After Dark: Iron, Mechanical Paper Contraptions, and The Florestine Collection

Everything Matters: Iron

8:00 p.m.
Phyllis C. Wattis Webcast Studio

Earth’s most common element by mass, iron has been employed since antiquity to create tools, weapons, and works of art. Join master blacksmith James Austin to explore iron’s historical importance and amazing metallurgical properties—as well as the air of mystery surrounding the blacksmithing trade.

James Austin left the graduate school of chemistry at UC Berkeley in 1982 to pursue his love of traditional handwork as a blacksmith in Bavaria. After a 6-year apprenticeship, Austin established his own studio in San Francisco. Now located in Oakland, he continues to focus on skilled blacksmithing and conveying its beauty and importance to following generations.

Mechanical Paper Contraptions

6:30–9:30 p.m.
South Gallery, Tinkering Studio

Create mechanical sculptures from everyday materials with Exploratorium Artist-in-Residence Noga Elhassid. Play with paper, staples, skewer sticks, and tape to make an abstract miniature machine, or add narrative elements to depict a whimsical, moving scene. 

Noga Elhassid is an Israeli artist who creates workshops designed to teach kids and adults basic physical phenomena and mechanical principles through play. She uses simple recycled materials to make whimsical and engaging mechanical toys. 

Cinema Arts: The Florestine Collection

7:30 p.m.
Kanbar Forum

Marvel in the mechanical wonder of the 16mm projector in this rare screening of The Florestine Collection, an irresistibly charming and deeply moving documentary recounting a story of love and loss in the colorful city of New Orleans. Using analog technology and handmade techniques, this film celebrates many of the themes of our temporary exhibition Curious Contraptions. It highlights devotion to simple mechanisms and creative reuse of found materials in crafting stories. Ultimately offering guidance on mending a broken heart and finding surprising resilience in spite of the disastrous machinations of fate. 

Spanning over 15 years of the filmmakers’ relationship, The Florestine Collection by Helen Hill and Paul Gailiunas (2010, 31 min., 16mm) stands as a tribute to New Orleans and the love and care required to put a life back together in the aftermath of disaster. A documentary completed in two parts, the original inspiration for this film began with a discovery of more than 100 handmade dresses in a pile on the streets of a New Orleans. Compelled to celebrate their unique craft and share the story of the dresses maker, Helen Hill began to photograph and animate the collection. The unforeseen fates of Hurricane Katrina and the death of Hill halted the project. Using the reclaimed footage and snippets of dresses that remained, Paul Gailiunas stitched together a captivating collage of animation and home movies to share the story of love and loss. 

Print courtesy of Harvard Film Archive.

Tactile Dome

6:15–10:00 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.