Masks and vaccinations are recommended. Plan your visit
After Dark: Science of Breathing
Thursday, September 2, 2021 • 6:00–10:00 p.m. PT
Not a member yet? Join us and get free admission all year long!
Adults Only (18+)
Note: Free for After Dark members and donors, only a membership card and ID required for entry. The Tactile Dome is currently closed.
It happens around 15 times a minute, regularly and rhythmically. You may not even notice it—but if it stopped, you definitely would. Tonight, we turn our attention to human breath. Find out how respiration regulates our systems and, with the right kind of practice, can allow for extraordinary feats.
Food and drinks will be available to purchase in our Seaglass Restaurant and at the outdoor bar in Gallery 5 to enjoy in those designated spaces during After Dark. Please note that there is no drinking or eating allowed elsewhere inside the museum at this time.
Curious about what to expect during your visit? Check out our current safety protocols and guidelines.
Just for Tonight:
Hold Your Breath!
With Rebekah Phillips
7:30 p.m.
Kanbar Forum
How long can you hold your breath? Snorkelers, spearfishers, and underwater photographers all have developed the ability to suspend their breathing while they dive. The human body is adapted to underwater breath-holding through the mammalian diving reflex, which changes the body’s blood flow and oxygen use when it is submerged. Learn from a freediver about the physiology that enables some people to hold their breath for minutes at a time.
Rebekah Philips grew up freediving for abalone, fish, and shells with her father. This shared experience nurtured her sense of adventure and instilled a deep respect for human capabilities and their relationship with the ocean and its ecology. Inspired by her peers and the beauty of Monterey, in 2018 she decided to pursue freediving instruction and co-founded MBAY Freediving. Rebekah works to promote accessible, safety-focused freediving instruction so divers can experience the underwater beauty of freediving and Monterey.
Deejay Saurus
From Hip Hop for Change
6:30–7:45, 8:15–9:30 p.m.
Bechtel Gallery 3
Hailing from “the Land of Oaks,” Deejay Saurus has shared the stage with acts such as Hieroglyphics, Talib Kweli, Blackalicious, Zion-I, and more. Saurus is known for his rare record collection as well as curating unique Bay Area events aimed toward preserving vinyl culture.
Hip Hop for Change is an Oakland-based nonprofit that uses grassroots activism to educate people about socioeconomic injustices and advocate for solutions through hip-hop culture.
Exemplary Exhibits:
Seeing Your Breath: Using Science to Choose the Proper Mask
Bechtel Gallery 3, Wattis Studio
We modified our Giant Mirror exhibit to help us observe small changes in the temperature of moving air. In this video, we use the mirror to see which face coverings work best to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Give Heart Cells a Beat
Gallery 4, Living Systems
Use your heart rate to control the beating of live human heart cells, and see how that pulse changes when you slow down or speed up your breathing.
