Pecha Kucha Night Maastricht: An absolute delight

Monday evening in Maastricht saw the innovative AINSI play host to the dramatic return of the Pecha Kucha Night. Held in the city on six previous occasions, the global phenomenon aroused the interest of the Euroregion’s culture and media enthusiasts, who descended upon the factory-come-arts centre in spectacular fashion.

Based on one simple premise, a series of presentations of 20 slides shown only for 20 seconds each, the approach allows entrepreneurs and creatives alike to exhibit their thoughts, passions and oddities in a way which both excites, shocks, and often, amuses.

With ideas ranging from a quest to introduce pop music to the cultural venues of Maastricht, to the latest crop circle predictions, this occasion was indeed no exception. Participants were also all to present in English which for them, as stated by compère and co-organiser Martijn Kagenaar, made it ‘a little creepy’.

Pecha Kucha (Japanese for ‘chit chat’) hails from Tokyo and is the brainchild of the architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham. In 2003 they decided to introduce a quick-fire method of sharing new ideas in an informal and imaginative environment.

It is a concept since adopted by an astounding 352 cities worldwide. The Pecha Kucha team here in Maastricht consists of Pierre Buijs (Creovate), Jean-Paul Toonen (T36 Media), Martijn Kagenaar (Zuiderlicht), Nathalie Dirks (UM) and Sueli Brodin (Crossroads Magazine). For them, such ‘new and dazzling sources of inspiration are crucial’ given the city’s bid for Capital of Culture 2018. The international character and informal charm with which Pecha Kucha thrives also makes the event accessible for all.

Being the first eager visitor to arrive on the evening, I quickly saw the vast space of the old factory canteen teem with what appeared to be old friends meeting. Fuelled by wine and a backdrop of sultry jazz, people mingled around candle-topped coffee tables and armchairs. No finer a venue than AINSI, a recently renovated 1920s cement factory, could be imagined. Great high ceilings exposing air vents and industrial machinery remain, adding to the vibrant and creative atmosphere evident before the main event had even begun.

And so to the speakers themselves. The event kicked off with Dan Potter, introduced by Martijn as a biologist by day and a ‘slightly deranged’ online cartoon writer by night. Creator of Walking the Lethe, an online comic dedicated to one man’s quest to try and get his wife back from heaven, Dan exclaimed ‘don’t be afraid of investing in creativity, don’t be afraid of investing in yourself’. A very fitting remark since the general vibe soon became one of the pursuit of various dreams you once thought you lacked the courage to make reality.

In the first half Dan was also joined by Angelo Vermeulen, an artist, biologist, filmmaker and activist who collaborates with advisors from the European Space Agency. His rather innovative approach to design sees the combination of both nature and technology in one living, breathing ecosystem.

A personal highlight came from Ig Nobel prize winner Bart Knols and his presentation titled ‘the mosquito and the Limburger cheese’. Based on research stating malarial mosquitoes follow human odour, he found an interesting and unlikely way to disrupt the flight path of the mosquito using the regional cheese, ultimately making human contact less likely. Findings published on the 1st of April, he laughed, also led to a general belief it was a joke, only to be followed by an 8.5 million dollar investment from Bill Gates!

Equally as powerful was the presentation by Markus Bediako called ‘Africa = Eden’. Accompanied by friend and colleague Jodi Omankoy using a hand beaten drum, the pair invited us all to join and support them in their quest to return to the image of Eden. Something they view as a more reliable impression of the great continent than that which most of us are blinded by in today’s media.

One final performance, or ‘bonus track’ as it was advertised, came before the break from Chris Rosendahl. Based on the philosophy that if you’re going to laugh about it later why not laugh about it now, each of his 20 slides simply displayed images of people laughing, whilst the audience were taught some ‘laughter yoga’ moves. We were all instructed to stand, face those around us and laugh, sufficiently breaking down any social barriers which may have existed before, and leading us very nicely onto our beer break.

After our return, further presentations came from Manfred Leuth (radical innovation), Mahdi Abdulrazak (cyborgs without surgery), Sanjay Sharma (it’s all in attitude), Koen Beumer (scar pride) and Egid van Houtem (software thinking).

Belgian born Youssef Joumani, the penultimate speaker, gave us an amusing and thought-provoking account of the various perceptions of himself conjured by others when hearing his Moroccan name. Upon finally embracing it after years of battling, he exclaimed some idiot decided to name a film ‘jumanji’, destroying his hard work!

Finally it was the turn of the first and only female participant, artist Tanya Ritterbex and her presentation ‘save the holy goblin’. Documenting her passion and artistic ventures, the audience was treated to a backdrop of inspiring images created by herself, nicely rounding up the evenings events.

Pecha Kucha night in Maastricht proved witty, provocative and often just plain weird. Moments of humour, delight and intrigue incited a relaxed yet engaging atmosphere which upon cycling back towards the city left me feeling satisfied.

For those of you who missed the chance to attend on this occasion the Maastricht team upload performances onto their website.

Also, do not fear, for Pecha Kucha Maastricht are organising another event in November. Participant applications are invited for those who dare!

By Clare Canning

Clare Canning has recently arrived in Maastricht as a Masters student, embarking on a course in Arts and Heritage: Policy, Management and Education at the University of Maastricht. She is originally from Manchester in the UK and enjoying the move greatly!

Videos and Photos: © Pecha Kucha website, ©Bert Janssen