Pecha Kucha Night  Twenty Slides. Twenty Seconds.

The Pecha Kucha virus has spread to the Third Coast. Begun in Tokyo in 2003, Pecha Kucha Night ("pecha kucha" is a Japanese phrase meaning chit-chat) is a controlled creative convergence of designers, architects and other designers and artists.

Presenters are invited to show their work in a very tight format – 20 slides, 20 seconds per slide. And then the next presenter is up. It's like speed dating, but more fun. An evening will feature 10 or so presenters in an informal environment, watched by an energetic and imbibing crowd. Austin is joining a host of cities to celebrate, support and enjoy the work of local designers and creatives.

Klein Dytham architecture started Pecha Kucha Night in Tokyo in 2003. It has since spread to over 40 cities worldwide, including several in the US – LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Miami, and New York. And now Austin.

Staying true to its Tokyo roots, the Austin edition will be grounded in architecture and design, while featuring other creative disciplines as well. We’ll include graphic art, fine art, electronic media, photography, and, of course, music (this is Austin, after all) – anything that can be represented in a series of slides over the course of 6 minutes and 40 seconds will be in play.

The PKN Austin organizing group is serving to solicit presenters and curate the shows. The Austin edition will have a minimum of four shows, and if the public is responsive, we’ll keep it going. Each show starts promptly at 20:20, with doors opening an hour before. Pecha Kucha Nights will feature 10-12 presenters, with a brief break halfway through. Space is limited.