Yasmin Ali

PechaKucha ‘Hidden Heroes’

September 2013, Edinburgh, Vol. 24

PechaKucha is Japanese for chitchat, and is a simple 20/20 formula reliant on creatives showing 20 slides, each for up to approximately 20 seconds, for a brief and succinct tour of their work and/or interests and inspirations. The presentation concept Architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham devised the presentation concept, launching the first PechaKucha Night (PKN) in Tokyo in early 2003. Ten years later, they continue to support the Tokyo PKN network now that the format has been continued globally.

This edition, Edinburgh’s Volume 24, brings together ten locals all with a connection to the city, and to diverse creative pursuits as distant as CGI, painting, photography, gardening and writing. Not all presentations were immediately recognisable by the common theme of ‘Hidden Heroes’, but strands of these could be discerned from many of the talks, even if only tenuously in some.

Memorable talks included the humour injected by artist Emily Inglis dry comparison of post-recession Edinburgh suburb Gogarburn (home of the tram depot and RBS offices), to a village in a struggling developing country. Personal and personably delivered were slideshows by artist Rabiya Choudhry and IT expert Kate Ho. Choudhry spoke of her inspiration from her family, including her late grandmother who spoke of possession by holy spirits or Jinn (Arabic: lit. genie) who is a key influence on her current and forthcoming work. Ho gave an upbeat talk about her ’30 things to do before you’re 30’, which included a few surprises such as extreme ironing as a sporting pursuit and its subsequent press attention.

In contrast, photographer Peter Dibdin’s Southside photography project used Hidden Heroes as its subject matter of sorts, focusing on portraiture of community members of the local area. Artist Keith Harman’s talk included description (and testing) of his heroic idea of buying up variants of famous gallery spaces domain names and redirecting these to his own site, and using this as a platform to publicise emerging artists.

Edinburgh has been hosting PKN’s since May 2007, and since December 2009 these have been held at Inspace, in conjunction with New Media Scotland. This edition of PechaKucha ended with the sad news that the next edition (Vol. 25, December 2013), may be the last at New Media Scotland’s current home at Inspace, which is a well-equipped and versatile venue nestled in the middle of the main campus at Edinburgh University.

Leave Miller's Construction Series and neuferts'

at the office and cast an eye over some short books

and novellas which may be of interest...

I neglected to write 'Top' as a prefix to the headline,

because, well, tastes vary, and who am I to say what's  best to read?

Good reads I would recommend, however, include the following curated list:

Original cover designed by Yukio Futugawa

5. If you're searching for a design for life, try the Philosophy book 'In Praise of Shadows', by (Philosopher) Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, first published 1933

Considered a modern classic, Tanizaki's essay speaks eloquently through an aesthete's lens which varies its focus on subjects as diverse as food, interiors, the precious mineral jade, pottery and even toilets. In particular, its passages on the ceremonial art of drinking tea, and the lights and darks of the laquerware have some poetic resonance. At a lean 80-pages, it's slimmer than some design blogs, but there's imagery in every line. Worth a read.

4. If you want to know more about Britain's capital with a book you can take on the tube, try the London essay 'London: Bread and Circuses', by (Journalist) Jonathan Glancey, 2001

Glancey, well-known as the Architectural and Design correspondent of the Guardian, has gifted us with a very concise history of London, which references urban policy throughout. An illuminating read, at under 150pages, including many black and white photos, it's an excellent record of the specific and special issues which shaped-and continue to shape-the history of this modern metropolis. Glancey's polemic makes a convincing case that flagship projects around London are privatised 'circuses', setting up the discourse for an interesting read.

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Last week I received a lovely little surprise through the door. From Another Studio, the makers of 'Postcarden', the growable postcard garden, comes 'Matchcarden'. The follow-up product to the bestselling postcard format is a -yes, you've guessed it- a matchbox-sized grow-kit.

Images showing the matchcarden 'My city' range, courtesy of Another Studio

Small, but perfectly formed, each comes complete with a make-your-own facade kit with three possible townhouse styles. The seeds are cress (mustard seed); a fast-growing hardy herb that will give you a mini jungle in no time.

Designed and produced by Another Studio For Design, a London-based company enthusiastic about creating unique gifts for thoughtful givers.  Matchcarden is made in the UK, printed with vegetable based inks on FSC approved paperboard and using locally sourced seeds.

// With Thanks to Aimee Furnival of Another Studio

Erstwhile housed slightly east of town at The Modern Institute as a pop-up, the store became an instant success with orders continuing online while between residences. Having a store in the Merchant City is a good acid test for a shop - if it can survive just shy of the main shopping area, it must be on to a winner. There are also plenty of creative shops and start-ups in the Merchant City/Trongate area worth seeking out.

On the shelves...

GmbH stocks a range of titles - both glossies and zines- some familiar, others more niche. A personal favourite of mine introduced to me via GmbH is UAE-based contemporary design and lifestyle magazine BROWNBOOK. Subtitled 'An urban guide to the Middle East', with clean graphics and sharp commentary, it resembles in many ways, an Arab version of MONOCLE (also stocked here!).

I'm also a fan of film magazine Little White Lies (LWL); a recent addition to the stocklist. Self-published by London creative agency The Church of London, it's film journalism...but not as you know it. Sharp, insightful commentary is matched by creative graphics. Their screenprinted covers, also available as posters, are fast-becoming cult classics in themselves.

PIN-UP is another favourite of mine, billing itself as 'The magazine for architectural entertainment'. The bi-annual New York-based publication is nicely laid-out and and doesn't take itself too seriously. I've only ever seen it in American Apparel, of all places, so it's good to know there's another place that stocks this on its shelves.

Also stocked is grafik, the International magazine for graphic design. The long-running design title recently bounced back from its publishers' having gone bust in mid-2010, and is now back in print, independently produced and with a slick new i-Pad-ready website.

Read on for selected titles

// Interview with shops' founders to follow...

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Main Plenary Session  - Friday 13th May 2011

This year, RIAS met in Glasgow to discuss an architect's education at the fore of its agenda. This was debated, framed as a enquiry into 'Practice and Pedagogy'.

The main session was held on 13th May at Glasgow's iMAX theatre, and comprised a series of talks from academics from across Scotland in the morning speeches. These were complemented by perspectives from practioners from home and abroad. Highlights included eminent urbanist Jan Gehl's lively presentation on the value of people-led urban design and French academic and architect, Professor Nathalie Kagan, also a RIAS 2011 Award Winner.

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