Friday, March 02, 2007

CBC

I tuned in to CBC radio one tonight. It's been quite a while since I last listened to Canadian media. What I realized was the stark contrast between topics in the news here in Beijing, and those in Montreal. Here, the main news items are the stock market frenzy, intense economic activity, and rampant tourism during CNY. But on the morning news in Montreal, in typical CBC soothing fashion, the topics were multiculturalism on Parc Ave, a movie about Schartz's, and daycares that will stay open during the winter weather. When I arrived in 1999, Montreal seemed like a metropolis. But tonight, for a few brief moments, it became a small town.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

I want to go to a Pecha Kucha

"The Japanese term 'Pecha Kucha' roughly translates as 'chit-chat.' Up to fourteen participants get to show 20 slides for 20 seconds each, meaning the audience experiences an exhilarating range of speakers and images over the course of the evening. There's also music, drinking and the inevitable exchange of ideas that occurs when you get so many architects, designers, artists and so on together in the same room.

The Pecha Kucha format was formulated by the Tokyo-based outfit Klein Dytham Architects. Dezeen editor Marcus Fairs and design writer and curator Max Fraser have brought the event to the UK and organise all events across the country. In London, they have teamed up with The Club at the ICA with a series of events planned throughout the year.

The UK events began in summer 2005 and became an instant success."

-from http://www.pechakucha.co.uk

Monday, February 26, 2007

Shanghai at Night