PechaKucha Night began in Tokyo in February 2003, put together by designers as a means to network, show and critique their work in public. The format is simple: creators get to present 20 images of their work for 20 seconds a piece, making for short and snappy presentations that keep the audience interested and the presenters on their toes. It was such a successful concept, in fact, that it spread. At the time of writing, PechaKucha has a base in 404 global cities.
Given its origins, it's no surprise that the organizers wanted to do something to help its mother country. And so, on April 16, an international link-up will take place between PechaKucha cities far and wide. The theme is 'Inspire Japan', and the presentations are required to do just that. 80 PechaKucha cities have responded to the call so far (though not all of them are able to do it on April 16), with creators preparing work that focuses on the words 'inspire', 'Japan', 'the issues', and 'recovery'.
PechaKucha's response to the disaster in Haiti raised 80,000 dollars - enough to rebuild a school. Naturally, all funds collected at the coming events will go towards disaster relief in Tohoku, via Architecture for Humanity. For further information, check out the official Global PechaKucha Day - Inspire Japan website.
