My first Pecha Kucha night, enjoyed from the squishy goodness of a giant red comfy sack in The Toby, was  like no other PowerPoint presentation I’ve been to. I left feeling inspired and liberated (since profanities could be shouted or whispered freely at any point). I’m definitely experiencing culture these days, maybe due to a motivating post by Meg. It’s true–as a marketer, and as a resident of Indy–we should all be experiencing the amazing galleries, games, plays, concerts, trails, architecture and exhibits offered by our friends. But why not also ask ourselves how as individuals we can create culture?

Matthew Hale, life-long resident of Indianapolis and graduate of Herron School of Art & Design, pitched his idea to make Indy a cultural landmark at the recent Pecha Kucha Night. “Letteracks: A 3D map for Indianapolis” is a coordinated system of 26 giant letter bikeracks, one for each letter of the alphabet, designed for the regional center of Indianapolis. The options for the use of these letteracks are endless–from field trip and jogging destinations to wayfinding and photo ops. Letteracks would add a unique system of nationally recognized landmarks to our city and increase the cultural language so-to-speak of the people in our city.

"Letteracks: A 3D map for Indianapolis"

While Matt didn’t win the $10k PK prize (in my opinion, he should have), his idea speaks to the idea of creating culture on a large scale. On a much smaller scale, as a child, I was a ballet dancer, I painted Tiger Lillies by the mailbox, I played the piano, I wrote poems and stories, I sang “Billy Boy” on the swing set, I planted mounds of pumpkin seeds and sunflowers in my garden, I took portfolios of pictures after a heavy snowfall, I read. Today, I rarely make time for these renewing acts or share them. What would Indy be like, if we each brought our own light and talents to our family, neighbors and city? What if we didn’t passively absorb culture, but actively created and shared it?

I heard an artist speak on the topic about a year ago in a sun-drenched gym on the Old Northside. “Do you have a picture to paint? A book to write? A dance class to take? Are you needed by someone?”

We should all have our day in the comfy sack, but I’m going try to make more time to create, converse and inspire.

Wilber in his comfy sack

]]> http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/2009/11/18/creating-culture/feed/ 4 PK Letteracks IMG_2382_new http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/2009/06/10/prepping-for-pecha-kucha/ http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/2009/06/10/prepping-for-pecha-kucha/#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:49:56 +0000 Daniel Incandela http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/?p=5749 For one not terribly verbose, I can buy into the concept of Pecha Kucha. I’m still not sure of the correct pronunciation, but I dig the 20 seconds at twenty slide rule of presenting. I’ve never been to one, but I have been researching and watching examples of good and bad approaches to PK. The IMA hosted one a few months ago and plans to hold another event in The Toby later this year. Pecha Kucha events occur all over the world. They’re like viral videos. But real. They’re so big, even the mighty WIRED Magazine wrote about them a couple of years ago. 6 minutes and 40 seconds of creativity.

Check out Pecha-Kucha.org for more info

So, when I got asked if I would present in this format, I did not hesitate.  Twenty slides where I could showcase 20 second versions of wit, humor, experiences and more?  Sign me up.

But in all honesty, it’s now moving a little slowly.  I am most creative under pressure and against tough odds, so the ideas for my PK presentation have been varied, scattered and disconnected = FAIL.  The process for developing a PK presentation is beginning to feel very similar to the new media projects we create at the museum.  It’s not much different from a good blog post (not this one), an exhibition website or a short documentary.  Ultimately, it comes down to a good story, creativity, research, investment and a sense of humor.  I realized, in prepping for this presentation, I need to dig a bit deeper and apply the same methodology – maybe even channel some inspiration from the founders Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein.  Oh, by the way, the theme of this presentation is museums and technology!

I have a pretty good idea of what I’m going to say.  I’ve got some jokes planned, some embarrassing images selected and decent idea of the story I hope to tell.  In previous posts, I always try to be honest about how we initiate and execute our content.  Sometimes, there is a very detailed plan.  Sometimes, there is a rough sketch of a plan and we just go for it.  I thought I would apply these same principles in processing the story for PK.  It’s okay to deviate from the original plan or idea when developing digital content. I’m figuring the same  goes for PK.

So, how would you fill in an IMA-themed museum/technology Pecha Kucha talk?

• Are there specific areas you would want covered?
• Why aren’t we on Twitter?
• Are you putting another camera on artwork anytime soon?
• What’s up with ArtBabble?
• Will this post be used as a slide in the presentation (probably)?
• And much more…

So please, comment away, and help change, influence, destroy or inspire my presentation.  If your comment is that powerful, you may even make it on to a slide.

And, if you happen to be in London next Thursday, pop by the British Museum to hear me and a variety of more-talented museum professionals – details, here.

Comment away…