Maraya Art Centre to host first PechaKucha Night in Sharjah

PechaKucha Night Sharjah is being co-organised by Sharjah natives, Salem Al Qassimi, founder of Fikra Design Studio and Maryam Al Dabbagh, an independent writer and researcher, who were delegated to organise the events by Maraya Art Centre in recognition of their contribution to arts and culture in Sharjah and the UAE.

The first event will be taking place on the 9th February, 2013.

Devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for creative individuals to meet, network, and show their work in public, PechaKucha Night has grown to become an international phenomenon, with regular nights being held in over 500 cities around the world.

Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of 'chit chat', the concept is based on a simple 20 x 20 format - each presenter is allowed to show 20 images and allocated 20 seconds per image.

It's a format that makes presentations concise, keeps things moving at a rapid pace, and provides creatives and other enthusiasts with a platform to have their work displayed, and provides an exciting opportunity to reach out, network, and to express a creative idea.

Giuseppe Moscatello, Maraya Art Centre Manager, spoke about the upcoming event saying, "Maraya Art Centre is constantly searching for new ways in which to engage the community in creative pursuits. For this reason we are both pleased and excited to welcome the already highly successful PechaKucha Night to Maraya Art Centre's varied community oriented programmes. Up and coming creatives and art enthusiasts often find it difficult to find platforms on which to promote their work, the PechaKucha format, with its quick progression and informal style, is an excellent opportunity to give creative individuals the chance to get some much needed exposure, as well as being a wonderful opportunity to network. We are looking forward to see the great wealth of talent that will undoubtedly be on display and the many new opportunities that will arise for our local talents because of their participation."

Hosting PechaKucha Night Sharjah comes in line with Maraya Art Centre's commitment to provide the community in Sharjah with a platform for creative individuals to network and be inspired. The Centre will continue to develop its diversified programme of events, activities, and projects to meet the demands and needs of the people of Sharjah.

Creatives who wish to take part in the first edition of PechaKucha Night Sharjah are asked to submit their entries with the final registration deadline for the first event being the 12th January, 2013.

Salem Al-Qassimi is a graphic designer and founder of Fikra Design Studio —a multidisciplinary design studio based in the U.A.E. As well as having worked and free-lanced for various companies and individuals in the U.A.E and the UK, he is currently an external critic at the American University in Dubai, and teaches "The Design Profession", a class offered in the spring semester at the American University of Sharjah.

Maryam Wissam Al Dabbagh is an independent writer and researcher specialised in cultural politics, media, Iraqi Diaspora and migration. She has worked in publishing, media consulting and cultural and artistic production in the U.A.E and the UK and is currently handling Education and Media at the National Pavilion for the U.A.E in La Biennale De Venezia.