Plenty in Twenty: What we learned at this year’s PechaKucha Night Manila

February 18, 2020

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By 

Denny Mata and Gabrielle Delacruz

The format: 20 images x 20 seconds. Speakers must tell their story through 20 images. They have 20 seconds to relate their story to each image. This is how a PechaKucha talk works. 

PechaKucha was started by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, principals of Klein Dytham, a Japan-based architectural firm, who wanted to pioneer an approach to a presentation that cuts to the chase in an engaging but also challenging manner. When first rolled out In 2003, it struck a chord and spread like wildfire, with PechaKucha events sprouting in hundreds of cities around the world, including Manila. PechaKucha Night Manila has been running since 2008 and was originally organized by JJ Yulo, Cres Rodriguez Yulo, Michelle Barretto and Janice Crisostomo Villanueva. The new team of organizers, SpaceFabrik, mommymundo, vitaminB, and Pinoy Eats World, has done four runs of creative and insightful gatherings. This 2020, they brought together a fresh lineup of speakers from various fields: architecture, urban planning, real estate, education, film, fine arts, martial arts, mental wellness, and lifestyle consultancy, at Acceler8 by UnionSPACE last February 6.

Despite the lack of a collective theme and a diverse range of speakers, PechaKucha succeeded in consistently reminding its audience that creativity is boundless and takes on many forms. We at BluPrint wish to take a stab at the 20 x 20 format of PechaKucha as we recount the highlights of the invigorating session last February 6. Away we go!

READ MORE: Anthology Festival 2020 Director William Ti, Jr. on planning and ‘thinking architecture’

Photographed by Ed Simon

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