Inspirational talks bring social network out of screen, into ‘real world’

AMMAN — Reflecting on the impact of their profession on society and on workplaces as a whole, architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham came to the realisation that “architects talk too much”, with the widespread culture of “PowerPoint” presentations pushing individuals to “talk for hours” without listening or interacting with their audience.

“Give a microphone and some images to an architect — or most creative people for that matter — and they'll go on forever,” the two work partners stated, explaining why they came up with the idea of PechaKucha Nights, an innovative gathering format which was recently launched in Jordan.

“We believe there is nothing social about online social networks, so we encourage people to get out from behind their screen and get to a live event, with real people, real communication, and real creative fun,” the founders explained on their website, stating that PechaKucha is, in a sense, a “real” social network.

Held for the first time in Tokyo in 2003, the PechaKucha Nights made their way into the Jordanian capital on September 1, at Darat Al Funun, with the very first 20x20 presentation focusing on creativity and design, PechaKucha city organiser, Namaa Qudah, told The Jordan Times on Tuesday.

A simple presentation format where every speaker has the capacity to present 20 images for 20 seconds each, PechaKucha 20x20 aims to “start a series of informal non-profit social events that brings architects, designers and artists together to speak about the latest designs, projects and relevant topics”, Qudah noted.

“The idea behind this format is to push presenters to deliver talks that are brief, conclusive and straight to the point,” she elaborated, noting that this results in a “fun, quick and lighthearted night that delivers so much information, in the briefest time possible”.

Since their establishment in Tokyo, PechaKucha Nights have spread to more than 1,000 cities around the world, including London, Paris, Bogota, New York, Khartoum, Beirut, Cairo, Dubai and Riyadh, the city organiser explained, voicing hope to see the Amman edition’s second session gather as much success as the first one.

To ensure that each PechaKucha Night is relevant to its host city, each event is organised by locals like Qudah, who team up with groups of local volunteers.

“With the viral success these nights witnessed around the world, we have discovered that most cities have virtually no public spaces where people can show and share their work in a relaxed way,” the two founders said in a statement.

“The beauty of PechaKucha Nights is that anyone can present”, they continued, citing the example of Klein’s daughter presenting at five years old while Dytham’s mother presented when she was 69.

“The key to a great presentation is to present something you love. Most people use PechaKucha Night to present their latest creative projects or work. Some people share their passion and show their prized collections, while others share photos of their latest visit to a construction site or their recent holiday snaps,” Dytham continued, stressing that “what makes a good presentation is to uncover the unexpected: unexpected talent, unexpected ideas”.

“Some PechaKuchas tell great stories about a project or a trip. Some are incredibly personal, some are incredibly funny, but all are very different, and they turn each PechaKucha Night into ‘a box of chocolates’,” Klein agreed.

Asked about its similarity with the TED Talks format, PechaKucha organisers said that, “despite being a very nice compliment, it is not quite right; TED is brilliant, but top down, while PechaKucha is bottom up”.

All talks presented during PechaKucka events are recorded and shared on the international PechaKucha website, according to Qudah, who announced the next “Leaders of Change” event slated for November 24, at 7pm at ZINC in Amman’s King Hussein Business Park.

“We will focus on shedding light on initiatives and individuals who have launched projects, designs, films, photography and art that tackled social issues or utilised their work as a way of solving societal, environmental or psychological issues in our society,” Qudah pointed out, citing architects Abeer Seikaly and Dina Haddadin, singer Ahmad Farah and environmental journalist Bashar Humeid as speakers in the future event.