Pecha Kucha 2013: Our Spaces, Our Voices

As you’ve probably seen, we’re planning another edition of the Pecha Kucha night this month, which will be held at the grounds of the Adianta School for Leadership and Innovation on the 31st.

This Pecha Kucha Night, inspired by the recent wave of change in the city, has the theme ‘Our Spaces, Our Voices.’ This past month has seen the public, especially students from all over NCR, come together to make their voices heard. They have gathered in massive numbers, occupying public spaces around the city and reclaiming them for their own. Public spaces in Delhi have always been rather inconstant in terms of how public they really are. As journalist Nilanjana Roy puts it, ‘in this city of power and gated communities: all “public spaces” exist at the pleasure of the state, and the state may withdraw your rights to “your” space at any time it chooses.’ It is this imbalanced relationship with centers of power that the youth now seem to be questioning and rejecting. They not only feel that these spaces are rightfully their own, but seem to also be expecting more from the government in terms of quality of services, accountability and transparency. Moreover, a new kind of discourse is emerging, with previously hidden or socially unacceptable issues now being highlighted and talked about openly. Voices that were previously silenced are slowly being heard across these new platforms, much of which is enabled by social media networks.

This Pecha Kucha night hopes to highlight some of these changes and showcase some of the efforts in this regard. Speakers will include activists, artists, designers and innovators who have participated in the protests, been involved in creating new platforms for minorities, designing and appropriating public spaces for the voiceless, and documented and reflected on these changes in thoughtful and meaningful ways. Join us for what promises to be an inspiring evening.

When: Thursday, January 31st 2013, 7:00 pm
Where: The Adianta School of Leadership and Innovation (see map)
What to bring: Yourselves, your friends, and an appetite for conversation!