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After Dark
Thursday, October 27, 2016 • 6:00–10:00 p.m.
Cinema Arts: Films at the Field Lab
Full-Spectrum Science: Science Fiction Turned Fact
Buy Tickets$15 General
$10 Members; Free for Lab Members
$10 Add-On Ticket for the Tactile Dome Available for Purchase Onsite
Adults Only (18+)
Note: Some programs have limited seating and will be made available to visitors on a first-come, first-served basis.
Feed your head every Thursday night at After Dark. Savor unique, thought-provoking series for adults—plus, grab dinner and drinks by the Bay, play with hundreds of hands-on exhibits, crawl through our pitch-black Tactile Dome, and explore.
Featured Programs
Cinema Arts: Films at the Field Lab
Free: no museum access7:00 p.m.
Bechtel Central Gallery, Phyllis C. Wattis Webcast Studio
Join us for this shorts program that is part of the Field Lab, a community engagement project led by the Studio for Urban Projects’ Alison Sant and Richard Johnson, current Designers-In-Residence at the Exploratorium’s Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery.
This shorts program has been curated by the Exploratorium’s Cinema Arts group. A selection of documentaries, artist-made films, and archival footage will offer a multifaceted look at water and our relationship to it. From poetic evocations to aerial investigations, the program will consider our local landscape of the Bay shore, tidal zones, and natural cycles.
Full-Spectrum Science with Ron Hipschman: Science Fiction Turned Fact
8:00 p.m.
Kanbar Forum
Science fiction has predicted many things. Some have come true (think touch screens, submarines, bionic limbs), others, not so much—or at least, not yet. If you’ve ever wondered where your flying car or rocket belt is, or why you don’t yet have a robot servant, find out at Full-Spectrum Science.
Learn more about the series, Full-Spectrum Science with Ron Hipschman.
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.
