The Urban Islands studio is happening again SOON. Last year in the studio, run through Sydney University, students worked on projects that explored the industrial ruins of the site, the topography of the already tunnelled, chiselled and warped landscape, and constructed a stunning installation in the turbine hall.

Guest tutors this year are:

Morphogenesis, Supasudaca, and Sumo. (All of whom will be speaking at the next Pecha Kucha as well….)

Kickstarting the event will be a syposium at Sydney University on Monday July 16th and will tackle everyone’s favourite myth, that of “Bourgeois Myths and the Industrial Landscape”. Indeed these are my favourite kinds of myths and I am sure yours too so make sure you get in early!

The Review day is on Saturday July 28th and will take place on Cockatoo Island. If you have never been out to Cockatoo Island, this is a fantastic opportunity to rummage among the abandoned industrial radness as well as seeing some interesting student work and to have a few beers in the setting sun.

It is that time again. Again.

Pecha Kucha Volume 04 will be held next Thursday the 31st of May at the Commercial Travellers Association. Get there early to get a good spot last time the place filled up rather quickly….

New to Pecha Kucha? Look here and here.

See you there!

Pecha Kucha Volume 03 took place last Thursday in the bowels of the Commercial Travellers Association. It was a great night, fantastic stuff on show and loads of people to check it all out.

As always, the grabs that follow are a poor representation of the content that was on show, so if you are intrigued then make sure you come along to the next on at the end of May for the full deal.

First up was Kate Bezar, editor of the wonderful Dumbo Feather magazine.

Brendan Cowell and Alice Babidge from Wharf 2 Loud spoke about their new paly which is currently in rehearsals, named Self Esteem, where the mysterious multinational CHAD is invading the lives of suburban Australia.

Hugh Snellgrove and Gabrielle Ulacco of the Sydney University Architecture School spoke about a project they have recently completed - and built a prototype of - for a low cost stand alone unit for bathing and cooking for use in Aboriginal commuties. The project was run by Col James and Paul Pholeros.

Kate Porter, ran the crowd through the commonly misunderstood world of carbon trading markets. From the Kyoto Protocol to the micro markets that are set up when corporations offset their emmsisions by giving away light bulbs.

Lisa Cahill is an artist who works in glass and creates beautiful, serene landscapes.

Matt and Mark of animation and design studio Sixty 40 showed their animation work for the MTV and the Comedey Channel as well as their band and their hosting duties for a burleque revue.

Tony Chenchow, Chenchow Little Architects showed three three finely crafted houses that Chenchow Little have designed.

Lou Weis spoke of the collaborative artowrks that he has been involved in curating and managing in Sydney and Melbourne.

Leanne Rule, AGDA ran a design studio out at Sydney’s in- vogue-industrial-harbour-property-of-the-moment, Cockatoo Island.

Mel Young showed her charming jewellery made up from found objects.

Stephen Collier, rounded off the evening with a presentation on corners. Lots of different kinds of corners, their place in cities, suburbs, and warzones.

The next Pecha Kucha in Sydney will be on Thursday May 31st. I hope to see you there, and I hope we have all the sightline issues sorted….

Its that time again…and it is pretty short notice I know…

But.

Pecha Kucha Sydney Volume 03 is on this Thursday 29th March at the CTA on Martin Place. So if you would like to see a whole bunch of really great jewellery, design, architecture, engineering, whatever, drop in. Bar opens at 6, presentations getting underway at about 7pm.

For Pecha Kucha novices, information on the Sydney gig can be found at the Pecha kucha Sydney page while global Pecha Kucha info is over at the Mothership.

Pecha Kucha Vol 02 went without a hitch last November. Unfortunately I missed the whole thing as I was in the air watching Click where Adam Sandler plays an architect who, aside from having a remote control that controls time rather than his sony trinitron, has two kids that help him with his work by making models out of pizza. An altogether less inspiring night of creative wonder than that which took place at the CTA…

The speakers on the night were:

Andrew burns of Neeson Murcutt Architects.

Genevieve Blanchett from Emergency Architects showing the work that the organisation has been undertaking in tsunami affected areas.

Andrew Silke, freelance animator.

Sam Crawford spoke about the work he has been involved with in Malawi.

Christopher Hewson from Eeles Trelease Architects

t
Richard Goodwin, sculptor.

Hugo Snell and the Petro Cow Project team from the University of Sydney presented their project for intelligent swarming particles controlled by milk crates.

Ben McCarthy, furniture and industrial design.

Dirk Zimmerman from Studio 505

Pecha Kucha Sydney Volume 01 was held last week and was a great success. Bunkered beneath Seidler’s Fungal Folly on Martin Place, the 150 odd punters saw eleven fantastically diverse presenters.

Among the things shown were a green-wall salad bar, the eco city of Dongtan, Museum to Architecture constructed out of serial transformations of project homes, an ode to caravans and caravanning, an analysis of virtual ‘weight’ demonstrated by a jet fighter swallowing a truck, and of course; a bunch of very nice buildings.

Chris Major and David Welsh from Welsh + Major Architects. started the evening off with a series of images

Katie Hepworth and Miriam Mlecek of Transit Lounge

Kevin Finn of Open Manifesto

Mike Horne from Turf Design

Dagmar Reinhardt of Frau Reindhardt und Herr Jung

Stephen Painter

Sarah Benton of Terroir.

Kasia Wydrowski from Eskimo Design

Marissa Looby a student at UTS.

Bernard Whitcher of Whitcher Matyear

Davina Rooney from Arup.

The next Pecha Kucha will be on the 30th November at the same venue. I will send out the word closer to the date but if you are super keen and wnat ot put your name down early, send me an email now and I will lock you in.

Pecha Kucha is starting up in Sydney. Radness.

Following on from last years successful 10×10x10 Slidenight/Pecha Kucha in the Tusculum carpark,
DARCH is starting a regular Pecha Kucha night in Sydney.

“Whoa, Nellie, Hold on. What’s Pecha Kucha?”

Pecha Kucha is a slidenight each presenter has 20 slides to present and 20 seconds to talk about each image. Quickfire presentations for the ADD generation. In addition to this, the night is open to anyone with something interesting to show, just fill out the form, send it back to me and off you go. It was started by Klein Dytham in Tokyo and has since spread globally, with Pecha Kucha nights in London, New York, Bagota, Shanghai amongst others.

The Sydney Pecha Kucha will be held on the last thursday of every second month in the Bar at the Commercial Travellers Association. (Google Earth Link) You know, under Seidler’s mushroom on Martin Place - in the bar that time forgot. No? Well, go to the base of the mushroom, in through the glass door and down the lift to Level 2. We’ll see you there.

Spaces will be limited to 20 presenters and the spots will be filled in a first in, best dressed manner. SO BE QUICK. If you are running late and there are spaces available, bring your files in on the night - no later than 6:45 and we willl throw them in. Or if you just want to turn up and watch the show, come along at 7pm on the 28th September.

Presentation Requirements (word document) to email (marcus at gravestmor.com) back to me if you would like to present on the night.