Japanese ‘Chit-Chat’ format demands clarity and brevity For the first time in Armenia, a “Pecha Kucha” session took place in Armenia on July 30 at the Akumb (Club) coffeehouse. Many new ideas and concepts were presented that night. People came from far and wide with great anticipation. Pecha Kucha correctly pronounced in four syllables as "peh-cha koo-cha", is the onomatopoeic Japanese word for the sound of conversation. The equivalent English term is "chit-chat". Pecha Kucha Night (PKN) was devised in Tokyo in 2003 by a pair of architects as a way to attract people to Super Deluxe, their experimental event space. Conceived as a venue through which young designers could meet, show their work, exchange ideas, and network, the format keeps presentations concise, fast-paced and entertaining. In 2004 PKN began running in a few cities in Europe, and has since become a worldwide phenomenon, now running in more than 260 cities in almost every corner of the globe. Vahe Balulyan, who organized the Yerevan event, said that Pecha Kucha allows people a good opportunity to express themselves. “Many people have interesting ideas and work but they just don’t get the chance to present and talk about them. Pecha Kucha affords them the possibility. Pecha Kucha Night events consist of around a dozen presentations, each presenter having 20 slides, each shown for 20 seconds. Each presenter has just 6 minutes 40 seconds to explain their ideas before the next presenter takes the stage. A typical Pecha Kucha Night includes eight to fourteen presentations. The presenters (and much of the audience) are usually from the design, architecture, photography, art and creative fields, but also often includes those from academia and the business world. The 20 slides / 20 seconds format has since been adopted in other arenas. Hovakim Saghatelyan, who made it to the show, said that it was called intellectual karaoke. “This is a great addition to our reality here in Armenia, so that people can present something in a short time. This gives us hope that there are people in Armenia who can explain ideas and concepts concisely and succinctly.” Ten separate presentations were staged that night. One talked about a book, another film, and yet another, about her special art. They were all interesting. Vardges Petrosyan, another person at the show, said it was more than he expected. “They were all serious, well established people with something to present. Given my busy schedule, it’s difficult to imagine me listening to such things elsewhere. Next time, I’m thinking of getting in front of the audience myself.” Yerevan is the second post-Soviet city to host a Pecha Kucha night. Anna Balulyan says that Vahe came upon an article about Pecha Kucha in a magazine just by chance. “He liked the idea and though that the Akumb would be a good place to hold the event. That’s how Pecha Kucha came to Armenian.” All Pecha Kucha events will be available at the official website, pecha-kucha.org. Not only will local fans of the new fast talk format be able to check out the scene at the Akumb coffeehouse, but people round the world will be able to see how the worldwide phenomenon is catching on in Armenia. The next Pecha Kucha night in Yerevan is scheduled for the end of August. Sona Kyurkchyan