After Dark: Peanuts, The Humidors, and Labor of Love
Thursday, February 8, 2018 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.
Buy Tickets
Free for After Dark Members
Adults Only (18+)
Note: The Tactile Dome and some programs have limited capacity and are available to visitors on a first-come, first-served basis.
Lose yourself in over 650 interactive exhibits exploring perception, art, and science at our adults-only After Dark. Grab your friends and a drink and get immersed in mind-bending experiences and unique, thought-provoking programs.
Featured Program
Pairings: Peanuts
To reserve a seat and something to eat, pick up free tickets onsite at the Observatory. Seating is limited to 120.7:00 p.m.
Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery
The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a new star.
—Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, Physiologie du Gout, 1825
Join us for robust presentations and refreshing conversations designed to inspire your scientific palate.
Learn more about the series, Pairings: Cultivating a Taste for Science Through Food.
Peanuts are great in GORP, play well with jelly, and make chocolate sing—and they’re increasingly considered a public health menace. These legumes (“nut” is a misnomer) are one of the most common culprits of food allergies in both children and adults, and among the food allergies least likely to be outgrown. However, scientists are discovering what causes all types of allergies and how to desensitize the body and prevent allergic reactions. Learn about this life-saving, cutting-edge allergy research from Dr. Sharon Chinthrajah, Clinical Assistant in the divisions of Allergy/Immunology and Pulmonary/Critical Care at Stanford and the Director of the Clinical Translational Research Unit at the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research. (What's it like to participate in a peanut-allergy study? Read this blog post by one of our staff members.)
In addition, sample chef Loretta Keller's Thai-style larb salad and try a cool, creamy glass of peanut milk. Then try something stronger from resident mixologist Clay Reynolds: the Tallulah, a mix of bourbon, Coke, peanut orgeat, and peanuts.
WARNING: Tonight's program includes tastings prepared with peanuts.
Kentucky Carver Cocktail
2 oz. Four Roses bourbon
1 oz. peanut orgeat syrup
2 oz. natural cola
Peanut Orgeat Syrup (makes 1.25 cups)
2 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts
1½ cups sugar
1¼ cups water
1 tsp. orange flower water
1 oz. vodka
Pulverize peanuts in a food processor. Meanwhile, combine sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Allow the mixture to boil for three minutes, then add the peanuts. Lower the heat and simmer for several more minutes, then gradually increase the temperature. When the mixture is about to boil, remove from heat and cover. Let the mixture sit for at least six hours, then strain through cheesecloth, discarding the peanuts. Add orange flower water and vodka. Store up to two weeks in the fridge.
Live Music After Dark: The Humidors
6:30 and 8:30 p.m.
Phyllis C. Wattis Webcast Studio
The Humidors is committed to groove in all its shapes and forms. Come hear the eight-piece band stir up hard-hitting funk, greasy soul, vintage R&B, soul jazz, and more into an infectious, polyrhythmic stew.
Cinema Arts: Labor of Love
8:00 p.m.
Kanbar Forum
Timed for next week’s amorous holiday, this gripping collection of shorts considers love beyond romantic love, and celebrates its everyday expression in work. From a BART attendant whose devotion to making every small interaction meaningful is nothing short of heroic to an obsessive collector whose work led him to save memories others don’t realize they’ve lost, these shorts show the way work can become embedded in our identify and shape the way we view and engage with the world.
Featuring
Agent of Connection by Ivan Cash (2017, 4 min.). William Cromartie is a BART station agent in Oakland who finds meaning through the simple act of saying “hello.”
Oddball by Joshua Moore (2017, 5 min.). A creative profile on Stephen Parr, the oddball behind San Francisco's Oddball Films.
Daybreak Express by D.A. Pennebaker (1953, 5 min.). Set to a Duke Ellington track, this traversing of New York’s 3rd Avenue El shows the city in motion, and the floods of people traveling to and from their workplace.
Luchadora by River Finlay (2015, 12 min.) An aging Lucha Libre star, Luna Magica, struggles to make a living in Mexico City and regain custody of her son, who has been taken from her because of her career.
Tactile Dome
$10; purchase tickets onsite at the Information Desk6:15–10:00 p.m.
Bernard and Barbro Osher West Gallery
Take an excursion through total darkness in our Tactile Dome. Crawl, slide, and bump your way through the pitch-dark Dome using your sense of touch as your only guide through its chambers and mazes.
Please Note: Due to the nature of this experience, certain restrictions apply. Guests who are afraid of the dark; claustrophobic; have back, neck, or knee injuries; or are in their third trimester of pregnancy should not participate. Guests wearing casts are prohibited. Also, please wear comfortable clothes.
Learn more about the Tactile Dome.
Explainer Demonstrations
6:00–9:45 unless noted
Various locations throughout the museum
Drawing Board
Ticketing at 6:00 p.m., first come, first served
Bernard and Barbro Osher West Gallery
Draw hypnotically flowing patterns with a swinging table, and watch friction cause the patterns to slowly shrink along a spiral path. Pick up a ticket to reserve your spot in line for this popular activity.
Speaker Dissection
Bechtel Central Gallery
Tune in to surrounding sounds by experimenting with strings and vibrations, and use electromagnets to build a basic speaker. Learn how to listen with your bones, and explore the workings of the inner ear.
Cow Eye or Flower Dissection (alternating)
East Gallery
Do cows see color? How does a lens work? Examine the intricate structure of a cow eye to learn about similar structures in our own eyes, as well as some key differences.
Stigma, stamen, pistil, anther, style: Uncover the beautiful architecture of flower anatomy, and gather some surprising strategies that plants use to reproduce.
Magic Demonstration
Bernard and Barbro Osher West Gallery
Everything is not as it seems—at first. Pick a card, any card, and watch the Explainers reveal some surprising aspects of human perception.
