Get inspired on September 5th at PechaKucha 46

If you want to try something that is much harder than it sounds, think of 20 pictures that sum up your life.

It's a similar story with PechaKucha, whose 46th Charleston incarnation is set to take place at 8 p.m. on September 5 at the Charleston Music Hall. It will feature a fast-paced slideshow of inspirations, hopes and dreams from nine Charleston-area creatives. Each will have 400 seconds – 20 slides, each displayed for 20 seconds – to present their insights to an audience of more than 500 people.

The results are often magical, as listeners are swept away by what moves and inspires poets, writers, chefs, artists, comedians, photographers and other creative people.

“Having been involved in organizing our PechaKuchas for quite some time, I am inclined to believe that each of our 45 events to date has earned the title of 'The Best' upon completion,” said PK organizer Terry Fox of the Charleston Arts Festival.

The event on September 5th will be no exception.

“It looks like it will once again be an exceptional group of accomplished, creative presenters,” said Fox. “Just as an example, we are honored to have Asiah Mae, the city's poet laureate, take to the Music Hall stage. In Michael Toscano and Graham Calabria, we have two dynamic young chefs with very different careers and approaches.”

Other speakers include:

Lissa Frenkel, President and CEO of the Gaillard Center;
Grace McNally, studio manager of Ohm Radio and multi-talented musician;
Clyde Moser, actor, producer and educator;
Domenico Ruggerio and Fotios Pantazis, who are Managing Directors and Advisory Board Members of We Are Family respectively; and
Karl Zurfluh, artist, muralist and designer. He designed the PK46 poster and the pictures.

Long-time DJ Josh Silverman (Professor Ping) will play music. Charleston City Newspaper The moderator will be PK42 editor and publisher Andy Brack.

20 slides in 400 seconds

Over the years, more than 350 creative Charlestonians have poetically described their careers, inspirations, hopes and dreams in 400-second presentations.

The presenters of PechaKucha have just over six and a half minutes to tell the story of their heart projects on stage in front of an audience. Credit: Photos by Bonny Wolfe/Frank Productions

The result is six minutes and 40 seconds of insightful commentary that requires presenters and audience to process and absorb a lot of information quickly. It's an intellectual, artistic blast that will stimulate your mind and imagination.

“PechaKucha is a fun, inspiring and powerful community event,” said former participant Polly Buxton, owner of Buxton Books. “I didn’t really understand its significance until I had the honor of participating as a presenter and sharing the stage with such groundbreaking members of our community.”

The very first Pecha Kucha, which loosely translates as “chat,” took place in Tokyo on February 20, 2003. It was the idea of architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, who found that the texts of some of their colleagues were far too long-winded.

So they developed a fast-paced format to speed things up, but at the same time provide deep insights through spoken words and visuals. In the 21 years since Pecha Kucha was founded, there have been PK events in more than 1,000 cities. There are up to 100 events every month.

Tickets cost $15 plus fees for the all-ages show and can be purchased online. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. on April 10, with the show beginning at 8 p.m. at the Charleston Music Hall, 37 John St.