After Dark: Get Surreal - February 2011

After Dark: Get Surreal
February 3, 2011
6-10 pm



Ceci n’est pas une pipe. Is it a pipe or isn’t it? Test the limits of your imagination at this surreal Exploratorium After Dark event on Thursday, February 3, from 6 to 10 pm. In tonight’s theater of the absurd, expect the unexpected, including an Alice-in-Wonderland tea party where you’re the guest of honor.

You’ll also get a chance to experience the latest in Augmented Reality (AR) technology: Researchers at the University of Tokyo will be offering After Dark goers a chance to taste a Meta Cookie. A visual and olfactory display system alters the texture and smell of what you perceive so that even though you’re eating a plain cookie, you’ll think you’re chomping on a strawberry, maple, orange or chocolate-covered delight. The Exploratorium’s own Rob Rothfarb has also placed AR markers throughout the Exploratorium that allow you to use your iPhone or Android phones to become part of Magritte and Man Ray paintings.

After Dark is included in the price of admission to the Exploratorium. Or become a member and attend the next twelve After Dark events for $30. To sign up for the Exploratorium’s After Dark email list and receive once-a-month event details, contact afterdark@exploratorium.edu.

Come dressed as your favorite surrealist, past or present—Frida Kahlo, Dorothea Tanning, Thomas Pynchon, it’s all fair game—and hobnob in a Café de Paris setting. Learn how science and society have altered the way we perceive so-called “reality” since the Surrealist movement emerged in France in the early 1920s, launching an inquiry into the nature of reality and inspiring artworks, painting, poetry and  cinema across the globe.

After Dark is an adult evening program at the Exploratorium on the first Thursday of every month that mixes cocktails, conversation and adult-oriented programming in science and the arts. Each night showcases a different theme, which might include live performances, films and new media, or feature cutting-edge technology and unexpected extravaganzas. Programs are playful, unique and content-rich, addressing the science behind topics of adult interest—from gambling, alcohol, fashion and sex to extreme sports and gaming. Not a theater, a cabaret, or a gallery, Exploratorium After Dark involves aspects of all three, with a mood unlike anything else in the city. Where else can you find music, a cash bar and an intellectually stimulating playground for adults—all with free parking?