Pecha Kucha 6 in Beirut. This time, it’s taking place at the Harboyan shopping center at the heart of Burj Hammoud. An interesting and unexpected venue where you can hear the noise from the street without it being annoying. We all know the concept by now: 20 images, 20 seconds each for a total of 6 minutes and 40 seconds during which designers and artists can present their work in public. Pecha Kucha was actually created in Japan by the architectural agency Klein Dytham. It’s now an event happening in over 250 cities worldwide. 

So what are designers and artists doing these days in Lebanon? One of my favorite interventions of the night has actually nothing to do with design or art. Tourist guide Mira Minkara demonstrated that Tripoli is a beautiful place with yummy food and fun nightlife. With a map of Lebanon she showed that it’s not located at the end of the world and convinced the cheering crowd that Tripoli certainly does not deserve the bad reputation it sometimes has. She definitely made her point. 

Another highlight of the night was Maya Zankoul’s presentation of her blog turned book: Amalgam. The 23 year old designer who has generated a real buzz in Lebanon believes that design has a role to play in social action. She certainly is doing her part with her blog where she talks about the things that bother her, as well as with the designs she has made for NGOs and various social responsibility actions. 

Photographer George Haddad showed pictures of homes in Palestinian camps in Lebanon, since there’s nothing to be said, he just talked about the way he works and the people he met. A good reminder that the work should speak for itself. Architect Cindy Menassa presented her university thesis. Architecture is a body, it can be missing a member but can it still be perfect? Can it become part of its identity? She’s actually telling us a story, that of SOLIDERE vs. Saint George Hotel, definitely a topic of choice for many young architects. Dancer Alexandre Paulikevitch explained how he created his latest show Mouhawala Oula. Taking oriental dance from cabaret to the stage, it gives center stage to the dancer’s movement, erasing everything else, even light and music. 

Some presentations were less interesting than other. One photographer presenting work she has done in Africa even commented “well… I took these pictures 5 years ago. I’ve made progress since then”. It made me wonder why she chose to show us what she doesn’t consider to be her best work. The answer: she has a book coming out; with those pictures “Africa is photogenic”. Others simply took the stage to present their personal journey, but not going far enough as to truly share their vision with the audience.

The featured artists and creators of Pecha Kucha 6 were: 
Randa Mirza: artist
Alexandre Paulikevitch: choreographer and dancer
Raya Kazoun: illustrator, textile & fashion designer
Lara Khoury: fashion designer
Georges Haddad: photographer
Adam Aboualeiwi: architect
Maya Zankoul: visual communicator, illustrator
Halim Sabbagh: photographer
Mira Minkara: tourist guide
Fadi Shayya: design strategist, spatial consultant
Cherine Yazbeck: writer, photographer
Cindy Menassa: architect