On Tuesday, August 25, 2009, Ciudad Cultural Konex presents the fourteenth edition of Pecha Kucha Night, a “showcasing + networking” event created in Japan in 2003 by architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, in which 12-15 creators from different disciplines have 6 minutes and 40 seconds each to show an idea or project, through 20 images screened for 20 seconds. Once the presentations are finished, the guest artists get together to exchange their opinions, and the public is invited to enjoy some music and conversation.

The participating artists confirmed for this edition are:

Bobby Flores + Pepe Monje
Vicki Otero (clothing design)
No Avestruz (cultural space)
ZKYSKY (editorial identity)
Picnic (home decor)
Jaz/Franco Fasoli (art)
Schwerpunkt (audiovisual productions)
Collage Lab (graffiti)
ZIZEK (record label)
Maldón Entertainment (board games)
Mariano Sigman (cognitive sciences)
Amartya (NGO)

“Pecha kucha” (which means chit-chat in Japanese), is presented in several cities around the world, including: Amsterdam, Atlanta, Auckland, Austin, Bangladore, Bangkok , Beijing, Belfast, Berlin, Bern, Bogotá , Budapest, Buenos Aires, Buffalo, Chicago, Cologne, Copenhagen, Costa Rica, Delhi, Dublin , Frankfurt, Glasgow, Gothenberg, Groningen, Hamburg, Harvard, Helsinki, Hobart, Lagos, Linz, Lisbon, Ljubljana, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Manchester, Melbourne, Mexico city, Miami, New York, Newcastle, Oslo, Perth, Portland, Porto Alegre, Prague, Riga, Rotterdam, San Francisco, Santiago, Seattle, Seoul, Seville, Shanghai, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo, Toronto, Udine, Vienna, Washington DC.

Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2009. 8 PM
Location: Ciudad Cultural Konex. Sarmiento 3131. Buenos Aires.
Tickets: AR$ 20. Ticketek Argentina or Ciudad Cultural Konex ticket office: Monday to Thursday 5 PM to 10 PM, Friday and Saturday 5 PM to 11.30 PM, Sunday 5 Pm to 9:30 PM.
More information: www.pechakucha.com.ar

On Sunday, August 23, 2009, the Japanese Garden of Buenos Aires (Av. Figueroa Alcorta and Casares, Palermo) presents the festival "Dondoh Matsuri - The Fire Ceremony".

This is an ancient tradition celebrated before the times of the Samurais at the Dondoh Yaki. In this ceremony, the God of Fire is invoked so the God of Earth wakes up from his winter sleep. The God of Fire warms up the Earth so the seeds germinate, and also protects the harvests.
The public will receive small wooden boards that will be hung on the iron tree and burnt, so the flames raise their prayers as they go up.
These are the steps to follow to complete the wooden boards:
1) Reflect on the past year.
2) Think on the facts or things that made you uncomfortable.
3) Write them on the board
4) Hang the board on the metallic tree.
5) During the bonfire, repeat mentally your desire that those disturbing things won't happen again and that they become energy that the soil needs for the crops to grow strong.
The main goal is to become free of the bad omen, and desire that the bad energy turns into prosperity.
The Festival of Fire will be accompanied by traditional dances and songs, Karate Do exhibitions, and a show of Japanese Drums by the group Mukaito Taiko

Program of Activities:
12.30 to 1.50 pm: ParaPara Workshop
2.45 to 3.15 pm: Taiko (Japanese Drums) by Matsuri Daiko
3.30 to 4.00 pm: Dance and Songs, by Japanese Association of Burzaco
2.45 to 3.15 pm: Karate Demonstration by Nelson Nakazato / Dojos Ken Institute
4.00 to 5.00 pm Bon Odori
5.30 pm: Closing of the Festival, with burning of boards and Taiko

BAFWeek, the most important event for the Argentine fashion industry, brings together the most established brands in the fashion world and the independent designers, for the launching of their Spring/Summer 2009-2010 collections.

The focus of this edition is on "Printing and dyeing", through the use of innovative dyeing and painting techniques in avant-garde designs.

BAFWeek 2009 will feature runways for daily fashion shows, and over 30 showrooms where designers will showcase their creations in an exclusive space, including accessories, shoes, bags, jewels, underwear, men's and women's clothes.

Some of the designers and brands who will be presenting their collections are: María Cher, Como quieres que te quiera, Cook, Cora Groppo, Kostüme, Mariana Dappiano, Paula Cahen D´Anvers, Prüne, Rapsodia, Marcelo Senra, Vicki Otero, Wanama, among others.

For the fourth year, BAFWeek will serve as an introduction of two new young designers selected from the contest "UBA-BAFWeek Hotbed", among all the students of Clothing and Textile Design of Universidad de Buenos Aires.

Dates: August 19, 20, and 21, 2009
Location: La Rural Exhibition Center, Pabellón Azul. Av. Sarmiento 2704
Opening times: from 2 pm to 10 pm
Entry fee: $ 20 Argentine Pesos. Tickets on sale at the venue 2 pm to 8 pm
Entrance to runway shows limited to the room's capacity

BAFWeek official website.

The Association of Friends of Fine Arts Museum Eduardo Sívori presents its tenth Annual Auction, which is intended to raise funds for the museum.

Almost 100 works by Argentine contemporary artists will be auctioned, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, engravings, and digitalized works by artists like Luis Felipe Noé, Clorindo Testa, Eduardo Stupía, Luis Wells, Eduardo Sivori, Ricardo Roux, Antonio Pujia, Leopoldo Presas, Eduardo Pla, Rogelio Polesello, Marta Minujin, Milo Lockett, León Ferrari, Ernesto de la Carcova, Victor Chab, Juan Battle Planas, among many others.

This is an excellent opportunity to acquire works by outstanding Argentine artists and starting or expanding your own collection.

The works will be on exhibition at the Museum from August 21st until August 26th, 10 am to 8 pm. The auction, that will be conducted by Enrique Scheinsohn, will take place on August 27th, 2009, at 7 pm.

Eduardo Sívori Museum. Av. Infanta Isabel 555 (opposite the Rose Garden).
Click to see the Online Catalogue of works.