Spring Break
Not your average Friday night at the club
Crystal Robert
Issue date: 7/9/08 Section: Entertainment
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-Gilbert Chavarria, filmmaker
Unlike the usual screaming guitars and the ear-numbing feedback usually found at Club 101,the venue known for its loud rock, shows and dance parties will host a quieter event-El Paso's first Pecha Kucha Night at 8:20 p.m. on July 11.
Pecha Kucha Night (pronounced peh-cha ku-cha) is an event set in a presentation format of creative visual works. Pecha Kucha originated in Tokyo in 2003, and has now spread rapidly worldwide to more than 100 major cities. The event is specifically designed for young, local designers, photographers, artists and architects to be able to meet, network and show their work in public.
El Pasoan Gilbert Chavarria, of local Digitalstorm Studios, and William Helm, of ASA Architects, are credited with bringing Pecha Kucha Night to El Paso. Chavarria hopes that the event will bring people together and inspire community.
"I'm excited about this event and think it will work out," Chavarria said.
Pecha Kucha is derived from the Japanese term for conversation, and was originally devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein-Dytham Architecture in Japan.
In order to keep interest piqued and presentations concise, Klein and Dytham established the event where each presenter is allowed a slideshow of 20 images with each image shown for 20 seconds.
The total presentation time for each artist results in six minutes and 40 seconds. Klein and Dytham have also set the maximum amount of presenters at 14 designers per night.
Volume One of Pecha Kucha Night in El Paso will feature 12 presenters from the El Paso area to include artists, architects, filmmakers and designers. Presenters will include photographer Bruce Berman, filmmakers Gilbert Chavarria and Leo DeFrank, designer Edson H. Gardea, photographers Valerie and Arturo Enriquez, architects Roberto Herrera, Jorge Loya, Steve Shchurowsky and Karl Whitaker, and UTEP's Daniel Szwaczkowski, preparator at the Gerald and Stanlee Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, and Gabriela Gomez, a senior at UTEP studying studio art.
"We have a good variety of well-rounded presenters, and I think the show will really take off once people see how it works," Chavarria said.
The themes range from architecture, photography, illustrations, social activism, 3-D visualization, and even graffiti and robots.
"I really hope people get a lot out of it," Chavarria said. "I want there to be a slow build so that the event will build a strong base and it will sustain."
In order to bring the franchised event to El Paso, Chavarria contacted the organizers of Pecha Kucha and agreed to the requirements of the night.
Chavarria had to ensure the format for Pecha Kucha set forth by the originators was upheld. Chavarria also agreed to organize four Pecha Kucha Nights per year, holding no more than one event per month.
One of Chavarria's long-term goals for Pecha Kucha Night is to incorporate not just the El Paso community, but also include other artists with a connection to El Paso.
For more information, visit http://pecha-kucha.org/cities/el-paso or e-mail info@pechakucha-ep.com.
Crystal Robert may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.
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