You’re absolutely right that Edmonton lacks art/design events, though thankfully there are still some. Given that you’re from out of town, you may not have heard of M.A.D.E. in Edmonton (Media Art and Design Exposed in Edmonton), but they put on art/design events throughout the year. Mostly lectures by artists/designers/architects from other cities, but also things like free art/design film screenings (there’s actually one of those this Wednesday night at Metro Cinema).

i approached one of the next gen members who told me that they have opened up the opportunity to present to anyone from the general public because people find art and design too inclusive! the problem is that edmonton is already lacking in cultural events like pecha kucha is supposed to be, to turn it into a self-promotional evening is neither interesting or thought provoking.

i won’t be going back.

The biggest letdown about PKN6 for me was the (almost) total lack of presentations about Art and Design. @Lisa: I get what you’re saying about an open view of design, but at least for now I don’t think PKN should adhere to such a lose definition. When I go to an event that says it’s about Art and Design, I expect the presentations to be about Art and Design (which is still an incredibly broad topic).

(for the record I was at the first and fourth PK nights, being out of town due to school for the other ones; really loved the first, and had some reservations about the fourth)

Also, I really agree that they should just get rid of themes; I think they discourage some people from offering to present, and I fail to see how they make the events any better.

And they really need to avoid having people that are there just for self-promotion reasons; talking about your work in a passive way is fine (and in the context of art and design, it’s fairly easy to do that), but when the entire point of your presentation is getting people involved in your organization it can be a real drag.

…and an “idea gallery” sounds pretty unreal to me – I can’t wait to hear about it at PKN7

The theme of PK is design. http://www.pecha-kucha.org/what.

Anything falls into this category and that’s the beauty of it. The reason why I became a big fan of PK is because it challenged me to expand what I thought “design” meant. The reality is that youth programs are designed, trips to foreign countries are designed, campaigns, buildings, companies, bike paths, culture shifts, cities, social structures…who knew? I was fascinated by the way in which other people saw design, presented their visions, and told stories about the challenges and opportunities around designing whatever it is they were presenting.

By forcing creatives to take their idea and apply it to a theme like “1984″ or “money talks”, you are limiting who will come out to present and could adversely affect the quality of the ideas and the idea sharing experience because presenters have to fit it into a mold. This is especially important to consider in a city the size of Edmonton.

I have big ideas and have been told I should present them at PK. The problem is that my idea for an “idea gallery”, for instance, did not fit within “sustainability” or “Edmonton’s best kept secret” or “that’s what she said”. It also has nothing to do with old school because I don’t view it as a new way of presenting ideas or an old way. It just is. It’s an idea that I have that I think would enhance the way we deliver and receive ideas. I’d love to explain why, but my explanation probably wouldn’t jive with the next PK theme.

I’m afraid, like others, I’ll have to wait until the right theme to get my idea out there. Too bad. I’d love some feedback. Even a theme like unreal is limiting. It sets expectations high and intimidates.

I definitely think that TED like rules (zero or limited selling from the stage) would be helpful too. I’m voting for keeping PK so open that anyone feels (no matter their background) like they can apply to speak and give a talk about their idea in the most powerful, thought provoking, and inspiring way (following PK rules of course).

Design, design, design. What better theme? This can’t get dull if the calibre of the presentations is high and there is diversity of ideas. The first three events had no themes and were really good. We also didn’t have to hear the presenters say “shhh it’s a secret” a hundred times.

Here are a few theme suggestions for the future off the top of my head that have multiple interpretations, and could be inspirational:
“Community”
“Building Bridges”
“Money Talks”
“Trending”
“Grading on the Curve”
“1984″
“The Heart of the City”
“Waiting is the hardest part”
“That’s what she said”

I’m just thinking out loud, thanks for listening.
See you at PKN7

Lisa – I think being inspired is important, but I do think that can happen around a specific theme.

Sarah – Either less specific or more specific, I’m not sure which way would have made things better. Edmonton’s best kept secrets could have worked, though the way it was written was a little…out there