Who knew that nearly three hours worth of PowerPoint presentations could gather and keep a crowd? Well, it turns out it’s a global phenom. Last night’s Pecha Kucha at Martyrs’ (3855 N. Lincoln) showcased 14 creative minds—photographers, architects, artists, and writers—each armed with 20 slides and just under seven minutes per person to present them. Topics included projects, concepts, absurd histories, and one life’s work. And with the stage open to anyone, the lecture-hall stuffiness quickly dissolved into a sea of chatter…and beer.

Highlights:

THE GASTRONOMICAL ARTIST

Inspired by the exotic meat selection at Czimer’s Market in Lockport, Ill., sculptor Jackie Rush presented a slideshow on a seven-course meal she had created based on the seven continents: camel fillet over couscous (Asia); black bear (North America); lion (Africa, pictured); vodka made with iceberg water (Antarctica); flan (South America); kangaroo tail (Australia); snails (Europe).

THE LIVING MUSIC BOX

Sculptor Juan Angel Chavez discussed his musical performance space, created out of found objects such as plywood and traffic cones. Now disassembled, the room-like structure at the Hyde Park Art Center was essentially a giant speaker, with musicians playing inside and performance projected out to the listeners. Photographed by Michelle Litvin.

THE SCI-FI FANATIC

It was his mom’s pet phrase, “I need that like a hole in my head,” that inspired evolutionary biologist Andy Yang. He compiled illustrations (pictured: the inside of the nose by Fritz Kahn, 1931) representing the seven holes we have in our heads—ears (two), eyes (two), nostrils (two), and mouth (one).

Intrigued? Sign up to present—or just show up and soak up the eccentricity—at the next Pecha Kucha (pronounced peh-chak-a-cha) on June 4th, at Martyrs’ at 8:20 p.m.

 

Photography: (Image 1) Jackie Rush; (Images 2 & 3) Michelle Litvin
Illustration: (Image 4) The Inside of a Nose by Fritz Kahn, 1931