PechaKucha Night Prague: Vol.1

Kino Aero, Biskupcova 31, Prague 3
Ticket reservations: www.kinoaero.cz (100 CZK full price, 70 CZK reduced price)
Project website: www.pechakucha.cz

Pecha Kucha Nights Prague are live presentations by architects, graphic designers, designers, visual artists, photographers, promoters, and theorists. In the Czech Republic, it will take place for the very first time on February 20, 2007. PKNP will be held regularly in 2007, a total of five times.

Pecha Kucha [peča kuča] = Japanese term for the sound created during conversation.

"If your typical day at work involves watching or creating presentations, the last thing you'd want to do in your free time is sit in front of a screen and watch more presentations. This truth holds absolutely until you visit Pecha Kucha Nights!"

Pecha Kucha Nights were brought to life in 2003 in Tokyo by architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, founders of the architectural studio Klein Dytham architecture (www.klein-dytham.com). The intention was to create a space for architects, designers, and creative creators from various fields to meet, a space for exchanging experiences and information about new developments in the field, and an opportunity to showcase their work to a wider audience.

"Hand an architect a microphone, and you're caught for hours," describes the beginning of the search for form and his previous experiences with presentations Mark Dytham. To eliminate this threat, he sought a format that would prevent this in advance.

The solution is the fixed PKN system: each speaker has 20 images, each of which remains on the screen for 20 seconds. So one speaker has exactly 6 minutes and 40 seconds. Not a second less, nor more. On average, 14 speakers present during the evening.

This rule keeps the evening precise, concise, and brief. It maintains a fast pace and gives more speakers a chance to present their work within one evening as well as to present representatives from various fields side by side during one evening.

Pecha Kucha Nights in Tokyo satisfactorily met the demand for a live forum. This demand appears to be global: PKNs are expanding and are now regularly held in 34 cities worldwide: Tokyo, Berlin, Bern, Buenos Aires, Glasgow, Groningen, London, Los Angeles, Rotterdam, San Francisco, Shanghai, Stockholm, Sydney, Vienna, and others (www.pecha-kucha.org)

The response to these evenings is surprising. The average attendance is 450 - 500 spectators (this figure is based on data available from London, Berlin, Rotterdam, and Vienna). The Pecha Kucha organized for the ceremonial closing of the London Architecture Biennale at Sadler's Wells theater (2006) was attended by 1,500 visitors. In all host cities, PKN has become one of the most popular platforms for professional informal communication.

Now it's Prague's turn!!!

Pecha Kucha Night Prague
February 20, 2007, from 8:20 PM.
Kino Aero, Biskupcova 31, Prague 3
Ticket reservations: www.kinoaero.cz (100 CZK full price, 70 CZK reduced price)
Project website: www.pechakucha.cz

"Pecha Kucha Nights are a perfect opportunity for those who crave information from the creative industry, but are constantly struggling with the lack of time to search for it in detail."

On the evening of February 20, 2007, from 8:20 PM, the following will be presented:
Federico Díaz (www.e-area.cz), Adam Gebrian and Lukáš Brom (www.archit.cz), Jan Kaláb (www.onepoint.cz), Barbora Klímová (www.barboraklimova.net), Milan Malík and Daniel Špaček (www.mimo.cz), Kamil Mrva (www.mrva.net), Aleš Najbrt (www.najbrt.cz), Ivan Palacký (www.palacky.org), Svatopluk Sládeček (www.newwork.cz), Marcela Steinbachová (www.skupina.org, www.kruh.info), Petr Suske (www.ateliersea.com), Maxim Velčovský and Jakub Berdych (www.qubus.cz), Kateřina Vincourová (www.jirisvestka.com), Jaroslav Wertig (www.a69.cz).

In Prague, Pecha Kucha Night events are hosted by Kino Aero (www.kinoaero.cz)
Special thanks: Adam Gebrian, Pavel Kopecký, Rostislav Koryčánek, Aleš Najbrt, Ladislav Pflimpfl, Petr Volf
PKNP graphic design: Petr Štěpán (Studio Najbrt)

The project is supported by:

BOOM TISK (www.boomtisk.cz)
The BOOM TISK printing house has been among the most significant printing companies in the Czech Republic for several years. As one of the few companies, it focuses on providing a comprehensive solution in the field of sheet-fed offset printing. It does not only produce a range of individual products (flyers, catalogs, brochures, annual reports, posters up to B1 format), but it also offers its clients services in pre-press (including graphic design), finishing, and distribution solutions.

Arcus Foundation (www.cka.cc)
The Arcus foundation was established as the ARCUS Foundation by the Czech Chamber of Architects, and its purpose is to support the creation, processing, and dissemination of professional information and to support public-benefit activities in the field of architecture and related fields.

Czech Architecture Foundation (www.nca.info)
The NČA was established in 1997 by the Czech Fund for Art (NČFU) by separating its architectural section. The mission of NČA is to support and present Czech architecture as an integral part of contemporary culture. It aims to increase the general public's interest in architecture.

Main media partner of the project for 2007

Reflex and EX (www.reflex.cz)

Reflex is a social weekly that has cultivated the tradition of creative journalism in the Czech market for seventeen years. It addresses intelligent readers of all generations and opens questions of lifestyle, ecology, politics, culture, history, and education. Its opinionated journalism breaks the boundaries of political correctness, especially regarding approaches to soft drugs and social minorities. With a clean graphic design, original authored photography plays a significant role, created by top professionals in the field. The editorial office is a center of activities that transcend the narrow confines of journalism: Reflex sponsors the prestigious Jindřich Chalupecký Award for young visual artists, financially supports the best actor at the DAMU Zlomvaz festival, publishes a series of DVDs with the most notable theatrical performances of the last half-century in the Czech Republic, and organizes the traditional Cannabis Cup competition for cannabis growers. Each issue is accompanied by the cultural guide Ex, which provides pointed tips to orient the public in current events. The Reflex editorial team prepares the X magazine (Reflex interview) every six months, which features a dozen interviews with prominent personalities in greater depth than is typical elsewhere. Last but not least, Reflex is accompanied by a book edition of the same name.

Media partners of the project in 2007

Era 21 (www.era21.cz)
The renowned architectural magazine Era 21 is based on meticulously crafted thematic issues. Profiled themes also open up problems that have so far remained in "sectoral ignorance." The magazine does not limit itself to Czech and Moravian territory but has long been developing contacts with the international architectural scene. The magazine's activities also complement the book production of the ERA publishing house and many accompanying professional activities, of which the magazine is the organizer (critical discussions at Era 21 Round Tables), co-organizer (Architectural Walks), or media partner.

RADIO 1 91.9 FM (www.radio1.cz)
...is the first private radio station in the Czech Republic, broadcasting since 1990. Radio 1 represents a significant cultural phenomenon, reacting to new trends and mapping a wide spectrum of contemporary music, including its fringe genres. In addition to music broadcasts, it offers information services from all areas of culture.

Contact Pecha Kucha Nights Prague
Jana Kostelecká, +420 736 533 232, jakost@gmail.com, www.pechakucha.cz

Speaker Annotations

Federico Díaz
Visual activist who has been interested in new approaches to artistic creation during his studies, involving software, sound, light, movement, and electronic technologies in art. He focuses on interactive installations that engage the viewer as an active participant in the artistic process. He is the author of interactive projects Dehybernation, Generatrix, Mnemeg, and Sembion- binary sperm from 2004. His latest solo exhibition Sembion took place at ICA / London in 2005, and the Sakura project was presented at the international festival of electronic arts Ars Electronica in Linz. In 2006, he realized the architectural project Fuel for Vodafone. In 1994, he founded his team of programmers, architects, and designers called E-Area, which implements their projects.
www.e-area.cz

Adam Gebrian
Graduate of the Faculty of Architecture, Technical University in Liberec (2006), where he also worked as an assistant during his studies. He worked in Rotterdam (Maxwan), Paris (Perrault), and Prague (A69) and is currently based in London. In 2005, he compiled and published a collection of lectures on architecture (29+3). Since 2001, he has participated in the project of the internet magazine archit.cz, which he will talk about together with his colleague Lukáš Brom. He is a Fulbright scholarship holder for the school year 2007/08 and a member of the editorial board of the magazine ERA 21.
www.archit.cz

Jan Kaláb
Creator of graffiti and street art in Prague. However, his work also appears in other European and world metropolises. In his work, he draws from writing as a personal brand. He does not limit himself in form; he paints, creates objects, graphic designs, etc. In 2006, he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague.
www.onepoint.cz

Barbora Klímová
Last year's winner of the Jindřich Chalupecký Award is a graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts at VUT in Brno. In her projects, she explores the possibilities of space and architecture. The main topic has gradually become the question of the influence of the environment on our daily lives and our social predefinition. She has just returned from a two-year stay at the Hoger Instituut voor Schone Kunsten in Belgium.
www.barboraklimova.net

Milan Malík and Daniel Špaček
Visual artists whose visual language could be described as cyber-psychedelic with traces of medieval mysticism, archetypes, and extraterrestrial civilizations. Over the past five years, they have focused on animations, video performances, and VJ projects. They are the authors of several music videos for Czech and foreign musicians.
www.mimo.cz

Kamil Mrva (Kamil Mrva Architects)
Kamil Mrva founded his studio in Kopřivnice in 1998 (after graduating from the Brno FA VUT). A large part of his realized works is located within the region. He deals with architecture from both practical and theoretical perspectives. He is a partner at the Center for New Architecture in Ostrava and an external lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture in Brno.
www.mrva.net

Aleš Najbrt (Studio Najbrt)
Graphic designer. 1991-1993 art director of Reflex magazine, editor-in-chief and art director of the Raut magazine, member of the Typo Design Club, since 1999 chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Biennial of Graphic Design in Brno, founder of Studio Najbrt, actor at Sklep theater, member of the duo Thomas & Ruhller, singer of M.T.O. Universal Prague, member of Tros Sketos, Senior Bearer of Coffins B.K.S., connoisseur and lover of wine. www.najbrt.cz

Ivan Palacký
Musician (Sledě, živé sledě, currently a member of the ambient duo Tílko and the audiovisual improvisational duo Koberce, záclony) and architect (interior design of the Spolek café in Brno, interested in such diverse approaches to architecture as: sociological methods in design, architecture without "building," and morphogenetic maps in digital architecture). Since 2005, his main hobby has been "mining" sounds from an amplified single-bed knitting machine Dopleta 160.
www.palacky.org

Svatopluk Sládeček (New Work)
The New Work studio was founded in his hometown Zlín, now based in Brno. Since the inception of the studio (1995), he has been engaged in architecture in all its functions with a special emphasis on wooden constructions. During his career, the studio has received several awards: Grand Prix of the Association of Architects in the interior category for the interior of a villa in Kroměříž at Barbořina (2003) and also there an Honorable Mention in the Landscape Architecture category for the new construction of a lookout tower on Mount Brdo in Chřiby (2005). Svatopluk Sládeček was also awarded the Arhiweb Award (2004), as he "is one of the architects who consistently seeks his own style. His professional career is unique, and his architectural opinions have no equal in the Czech Republic. During his short career, he has already managed to theoretically formulate and realize the exhibition Figurative Architecture for Beginners. (Jan Kratochvíl, archiweb.cz)
www.newwork.cz

Marcela Steinbachová (Skupina, Kruh)
Author of the interiors of the Komorní scéna Aréna theater in Ostrava, interiors of the production and administrative building in Hodonín, reconstruction of the building in Široká street into the Franz Kafka Center, the new exhibition solution for the Transport Hall of the National Technical Museum, and the permanent collection of the Ostrava Museum has just established the Skupina studio (together with Albert Pražák and Jiří Bardoděj). In addition to her active architectural work, she is the founder and chairperson of the Kruh project, which was established to bring architecture closer to the public and which organizes regular lectures and discussions on architecture, film festivals, and excursions focused on architectural creation.
www.skupina.org, www.kruh.info

Petr Suske (SEA architects)
SEA (Group for Ecological Architecture) was established in 1984 as an unofficial association of architects, engineers, and physicians dealing with ecological issues in architecture. In 1992, the group transformed into an architectural office (Petr Suske, Jiří Jakeš, Patrik Dolák, Jarka Kopečná, Dominik Wallenfels), which continues and deepens this direction: Ecology is not a museum piece and the past. Ecology is modern, and therefore it likes modern architecture. Ecology is not modest but, on the contrary, reasonable abundance. A tree must bloom with a thousand flowers to give just a few apples - sometimes. Ecology is not leftist, but liberal.
www.ateliersea.com

Maxim Velčovský and Jakub Berdych (Qubus)
Thirteen years after the fall of communism, Jakub Berdych and Maxim Velčovský decided to establish a multidisciplinary base where they could experiment with traditional Czech materials such as porcelain and glass in a new context, while the activities of Qubus studio have gradually expanded into the field of interior and graphic design as well. In five years of existence, it has produced dozens of shapes and concepts. In 2006, Maxim Velčovský appeared on the cover of the cult British design magazine Icon, and the work of Qubus studio was included in the publication Twenty-First Century Design.
www.qubus.cz

Kateřina Vincourová
Graduate of the Prague AVU, laureate of the Jindřich Chalupecký Award from 1997. She completed a one-year DAAD scholarship in Berlin with a successful exhibition Hobbyraum, which launched her international career. Since then, she has been moving between Berlin and Prague. For her work, she uses almost exclusively artificial materials, as they are what surrounds us in everyday life.

Jaroslav Wertig (A69)
The studio was founded in Cheb in 1994 by Boris Redčenkov and Prokop Tomášek, and in 1997 Jaroslav Wertig joined. They were connected not only by a shared study in the studio of Ladislav Lábus (FA ČVUT) but also by the year of birth, which was reflected in the studio's name. In its relatively short existence, they have a significant number of interesting realizations, which justly ranks them among the top of contemporary Czech architecture (their work has been nominated several times for the Mies van der Rohe Award), and particularly the solo exhibition A69: remixes, which showed how attractively and originally architecture can be exhibited in Czech waters.
www.a69.cz