Pecha Kucha stands uncomfortably on the edge of a precipice.
Far below is a 1970s slide show at your aunty's house in Wakari when you are 9 years old, with 100 slides detailing a trip by elderly relatives to visit the historic churches of England.
Above is some sort of art.
But the audience that turned up for the Fringe Festival Pecha Kucha night at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery last night appeared to have no qualms about the format.
After all the seats available were filled, more and more were dragged out, followed by folding stools, then more folding stools.
Punters still kept arriving, and they were sent to the mezzanine level to look down on the event.
Pecha Kucha involves a six-minute, 40-second presentation, in which 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each.
The format was devised in 2003 by Tokyo's Klein-Dytham Architecture, allowing young designers to meet, show their work, and exchange ideas.
Pecha Kucha nights are now held in more than 700 cities worldwide, including, last night, Dunedin.
The local version was a strange mix of aspirational life stories, lessons in neck and back care, and an exploration of the nexus between art and science.
That included Otago Daily Times columnist Lisa Scott telling of her transformation from girl with baby who hung around with bad types, through her discovery of William Shakespeare, to becoming a university-educated writer with awards.
Bodystance's Steve August ran through the painful things that happen to necks, and what you can do about them, and Dr Karyn Paringatai told of her trip to Te Matatini National Kapa Haka Festival in Christchurch.
The event attracted 11 speakers, who festival director Josh Thomas said were free to talk about ''anything''.
