Last Thursday (June 21), I spent my night volunteering at Pecha Kucha, Volume 10 (I was one of the people wandering around with a camera). Mainly though, I spent the evening getting totally inspired… again. Pecha Kucha is a really interesting event to help plan, and an amazing event to attend. It’s definitely one of my favourite things to do in Winnipeg. Maybe one day I’ll attend a Pecha Kucha happening somewhere else in the world? That would make for a great vacation.
From my perspective, PKN is a total creative blast because of the variety of speakers, topics and personalities. Each speaker has something different to offer and I think for everyone in the audience, there are usually two to three speakers out of the night that ‘grab’ them.
This time around, my personal highlights of the night were Alison Gillmor, Matt Jenkins and Nils Vik. That isn’t to say that I didn’t like the rest of the speakers though — every single one was interesting and although I say this every time, I think Vol. 10 may have been the best one ever!
In the midst of listening, I tried my best to write some notes as each speaker was up on stage. Here goes…
Matt Jenkins — blacksmith
I really liked Matt’s explanation of how the blacksmith profession has changed from pre-Industrial revolution times to now. Whereas before, the blacksmith made everything out of necessity, now it has changed to more of an artistic form that is balanced with function. I especially liked his point that a good blacksmith crafts so that the ornamentation on a piece is integral to it.
Mavis McRae — entrepreneur/consultant, diver
I liked learning a little about Dr. Sylvia A. Earle who has established 18 hope spots around the world (a global network of marine protected areas). I also liked her description of playing with the a dolphin near the surface and appreciated her point that its not too late to protect our oceans.
Mike Deal — photographer/photojournalist
It was interesting to hear how Mike has incorporated technology into his work and how newspaper photographers now have the ability to take photos and send them back to the office while they’re on the go (shooting on a DSLR and then transmitting via iPhone).
Andy McKiel — curriculum coordinator/tech advocate
Andy’s passion for what he does came through loud and clear. I was most struck by his story of being in Churchill, in an isolated environment, but yet feeling more connected than ever (reaching 10-12,000 teachers per day through his webcasts, blogging, etc.).
Meghan Kinita Greenlay — photographer
It was fun to travel India through Meghan’s photos. She was so descriptive (both verbally and visually). I liked the sentiment that she shared: “Love is Life”.
Alison Gillmor — writer/columnist
Alison rocked my Pecha Kucha world — I think because I totally didn’t expect her to talk about design and architecture. Not to mention, cracking up laughing while she did. I wrote down a bunch of random notes — she went from taking about the films Helvetica and Objectified, to how design could use better PR (how in order to get design out to the general public, that we need to use charismatic megafauna — ex. an Eames Chair), to talking about how architecture and design have been incorporated into the K-12 curriculum in the states, to talking about what drives imagery in home magazines, to telling us about Apartment Therapy and finally, to quoting from @FYNCT (that last part is what had me laughing). My final word on Alison — if you ever get the chance to hear her talk about design and architecture… GO!
Chris Rutkowski — UFO expert I work with Chris, so I know him a bit, but seeing him up on stage, and hearing about the UFO side of his life, I learned a bit more. I thought he was fantastic up on stage—engaging and interesting—with the winning one-liner of the night (“I’m outstanding in my field” [visual: Chris standing in a field with a crop circle]).
Paul Beaudry, Ty Johnston, Ben Myers — AnthmApp I’m always interested to hear the story behind an app, and liked hearing his thoughts on where music is going to go in the future.
Nils Vik — owner, Parlour Coffee
Nils talked about his journey from being a furniture designer to owning and running Parlour Coffee. The thing that spoke to me most was his reverence for process — how care and attention to detail ends up in the final product, how meticulous craftsmanship is a language that is understood, his interest in the manifestation of that care and how coffee is simply a new medium for him. Parlour Coffee lets him physically exhibit care and thoughtfulness while experiencing a social connection.
Ken Borton — architect, 5468796 architecture
Ken talked about the new condos designed for 62 MacDonald Ave — I’m quite intrigued and interested to see this place. Read a little more in this Winnipeg Free Press article.
Well that’s quite enough from me… I’m curious, what were your thoughts and impressions from PKNX? Was a particular speaker a highlight for you?
And one final shout-out for Kevin Guenther’s ridiculously awesome poster design for Pecha Kucha, Volume 10. View it here.