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Thursday, March 1, 2018 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.
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.
6:00–10:00 p.m.
Throughout museum
Contemplate cinema’s continuum at After Dark. Traverse a timeline of motion-picture technology, from the earliest hand-drawn, hand-cranked experiments to cutting-edge experiences that aim—again—to redefine what cinema may be.
Tonight's Schedule
KANBAR FORUM
NOS VISUALS
With Osman Koç and Amma Ateria
7:30, 8:30, and 9:15 p.m.
Using software as an instrument that generates sound-responsive images in real time, NOS Visuals creates a holistic conversation between sound and visuals. Tonight, visual artist Osman Koç collaborates with sound artist Amma Ateria along with guest musicians Kevin Corcoran and Andrej Hrončo to present three different sets of immersive visual music.
CROSSROADS
6:30–9:30 p.m.
TGIGIF
Much like emojis have become an accepted part of the texting lexicon, so have the short, snappy animations known as GIFs become a frequent feature of digital communications. Enjoy this curated selection of artful, clever, and surreal animations designed for the computer age.
Video Weavings
By Stephen Beck
An homage to an ancient technology, Video Weavings reflects the warp and weft of textiles in the horizontal and vertical scan of television. Artist Stephen Beck designed and built his first Video Weaver synthesizer in 1973.
BERNARD AND BARBRO OSHER WEST GALLERY
6:30–9:30 p.m.
Chocolate
By Tyler Hurd
In this astonishing VR experience set to the song “Chocolate” by Giraffage, you—a robot god—enter a cat-centric world of colorful chrome, spraying cute chrome kitties to a tribe dancing just for you.
Old Friend
By Tyler Hurd
This animated VR music video for the track “Old Friend” by the band Future Islands will overwhelm you with whimsical joy. Unhinge your jiggly cartoon body, feel the absurdity, and dance like everyone is watching.
Tapered Throne
With Brandon Tauszik
“Brandon Tauszik’s GIF images of black barbers in Oakland, California reveal the resolve of a group of ardent professionals. The project illuminates the position of barbers as conduits of black communities of Oakland.”
—Quincy T. Mills, Ph.D. Professor of Africana Studies, Vassar College
Way to Go
By Vincent Morisset, Caroline Robert, and Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit
At a moment when we have access to so much, and see so little, this interactive experience reminds us of all that lies before us, within us, in the luscious, sudden pleasure of discovery.
Herbie’s Hustle
With Dina Herring and Lowell Robinson
The Exploratorium is Herbie’s dance floor and he wants you to take a spin with him. Join in and dance with Herbie in this reactive installation.
Undulator
With Eric Parren
Black Box
This immersive kinetic installation by Eric Parren celebrates light in its purest form. As a pulsating pattern of complementary colors is projected onto a reflective surface, its undulating movement distorts the rays of light.
SOUTH GALLERY
6:30–9:30 p.m.
Oscilloscope Music
By Jerobeam Fenderson
What you see is what you hear: The audio signal is fed directly into the oscilloscope, where vector graphics are drawn with sound.
BAVC to the Future
With Bay Area Video Coalition
Join staff from BAVC’s preservation team to see historic video technology in action and glimpse the careful process of video preservation. Experiment with tools that can manipulate a video signal and transform any videotape into a real-time artwork.
Time Travel Case
By Maz Kattuah
Taking a photo at regular intervals, this suitcase simultaneously captures and displays a time-lapsed view from its location throughout the evening, presenting a speedy recap of activity by the end of the night.
BECHTEL CENTRAL GALLERY
6:30–9:30 p.m. unless noted
The Gizmos and Gadgets of Amateur Moviemaking
With Jennifer Miko of Movette
As the costs of filmmaking equipment fell following World War II, a proliferation of small-gauge filmmaking hobbyists emerged. Glimpse some of the tricks of the amateur trade with Jennifer Miko, co-owner of Movette.
Old Whirled Records
With Wade Wright
Wade Wright shares his collection of Red Raven Magic Mirror records from the 1950s. As the 78 rpm records play, their labels reflect off a faceted mirror placed over the spindle, creating a looping animation to music.
Somatic Cinema: 16mm Projections
With Seth Mitter and John ‘B’ Berzins
This slate of 16mm films, projected on giant scrims descending from the ceiling, features works that consider, examine, and celebrate the physical qualities of celluloid and the act of watching film in motion.
Drop-in Microcinema | Phyllis C. Wattis Webcast Studio
This informal microcinema features four curated sets of dazzling short works. Viewers can step in at any time during the night and be guaranteed to find something intriguing on screen (details found on program notes at the entry).
6:00–7:00 p.m. Selections from the Cinema Arts Collection
7:00–8:00 p.m. The Amateur Cinema of William and Violet Goodson curated by Jennifer Miko
8:00–9:15 p.m. Film Title Poem I by Jennifer West
9:15–10:00 p.m. Rick's Picks
EAST GALLERY
6:30–9:30 p.m. unless noted
The Grand Moving Mirror of California
With The Velaslavasay Panorama
7:00, 8:00, and 9:00 p.m.
A descendant of the mid-19th century moving panorama storytelling tradition, this exquisitely rendered painted scroll will be unrolled complete with live Foley effects and narration, imparting an idea of the thrills and dangers undertaken on a seaboard trip around Cape Horn to reach Gold Rush–era California.
Transcontinental 1860
With Christina Corfield
Viewed through a handmade peep box device, Transcontinental 1860 illustrates the route of the Pony Express. Its looped video intersplices a hand-painted and hand-animated moving panorama with hand-drawn text taken from newspapers of the time presented as silent film-style intertitles.
On the Nature of Fire
With Christina Corfield
The Magic Lantern was a pre-cinematic device that worked in a similar way to contemporary slide projectors. In this video, each “slide” or image describes changing ideas about the science of optics as well as the little-known story of 18th-century mathematician and physicist Émilie du Châtelet.
Crankies
With Explorables
7:00–10:00 p.m.
An art form developed in the 19th century, crankies employ simple mechanisms to hand-crank paper scrolls that result in moving images. Grab a milk carton and scroll and join our expert Explorables volunteers to craft your own moving panorama.
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.
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.