Reflection on PechaKucha Night Ostrava: Volume 5

Ostrava (September 14, 2011) – PechaKucha Night, a showcase of design, art, and architecture, celebrated its fifth success. Over 500 enthusiasts of contemporary cultural events chose to spend their Saturday evening in the industrial spaces of the Michal Mine. They were attracted not only by the opportunity to explore the entire area uniquely illuminated by architectural lights but mainly by the ten presentations from personalities in various artistic fields.
“Thanks to PechaKucha Night, a large number of people visited the Michal Mine for the very first time, and their feedback suggests it won't be the last. That pleases us the most,” expressed the feelings of the organizers, Pavel Polok, the moderator of the evening. “PechaKucha in the Michal Mine skillfully combined an interesting contemporary design event with a tour of spaces that we, as residents of Ostrava, should be appropriately proud of, even though we unfortunately often forget about them.” Zuzana Vantuchová, a student of art history, shared her impressions.
The main program of the evening consisted of 10 presentations, primarily focusing on visual arts. These took place right among the old mining giants in the so-called machine room. In this unconventional space, featured presenters included photographer Boris Renner, who captures Ostrava's technical monuments, furniture designer Soňa Malinová, artist Nina Šošková, and young architect Lucie Kirovová. The presentation by Latvian-born photographer Ivars Gravlejs also received great success.
PechaKucha Night took place in Ostrava for the fifth time, with the venue changing each time. It has been held, for example, in the House of Art and the Vesmír cinema, and it is the only non-musical event that has ever filled the Fabric club. The project originally comes from Japan and has gained a large number of fans in Ostrava, as evidenced by the attendance of individual iterations, with free tickets for the event disappearing within hours.
The next PechaKucha Night will take place in Ostrava in December. For more information, photos, and recordings of the presentations, visit the official Facebook page of the project or the website.