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Rapid-fire art analysis

Twenty images, and 20 seconds per image – this is the only guideline for the ten specialists presenting at next Wednesday’s Pecha Kucha. Modestly described by the event’s organizers as “a regular show-and-tell event,” these nights of animated discussion and idea exchange promise a fast-paced respite from crusty academia, with to-the-point expositions from a changing array of artists, architects, designers, musicians, and animators, not to mention young intellectuals.

The words pecha kucha are a Japanese expression for the sound of conversation. Started by Klein Dytham Architecture, a firm of Western architects based in Tokyo, the Pecha Kucha series was conceived to give designers a forum for their ideas and the opportunity to present their visions, from as-of-yet unattained dreams, to projects fully realized. Events are now organized across the globe in locations as diverse as Tokyo, Honolulu, Beijing, and Munich.

Held at the Societé des Arts Technologiques, (1195 St. Laurent) the seventh event of their Pecha Kucha series begins at 8:20 p.m. on Wednesday, September 10. Tickets are enticingly priced at $5.

One of next Wednesday’s presenters, Tina Piper, an assistant professor of Law at McGill, will speak in support of Creative Commons, a global project which allows authors, artists, scientists, and educators to “mark their creative work with the permissions and restrictions they want it to carry.” Aaron Sprechler of Open Source Architecture and modern composer Eldrich Priest will also present.

– Joshua Frank