By Darren McDonald. The next installment of the popular Pecha Kucha Night Abbotsford running Feb. 12 has a lot going for it: 16 exciting topics, engaging exhibits by UFV Graphic and Digital Design students — even a fundraising Instagram contest.
What it doesn’t have is a lot of tickets left.
Heading into its fifth installment, this season’s must-see Fraser Valley interactive art and lecture event features a record number of presenters ranging from digital artists to social media experts, branding creative-types, creative leaders, entrepreneurs and more. Each will present 20 slides shown for exactly 20 seconds.
“It’s fun, it’s fast, and it’s a whole lot more than just a lecture series,” says Karin Jager, UFV’s Graphic and Digital Design program head.
“We’re celebrating passion for the creative industry and people doing what they love in a variety of disciplines.”
Sponsored by UFV, Jelly Marketing, and The Reach Gallery Museum, February’s event, called Paradigm, begins at 5 p.m. with a gala reception in UFV’s S’eliyemetaxwtexw Art Gallery (B136) featuring branding projects and typography portraits created by select first- and second-year GDD students. The work focuses on community projects created for the City of Abbotsford based on a coalition of five non-profits looking to create a new partnership campaign. Concurrently, the gallery will also feature winners of the program’s Instagram contest. Submitted on the theme of expressing love of something, shortlisted images will be printed and auctioned, with proceeds benefitting the GDD graduating portfolio exhibit. Submissions are accepted until Feb. 5. To enter, share your photo on Instagram using #PKAbbotsford and tag @PKFraserValley.
The Pecha Kucha itself starts just down the hall at 6:30 p.m. in UFV’s lecture theatre, Room B101.
“It’s inspiring to hear people tell stories about how they work and what their passion is and how they connect and make change,” says Jager.
“Sometimes it’s not about the work, it’s about making change or being part of the greater good. You leave these events with a lot of takeaways and feeling very humble.”
For more information, or to try landing a ticket for a suggested donation of $10, visit PechaKucha.ca. Anyone interested in presenting at the next Pecha Kucha Night (April 29 at High Street) is encouraged to contact Jager at karin.jager@ufv.ca.
Paradigm Pecha Kucha presenters include:
Shawn Neumann, Founder, Domain 7
Jared Falk, Drumeo
Krista Hesketh, The Blonde Jedi
Greg Meeres, Boldfish Video Productions
David Reeve, Unleash Culture, Brand and Culture Builder
Cherlandra Estrada, The Reach Gallery Museum
Sarah Clark, Jelly Digital Marketing and PR
Carly Butler Verheyen, Photographer/Writer
Tim McAlpine, Currency Marketing
Alisha Deddens, Installation Artist and Young Contemporaries Leader
Michael Boronowski, Civic Engagement and Corporate Initiatives, District of Mission
Bosco Anthony, Digital Strategy
Simran Bains, VP, Operations, Westberry Farms
Brad Haima, Circle Graphics
Anne-Marie Wee, The Dessert Republic
Sheila Reimer, UFV Advancement