Masks and vaccinations are recommended. Plan your visit
After Dark: Extended Cinemas
Thursday, March 2, 2023 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.
Not a member yet? Join us and get free admission all year long!
Adults Only (18+)
Note: Free for members and donors—only a membership card and ID required for entry. The Tactile Dome is currently closed.
The warm glow of the projected image invites us to in-between worlds. During this cinematic celebration the passive act of watching turns to listening, peering, touching, and interacting as Exploratorium Cinema Arts takes over museum spaces to provide experiences—both on and off the screen—created by artists and filmmakers from the Bay Area and beyond.
Antique TikTok
With Cinema Arts
6:00–10:00 p.m.
Osher Gallery 1
Dances, illusions, animals, jokes, just . . . stuff people happen to be doing. The content you see on TikTok today isn’t so different from what people were capturing on film more than 120 years ago. Fun fact: one of the first films to be copyrighted is just some guy named Fred sneezing. With selections from the earliest days of cinema (pre-1900!) through the 1990s, this drop-in screening of short—sometimes super short—films shows that the technology may change, but human interests are surprisingly consistent.
Chinatown Shorts: You Are Here
8:00 p.m.
Osher Gallery 1, Kanbar Forum
Enjoy two new shorts from You Are Here, the Chinatown Shorts series that shares stories from San Francisco’s dynamic Chinatown. Curiosity Man: The World of Victor Tung (2022) and Becoming Polka Dot (2022) follow Victor Tung and Dorothy Quock, whose experiments with fashion as art, armor, and artifact have become defining aspects of their identities. After the screening, stay for a conversation with the You Are Here team—and check out a selection of clothing by Tung and Quock. Copresented by Good Medicine Picture Company.
You Are Here: (More) Chinatown Shorts
6:00–10:00 p.m.
Osher Gallery 1, Microcinema
Catch two more Chinatown Shorts from the You Are Here series. Miss Penny Wong (2021, 13 min.) and Master Simu Kuo (2020, 10 min.) introduce you to the formidable first Miss Chinatown and the boundary-breaking headmaster of a San Francisco martial arts academy. Copresented by Good Medicine Picture Company.
Video Home System, Ep. 1
By Smartbomb
6:00–10:00 p.m.
Gallery 2, Tinkering Studio
Dive into original audiovisual dispatches from creative beings in the Bay Area and beyond! Join Smartbomb as they share their public broadcast series Video Home System. Each episode features remotely recorded live music sets and experimental analog video effects that are interwoven with short films, music videos, animations, skits, and more. Tonight, watch episode one!
Created in 2013 as a monthly live art and music party in downtown Oakland, Smartbomb is a curatorial project and multimedia events platform that holds essential spaces for the Bay Area’s ever-burgeoning art, music, and culture scene.
Pixilation/Animation
With Kaz Mendoza
6:30–9:30 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3, Wattis Studio
Jump into the action and make an animated movie starring . . . you! We’ll supply the props and the scenario, you provide the action, frame by frame. Use your body as a stop-motion puppet to collectively contribute to the movie.
Old Whirled Records
With Wade Wright
6:30–9:30 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3
The history of cinema is full of charming and whimsical experiments—just ask vintage vinyl collector Wade Wright. Stop by and check out his collection of rare vintage novelty children’s records, each of which reveals a surprising animation when the music starts to play.
BAVC to the Future
With Bay Area Video Coalition
6:30–9:30 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3
Obsolete video formats gain new life every day at the Bay Area Video Coalition. Join staff from BAVC’s preservation team to see historical video technology in action and get a peek at the many careful steps that go into video preservation. Then get hands-on with some tools that can manipulate a signal and transform any videotape into real-time artwork.
BAVC is a community hub and resource for media makers in the Bay Area and across the country. It provides access to media-making technology, storytelling workshops, a diverse and engaged community of makers and producers, services, and resources.
Somatic Cinema: 16mm Projections
With Seth Mitter
7:00, 8:00, and 9:00 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3
Experience a pop-up 16mm cinema extravaganza in the middle of Gallery 3! Expert projectionist and Canyon Cinema Collection Manager Seth Mitter will set you up with a slate of films from the Canyon Cinema and Exploratorium collections. These entrancing works consider and celebrate the physical qualities of celluloid and the act of watching film in motion. Witness the care, skill, and process behind 16mm projection.
Food and drinks will be available for purchase at our Seaglass Restaurant and additional bar locations.
Curious about what to expect during your visit? Check out our current safety protocols and guidelines.
