acclaimed designers in furniture, lighting and home accessories). An important point to mention is that since it’s a non-profit event, all of these organizers are “volunteering time, energy and logistical support into making this event possible.”  This year, the event schedule was inspiring and included the following line-up who each talked about their respective fields.Farah Behbehani—Graphic Designer: Design as a Way of Life Ismael Abedin—Interior Designer: Streets of Kuwait Dana Al-Hasan—Architecture Student: the Electric City Loaay Ahmed—Digital Artist & Business Consultant: Two Cents Abd Al-rahman Al-Terkait – Photographer: The Lives of Children Around The World Farid Abdal—Architect: Untitled Teddy B— Blogger: Teddy on the Go I was in awe of every presenter. There was something to remember, to learn, and to get inspired by every time somebody got up. Music by Chad & Drew of “The Maple Jacks” perfected the already perfect beach-y environment. Jason Mraz, Bryan Adams, and great other classics just added smiles to the already happy vibe. It was infectious. For more information about PKN, visit www.pecha-kucha.org and anyone interested in applying to PKN Vol. 4 should send an email to pechakuchakuwait@gmail.com
- Maha Al-Jallal. Images courtesy of PKN and Maha Al-Jallal.
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