It's Big in Japan: Pecha Kucha Night Austin [Art Preview]

On Thursday, a Japanese phenomenon is coming to Austin. The event, known as a Pecha Kucha Night, is the brainchild of two Tokyo based architects and allows artists, designers, and creatives to show off their work in a unique format. Japanese for "chit-chat", a Pecha Kucha night is a controlled creative showcase in which a series of artists present PowerPoint slide-shows of twenty images each for twenty seconds a piece. The event began in Tokyo in 2003 and typically begins at 20:20 international time (that's 8:20pm for us Americans). Over 160 international cities hold Pecha Kucha nights and Austin's own Pecha Kucha Night Advisory Group has recently teamed up with Art Alliance Austin with the goal of establishing a regular local event.

Participants in this month's event include Christian Helms, one of the accomplished beer-loving screenprinters over at The Decoder Ring and local street artist Sloke. Action Figure Studios' own Ariel Quintans will be presenting his digital film and music work. Pecha Kucha night's format lends itself to a diverse range of creative talent and other artists that will be presenting this time include, among others, a skatepark activist, a beatbox artist, and an architect. The first Pecha Kucha Night Austin in 2009 will take place this Thursday at Action Figure Studio, doors open at 7:30pm.

Admission to the event is free and a cash bar will be provided; show up early, because space is limited!