BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Mission Local - ECPv6.16.3//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://missionlocal.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Mission Local REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20240310T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20241103T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20250309T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20251102T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20260308T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20261101T090000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250620T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250620T203000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250604T101457Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250604T101457Z UID:10036357-1750444200-1750451400@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Look\, Ma – No Hands! The Early Days of Biofeedback Art DESCRIPTION:Spanning the 1960s to 90s\, this retrospective showcases the remarkable fusion of technology\, art\, and human physiology and closes with a live demo by Kal Spelletich\, inviting attendees to play a drum machine using their heartbeats. \nScreening of Historical Footage (1960-1990s) and A Demo with Heartbeat-controlled Drum Machine \nThe biofeedback film & video screening offers a unique insight into the intersection of technology\, art\, and human physiology during this pivotal period in history. Through biofeedback\, artists could tap into the body’s physiological responses\, such as heart rate and brain activity\, to create immersive and participatory aesthetic experiences. By showcasing a collection of works from the 1960s to the 1990s\, this retrospective provides a comprehensive look at how technological advancements led to a diversification of artistic applications of biofeedback and the emergence of new “hybrid” art-science practices. The material presented in this screening includes works of Alvin Lucier\, Nina Sobell\, Bill and Lois Etra\, Richard Lowenberg\, and other pioneers of biomusic and video art\, also highlighting the contribution of the Bay Area artists and engineers in early biofeedback art and development of human-computer music interfaces. \nThe screening will be accompanied by a demo presented by Kal Spelletich\, inviting two volunteers in attendance to “play” a drum machine with the beat of their heart. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-look-ma-no-hands-the-early-days-of-biofeedback-art/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/SLoP-1976-1.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250618T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250618T120000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250604T100940Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250604T100940Z UID:10036356-1750240800-1750248000@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area: DWeb for Creators Project Salon DESCRIPTION:Join us for the DWeb for Creators Project Salon\, where participants will present lightning talks on their research for the DWeb for Creators course. Participants’ work spans Cultural Memory\, Community Networks\, and Decentralized Tools. Projects will showcase decentralized approaches to data sovereignty\, empowering communities to take ownership over their data through local-first infrastructure and peer-to-peer access. Decentralized technologies including IPFS\, Blockchain\, and mesh networks are explored as ways to build resilient communities that are not beholden to centralized infrastructures. \nDecentralized Web (DWeb) for Creators is an 8-week online course that empowers artists\, designers\, archivists\, gallerists\, curators\, and others with the knowledge and tools necessary for exploring the decentralized web. Through lecture\, discussion\, and hands-on practice with emerging technologies\, participants in DWeb for Creators use an intersectional lens to study the theoretical frameworks that shape the decentralized web. The course is led by a team of experienced instructors working at multiple intersections of the decentralized web. They represent the leading-edge of global organizing and studio art practices involving DWeb technologies. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-dweb-for-creators-project-salon/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/dweb-Salon-banner.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250616T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250616T200000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250604T134137Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250604T134137Z UID:10036362-1750096800-1750104000@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Simulation Sessions DESCRIPTION:Simulation Sessions is a free monthly event series facilitated by the World Engines Lab\, incubated at Gray Area. In response to the growing prevalence and sophistication of virtual simulations and environments\, these sessions seek to sustain a local community of 3D designers\, artists\, and technologists\, facilitate peer teaching and learning\, and spark dialogue about the social\, cultural\, and political dimensions of building digital worlds. \nAll\, regardless of skill or experience level\, are welcome to attend and bring their current projects (in any 3D platform\, including Unreal\, Unity\, Godot\, Three.js\, Babylon.js\, Rhino\, Blender\, Houdini\, Spline\, Womp\, TouchDesigner\, Custom 3DAI tools\, and more). \nEach session begins promptly at 6pm with a brief talk or mini-workshop led by a member of the community. At 6:30pm\, participants are invited to work on projects\, seek technical advice\, mingle\, and meet others engaged in the practice of building simulations. Feel free to arrive at any time between 6:00 and 9:00pm. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-simulation-sessions-2/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/file-1-1.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250615T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250615T203000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250604T100239Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250604T100239Z UID:10036355-1750012200-1750019400@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Electronic Cafe International (1989-2000): Virtual Collaboration and Telepresence Before the Web DESCRIPTION:Artists Kit Galloway and Sherrie Rabinowitz once envisioned telecommunication networks and information commons – what we now call videoconferencing and the World Wide Web – as a liberating force for communities\, fostering creativity and open dialogue beyond the constraints of time and space. In a conversation inspired by the legacy of Electronic Cafe International\, we will explore the evolution of telepresence (from the 1970s onwards) in connection to contemporary socio-political challenges\, reflecting on the role of artivism in today’s world. \nAbout the Screening\nThe routinization of telepresence has been an ever-increasing challenge since the COVID-19 pandemic. The pioneers of cyberspace believed absolutely in the transformative positive impact of telecommunication technologies. Users of the nascent “internet” would inevitably feel a greater sense of connection\, unrestrained by time and space\, and explore possibilities for collaborative creation and the exchange of diverse experiences in an open dialogue. The “information commons\,” as artists Kit Galloway and Sherrie Rabinowitz (Mobile Image/Electronic Cafe International) imagined it\, could become a space for freedom from governmental and corporate control – but only if artists\, technologists\, and community members tried hard enough to disprove the Orwellian prophecy. Electronic Cafe International\, their visionary space at 18th Street Art Center in Santa Monica\, was a sustained experiment in connecting communities in Los Angeles and all over the world from 1989 to 2000.\nYet here we are in 2025. Culture wars are on the rise\, and virtual as well as physical space free from surveillance shrinks at the speed of light. Utopian thinking — the thinking that offered alternative futures and made space for critique of the status quo — is in deep crisis. Revisiting the legacy of Electronic Cafe International\, we wonder: who are the Kit and Sherrie of our time? If their style of network-enabled “artivism” had survived into the 2020s\, what would it look like? Should we become re-enchanted with telepresence? Would it offer any solution to socio-political polarization and othering? In our techno-dystopian times\, fed with endless messages tuned to our “interests” by mechanisms of late-stage capitalism\, we lose the space for creative\, independent thinking. This screening and conversation with the pioneer of telecommunication art will attempt to open up such a space. Following a video presentation of 1990s tele-performances and cyberactivism at Electronic Cafe International\, the audience will be invited to a conversation about the decay of utopian thinking in arts\, and the possibility of its renewal. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-electronic-cafe-international-1989-2000-virtual-collaboration-and-telepresence-before-the-web/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/flyer-4-1.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250607T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250607T210000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250522T172134Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250522T172642Z UID:10036274-1749322800-1749330000@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Cyberpunks Mutants & Mondoids present Come to the Gulf of Deliria DESCRIPTION:Immerse yourself in cyberpunks\, mutants\, and mondoids in Welcome to the Gulf of Deliria\, an all-night cyberdelic ritual celebrating The Smarter Kings of Deliria album by R.U. Sirius & Phriendz\, live-performed with extras\, glitch visuals\, and electronic “CYBER” madness. \nCome dressed in your best Mondoid garb\, ready to decode the future in a swirl of smoke\, laughter and music. \nPanels\, talks\, and short performances: \nR.U. Sirius & Bart Nagel (Mondo 2000)\nMark Pauline (Survival Research Labs)\nBean (D’Cuckoo)\nLinda Jacobson (VR)\nRudy Rucker (Cyberpunk SF Author)\nLee Felsenstein (Original Hacker)\nNaut Humon (Recombinant Media Labs)\nJohn Law (Cacophony)\nJohn Sanborn (Video Artist)\nV. Vale (Re/Search)\nCintra Wilson (Writer/Performer)\nand more reality-hackers to be announced! \n📅 Saturday\, June 7\, 2025 | 7:00PM PST\n🎟️ Sliding Scale $0-40\nTickets: https://grayarea.org/event/come-to-the-gulf-of-deliria/ URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-cyberpunks-mutants-mondoids-present-come-to-the-gulf-of-deliria/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/499971330_1091583679682323_4062860405679593724_n.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250607T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250607T130000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250604T133629Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250604T133629Z UID:10036361-1749294000-1749301200@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: San Francisco Regional Conversation - Creative Futures: Advancing Arts\, Culture & Community DESCRIPTION:⁠Titled “Creative Futures: Advancing Arts\, Culture & Community\,” this conversation will respond to the urgent challenges facing San Francisco’s creative sector and calls for bold\, collective action to shape a more equitable and sustainable future. Participants will hear key updates from CA for the Arts on federal\, state\, and local cultural policy\, engage in facilitated discussions\, and collaborate on actionable next steps to support sector-wide advancement.⁠ \n⁠We’ll also be discussing the issues and developments impacting the arts and creative industry in San Francisco and co-creating strategies that move us from reactive to proactive advocacy. We hope you’ll join us to share your insights\, connect with peers\, and shape what’s next for San Francisco’s arts and culture landscape!⁠ \n⁠Water and light refreshments will be provided. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-san-francisco-regional-conversation-creative-futures-advancing-arts-culture-community/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/aC5t-ydWJ-7kSawT_SFRegionalConversations-2-.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250523T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250523T220000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250501T114719Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250501T114719Z UID:10036085-1748030400-1748037600@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Recombinant Media Labs and Gray Area present Maria Somerville DESCRIPTION:Irish musician Maria Somerville comes to Gray Area with her debut album Luster\, a spellbinding soundworld of gusting ambient electronics\, ethereal guitar strums\, sparse percussion\, and hushed lyrical vignettes. \nBy the time Irish musician Maria Somerville started writing Luster\, her landmark label debut for 4AD\, she had lived away from her native Connemara for quite some time. Having grown up amongst the wild\, mountainous terrain of Galway’s rural west coast\, she later relocated to Dublin\, where she patiently developed an atmospheric dream pop signature inspired by the landscape of her youth – a spellbinding soundworld of gusting ambient electronics\, ethereal guitar strums\, sparse percussion\, and hushed lyrical vignettes. In 2019\, this culminated in All My People\, a self-released LP steeped in reverb\, nostalgia and a yearning for home that won praise from discerning press and listeners alike. \nIt was upon returning to Connemara\, in a house near where she was raised overlooking one of the country’s largest lakes\, Lough Corrib\, that work commenced on the songs that would eventually become Luster\, an album that illuminates Somerville’s music anew\, pushing it forward in both sound and spirit. Where All My People conveyed memories and melancholic longing with misty slowcore balladry\, these 12 tracks show us an artist who’s more assured in the path her life has taken\, and the person she’s become in the process. As she sings in Trip – “I can see more clearly than I could before. I know now what’s true for me.” \nInvigorated by her surroundings and emboldened by her community\, Somerville found a renewed sense of creative energy upon returning to home soil. It provided “fertile ground”\nfor free-flowing recording sessions in her small living room studio\, where she stitched together demos that were then fleshed out with friends and collaborators\, and later mixed by the renowned New York-based engineer Gabriel Schuman. Contributors included producers J. Colleran\, Brendan Jenkinson and Diego Herrera\, aka Suzanne Kraft\, as well as Lankum’s Ian Lynch\, whose uilleann pipe drones you can hear in Violet\, and Margie Jean Lewis\, whose violin bows reverberate through the ambient haze of Flutter. Sessions with musicians Henry Earnest and Finn Carraher McDonald (aka Nashpaints) helped “tie it all together”\, while contributions from friends Roisin Berkley and Olan Monk enshrined the companionship they’ve shared since Somerville returned to Connemara. \nListeners have had a window into Somerville’s world every Monday and Tuesday morning since 2021 via her beloved Early Bird Show on NTS Radio\, where her dawn chorus selections range from blissful ambient and shoegaze to traditional Irish folk songs. Since signing to 4AD that same year\, Somerville has toured with her label mates Dry Cleaning\, and released two covers for the label’s 40th anniversary celebrations – taking on Nancy Sinatra’s ‘Kinky Love’ and Air Miami’s ‘Sea Bird’. With the release of Luster\, she has signaled the arrival of a new era that will see her play around the world in 2025 accompanied by a live band. Rest assured though\, no matter where Somerville goes\, she’ll take a piece of home with her – a living\, breathing\, timeless essence you can sense in every note\, as clear as the air by the Corrib. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-recombinant-media-labs-and-gray-area-present-maria-somerville/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Maria-Tour-19.02.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250518T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250518T203000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250501T114302Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250501T114302Z UID:10036084-1747593000-1747600200@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Secession from the Broadcast: Experimental Television Works from the San Francisco Bay Area DESCRIPTION:While the pervasive reach of centralized television networks ballooned throughout the 1960s\, maverick video artists began experimenting with the medium. Aided by the development of portable recording equipment and half-inch videotape\, as well as by newly formed organizations focused on putting creative work on TV\, early video artists turned the broadcast into a platform for artistic expression. In doing so\, they challenged network television’s private\, advertising-fuelled\, fragmenting nature. \nThis screening event will explore the history of artistic experimentation with the televisual medium as it manifested in the San Francisco Bay Area. The program will begin with Making Visible (1969) by Edwin Schlossberg\, a video meditation on the nature of the image produced through the Dilexi Series\, an initiative spearheaded by Dilexi Gallery director Jim Newman and KQED-9 TV. The next film\, A Visit to the Center (1967)\, showcases how the National Center for Experiments in Television beamed avant-garde video works onto San Franciscans’ television sets. Former Pacific Film Archive media curator Steve Seid will also introduce Stephen Beck’s Illuminated Music #2 (1973)\, an example of how works produced through the NCET subverted televisual conventions. \nWhile television feels like an almost anachronistic medium in today’s many-screened media landscape\, looking back on this moment in which artists advocated for the decentralization of broadcasting offers strategies for rewiring the circuits through which we create and consume information. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-secession-from-the-broadcast-experimental-television-works-from-the-san-francisco-bay-area/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Poster-1.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250518T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250518T160000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250516T163825Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250516T163825Z UID:10036199-1747573200-1747584000@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area: Digital Security in an Increasingly Hostile World workshop DESCRIPTION:This Digital Security training is an introductory workshop designed to help individuals understand the fundamentals of online safety and cybersecurity. The training covers key topics such as recognizing phishing attempts\, creating strong passwords\, securing devices and accounts\, using multi-factor authentication\, and protecting personal and professional data. Participants will learn practical tools and techniques to safeguard themselves from common cyber threats\, empowering them to navigate the digital landscape with greater confidence and resilience. This session is ideal for beginners and anyone looking to strengthen their foundational knowledge of digital security. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-digital-security-in-an-increasingly-hostile-world-workshop/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Digital-Security.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250515T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250515T210000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250501T113812Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250501T113812Z UID:10036083-1747335600-1747342800@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Set in Stone: A Self-Monumentalizing Workshop DESCRIPTION:SCHEDULE\n– Doors: 7PM\n– Scanning Demonstration: 7:30PM – 8:00PM\n– DIY Scanning Activity in Custom Sets: 8:00PM – 9:00PM \nHOW TO PREPARE FOR THE EVENT\n– Participants will need to download the app Aboun: https://aboundlabs.com/ \nView our FAQ page for more info\, or contact us at info@grayarea.org with any accommodation requests. \nOn May 15\, join us at Gray Area for a special\, performative workshop from Cy Berspace (AKA Ambrose Trataris) where you’ll learn how to 3D scan yourself and others with your cell phone. \nAudiences will explore immersive sets created by Cy Berspace\, and have the chance to create virtual monuments based on 3D-scanned poses within these elaborate environments. Afterwards\, hang out with the artist and members of the local drag community in a cocktail social hour. \nSet in Stone and the associated public program are presented with support from the San Francisco Arts Commission as part of the Shaping Legacy initiative: a multi-year equity-focused commitment to critically examine the monuments and memorials in San Francisco’s Civic Art Collection. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-set-in-stone-a-self-monumentalizing-workshop/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Set-in-Stone-Promo-Images.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250511T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250511T153000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250501T113349Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250501T113349Z UID:10036082-1746968400-1746977400@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Reimagining Technopolitical Futures: Building Alternatives in the Present DESCRIPTION:City Lights and Gray Area present \nReimagining Technopolitical Futures: Building Alternatives in the Present – A Workshop \nwith Luis Felipe R. Murillo\, Erin McElroy\, and Paul Schweizer (Moderated by Peter Maravelis / City Lights) \nSunday\, May 11\, 2025\, Doors 12:45\, Start Time 1:00 pm \nGray Area\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA 94110 \nHome \n \nFree to the public – Seating limited – Registration Required \nA looming sense of crisis is casting our present to test\, our past to deep questioning\, and our collective futures as an impossibility. Crises compound and multiply across social\, technical\, ecological\, and political dimensions\, making it very difficult for us to find common ground and purpose in a common planet. This is all happening while tech companies from Silicon Valley concentrate unprecedented wealth\, infrastructural\, and political power. \nWhat if the unfolding crises are\, first and foremost\, byproducts of a crisis of political imagination? What if this impossibility to think\, act\, and respond politically\, technically\, and ecologically beyond markets and States is at the source of our incapacity to create and sustain common projects? In what ways do they prefigure the Zapatista vision of a common “world where many worlds fit”? \nThis workshop is intended for those interested in broadening their perspectives and developing and utilizing the imagination in service of their activism and community building. It will be arranged into three parts. \nDoors at 12:45 pm \n1:00 pm – Research-Action-Journeys \nLuis Felipe R. Murillo\, Erin McElroy\, and Paul Schweizer will discuss the trajectories of their work and how their research intersects the histories and practices of collective political struggles. \n—10 minute Break— \n2:10 pm – Methods and Practice \nEach of the speakers will explore constructive technical and political strategies. Participants will be encouraged to discuss their experiences in processes of positive political\, technical and ecological change. The session will also offer suggestions of how community building works and the role we each play. \n—10 minute Break— \n3:00 pm – Possible Futures \nThe final session will explore how we generate visions of the future. It will explore different methods and thought processes that can bring about social breakthroughs. \nThis event assembles the knowledge base contained in three recently published books that tackle some of the most urgent issues of our day—“Common Circuits”\, “Silicon Valley Imperialism” and “Beyond Molotovs”. We invite you to discuss with us how the three books challenge us to think with common technical and political alternatives for a common planet: \n– “Common Circuits: Hacking Alternative Technological Futures
” \nhttps://www.sup.org/books/anthropology/common-circuits \n– “Silicon Valley Imperialism: Techno Fantasies and Frictions in Postsocialist Times
” \nhttps://www.dukeupress.edu/silicon-valley-imperialism \n– “Beyond Molotovs: A Visual Handbook of Anti-Authoritarian Strategies” \nhttps://www.transcript-publishing.com/978-3-8376-7055-4/beyond-molotovs-a-visual-handbook-of-anti-authoritarian-strategies/?number=978-3-8376-7055-4 \nCity Lights will be on hand to sell copies of the books. \nAbout the participants: \nLuis Felipe R. Murillo is Assistant Professor in Anthropology at University of Notre Dame and author of “Common Circuits: Hacking Alternative Technological Futures.” His work is dedicated to the exploration of the intersections between anthropology\, computing\, and politics. \nErin McElroy is Assistant Professor in Geography at University of Washington\, author of “Silicon Valley Imperialism” and co-editor of “Counterpoints: A San Francisco Bay Area Atlas of Displacement and Resistance.” At UW\, McElroy runs the Anti-Eviction Lab\, where much of the student and community partner driven research focuses upon Landlord Tech Watch—a platform dedicated to producing collective knowledge about landlord-driven data grabbing and algorithmic techniques. \nPaul Schweizer is a geographer and popular educator. As part of kollektiv orangotango\, he collaborates in collective art processes in public spaces\, curating “This Is Not an Atlas” (notanatlas.org)\, a global platform of counter-cartographies as well as “Beyond Molotovs – Exhibition of Anti-Authoritarian Strategies.” He currently studies methods of activist mapping with social movements in Europe and Brazil. \nPeter Maravelis is the Events Director at City Lights Booksellers & Publishers where he has been curating the event series for the last 30 years. \nAbout the Books: \nCommon Circuits: Hacking Alternative Technological Futures \nBy Luis Felipe R. Murillo \nPublished by Stanford University Press \nHow hackers facilitate community technology projects that counter the monoculture of “big tech” and point us to brighter\, innovative horizons. A digital world in relentless movement—from artificial intelligence to ubiquitous computing—has been captured and reinvented as a monoculture by Silicon Valley “big tech” and venture capital firms. Yet very little is discussed in the public sphere about existing alternatives. Based on long-term field research across San Francisco\, Tokyo\, and Shenzhen\, Common Circuits explores a transnational network of hacker spaces that stand as potent\, but often invisible\, alternatives to the dominant technology industry. In what ways have hackers challenged corporate projects of digital development? How do hacker collectives prefigure more just technological futures through community projects? Luis Felipe R. Murillo responds to these urgent questions with an analysis of the hard challenges of collaborative\, autonomous community-making through technical objects conceived by hackers as convivial\, shared technologies. Through rich explorations of hacker space histories and biographical sketches of hackers who participate in them\, Murillo describes the social and technical conditions that allowed for the creation of community projects such as anonymity and privacy networks to counter mass surveillance; community-made monitoring devices to measure radioactive contamination; and small-scale open hardware fabrication for the purposes of technological autonomy. Murillo shows how hacker collectives point us toward brighter technological futures—a renewal of the “digital commons”—where computing projects are constantly being repurposed for the common good. \n—————— \nSilicon Valley Imperialism: Techno Fantasies and Frictions in Postsocialist Times \nby Erin McElroy \npublished by Duke University Press \nIn Silicon Valley Imperialism\, Erin McElroy maps the processes of gentrification\, racial dispossession\, and economic predation that drove the development of Silicon Valley in the San Francisco Bay Area and how that logic has become manifest in postsocialist Romania. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and archival research in Romania and the United States\, McElroy exposes the mechanisms through which the appeal of Silicon Valley technocapitalism devours space and societies\, displaces residents\, and generates extreme income inequality in order to expand its reach. In Romania\, dreams of privatization updated fascist and anti-Roma pasts and socialist-era underground computing practices. At the same time\, McElroy accounts for the ways Romanians are resisting Silicon Valley capitalist logics\, where anticapitalist and anti-imperialist activists and protesters build on socialist-era worldviews not to restore state socialism but rather to establish more just social formations. Attending to the violence of Silicon Valley imperialism\, McElroy reveals technocapitalism as an ultimately unsustainable model of rapacious economic and geographic growth. \n—————— \nBeyond Molotovs – A Visual Handbook of Anti-Authoritarian Strategies \nEdited by International Research Group on Authoritarianism and Counter-Strategies and kollektiv orangotango \nPublished by transcript / distributed by Columbia University Press \nAuthoritarianism operates on a visceral level rather than relying on arguments. How can we counter authoritarian affects? This publication brings together more than 50 first-hand accounts of anti-authoritarian movements\, activists\, artists\, and scholars from around the world\, focusing on the sensuous and emotional dimension of their strategies. From the collective art and aesthetics of feminist movements in India\, Iran\, Mexico\, and Poland\, to sewing collectives\, subversive internet art in Hong Kong\, and even anti-authoritarian board games\, the contributions open new perspectives on moments of resistance\, subversion\, and creation. Indeed\, the handbook itself is a work of anti-authoritarian art. \nThe editors behind the »International Research Group on Authoritarianism and Counter-Strategies« and »kollektiv orangotango« are: Aurel Eschmann\, Börries Nehe\, Nico Baumgarten\, Paul Schweizer\, Severin Halder\, Ailynn Torres Santana\, Inés Duràn Matute\, and Julieta Mira. \nMade possible by support from the City Lights Foundation URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-reimagining-technopolitical-futures-building-alternatives-in-the-present/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/https___cdn.evbuc_.com_images_986065363_440433906100_1_original.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250504T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250504T160000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250501T112536Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250501T112536Z UID:10036081-1746363600-1746374400@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area: Building Tomorrow: Reimagining Housing in Conditions of Climate Change DESCRIPTION:Over the next several decades\, climate change will become more extreme. To cope with changes in the environment\, people will need to build differently. At the same time\, the comforts of home will grow more important. Architecture will have to adapt to a new reality without becoming alienating.\nCombining the sciences and the arts\, this hands-on workshop explores future climates in terms of geographically-based climate analogs\, helping you to reimagine home by learning from housing in places that currently have the climate you’re likely to encounter in the future. Over the course of three hours\, you’ll discover how different architectural traditions contend with extreme weather. Using this knowledge\, as well as simple materials such as cardboard and masking tape\, you’ll develop creative ways in which to apply traditional ecological knowledge from elsewhere to make your home environment sustainable.\nCourse Logistics\nDates: Sunday\, May 4\, 2025\nTimes: 1–4PM PT\nLocation: Gray Area / Grand Theater\n2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA 94110\nCost: $75\nScholarship: We also offer Diversity Scholarships.\nApply by April 28\, 2025.\nExperience Level: Beginner\nRequirements:\n• No additional tools required\nAdditional Information:\n• No refunds or exchanges\n• View our FAQ here\n• Contact learn@grayarea.org with any questions\nWorkshop Outline\nPart I: Make a cardboard model of your home\nPart II: Analyze climate conditions in your house or apartment\nPart III: Learn about traditional housing in locations that currently have the climate you’ll experience in future decades\nPart IV: Remodel your house or apartment based on passive climate control systems used in the traditional architecture of analogue locations\nPart V: Share your reimagined home with fellow participants\nAccessibility Update:\nPlease note that this workshop will be held in the upstairs Gray Area classroom\, which is not ADA accessible. We apologize for any inconvenience and encourage those impacted to contact us for assistance. Thank you for your understanding.\nEnroll: https://grayarea.org/course/building-tomorrow-reimagining-housing-in-conditions-of-climate-change/ URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-building-tomorrow-reimagining-housing-in-conditions-of-climate-change/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/492212631_1069816271859064_9121801958038417353_n.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250503T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250503T210000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250501T111850Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250501T111850Z UID:10036080-1746298800-1746306000@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Galería de la Raza and Gray Area presents Por la Raza DESCRIPTION:Por la Raza invited the intergenerational community of San Francisco out to Gray Area for a free musical show of some of the city’s best emerging bands. The line up includes San Francisco artists Mamboleo\, Grupo 415\, Amanda Magaña\, and La Doña. This show is the presentation of work done by Cecilia Peña-Govea aka La Doña through the ReGen Artist Fund in working with young performers throughout the Bay Area\, specifically in the Mission and Bayview Districts. \nCome enjoy music with the whole family at this all-ages event! Tickets are offered on a $0-$25 scale with school-aged people encouraged to attend for free. Please do not reserve more than one ticket per person in your party so we can keep tickets available to all. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-galeria-de-la-raza-and-gray-area-presents-por-la-raza/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2657D8F2-8971-47D1-B898-58057DF82046-scaled-1.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250427T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250427T160000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250423T173356Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250423T173356Z UID:10035993-1745758800-1745769600@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area: Breadboarding Modular Synthesizers Workshop DESCRIPTION:In this hands-on DIY Breadboarding Modular Synthesizers Workshop\, you’ll learn how to design your own modular synthesizer from scratch. Using basic electronic oscillators\, integrated circuits\, and discrete components\, you’ll explore the fundamental principles of sound synthesis. We’ll create and arrange melodic and rhythmic patterns\, building musical sounds from the ground up.\nOver the course of two days\, we will focus on two circuit typologies: square wave oscillators for synthesizing pitched instruments and sine wave oscillators for emulating percussive sounds. After learning how to build these circuits out on breadboards\, we’ll explore two ways of interacting with our circuits – one a button-based system for actuating sounds\, and another an automated circuit for sequencing them.\nBy the end of the workshop\, you will have built your own unique\, playable instrument capable of generating synth melodies and sequencing drum patterns in real-time.\nNo previous experience is necessary and all materials are provided for you in this workshop.\nCourse Logistics\nDates: Saturday\, April 26 & Sunday\, April 27\, 2025\nTimes: 1–4PM PT\nLocation: Gray Area / Grand Theater\n2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA 94110\nCost: $250\nExperience Level: Beginner\nRequirements:\n• No additional tools required\nAdditional Information:\n• No refunds or exchanges\n• View our FAQ here\n• Contact learn@grayarea.org with any questions \nEnroll and more info: https://grayarea.org/course/breadboarding-modular-synthesizers-2025/ URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-breadboarding-modular-synthesizers-workshop/2025-04-27/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/492870916_1069813975192627_6526289945174065480_n.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250426T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250426T160000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250423T173356Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250423T173356Z UID:10035992-1745672400-1745683200@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area: Breadboarding Modular Synthesizers Workshop DESCRIPTION:In this hands-on DIY Breadboarding Modular Synthesizers Workshop\, you’ll learn how to design your own modular synthesizer from scratch. Using basic electronic oscillators\, integrated circuits\, and discrete components\, you’ll explore the fundamental principles of sound synthesis. We’ll create and arrange melodic and rhythmic patterns\, building musical sounds from the ground up.\nOver the course of two days\, we will focus on two circuit typologies: square wave oscillators for synthesizing pitched instruments and sine wave oscillators for emulating percussive sounds. After learning how to build these circuits out on breadboards\, we’ll explore two ways of interacting with our circuits – one a button-based system for actuating sounds\, and another an automated circuit for sequencing them.\nBy the end of the workshop\, you will have built your own unique\, playable instrument capable of generating synth melodies and sequencing drum patterns in real-time.\nNo previous experience is necessary and all materials are provided for you in this workshop.\nCourse Logistics\nDates: Saturday\, April 26 & Sunday\, April 27\, 2025\nTimes: 1–4PM PT\nLocation: Gray Area / Grand Theater\n2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA 94110\nCost: $250\nExperience Level: Beginner\nRequirements:\n• No additional tools required\nAdditional Information:\n• No refunds or exchanges\n• View our FAQ here\n• Contact learn@grayarea.org with any questions \nEnroll and more info: https://grayarea.org/course/breadboarding-modular-synthesizers-2025/ URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-breadboarding-modular-synthesizers-workshop/2025-04-26/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/492870916_1069813975192627_6526289945174065480_n.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250424T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250424T220000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250423T172903Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250423T172903Z UID:10035990-1745521200-1745532000@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: BYOB (Bring Your Own Beamer) April 2025 DESCRIPTION:An ephemeral night of digital art awaits! Dreamed up by net-art visionary Rafaël Rozendaal\, BYOB (Bring Your Own Beamer) is a one-night-only exhibition and playground for artists to showcase their work.\nBYOBs are immersive\, spontaneous\, and always surprising. BYOB is an exploration of the medium of projection\, and a venue for inspiration. It’s a rare treat for anyone who is interested in video art\, generative art\, video hardware\, or just a fun night out.\nFor this event\, numerous artists will be featured\, showcasing a diverse array of artworks.\nExhibiting Artists\nVidit Bhargava\nelum.photo\nKhenu Singh\nVizlicious\nfabric_of_little_wings\nConnie Liu\nand more….\nGet Tickets: https://grayarea.org/event/byob-april-24-2025/ URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-byob-bring-your-own-beamer-april-2025/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/492108287_1069810268526331_2160349188022300056_n.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250423T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250423T210000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250423T173650Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250423T173650Z UID:10035994-1745434800-1745442000@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Jan Jelinek and Andrew Pekler DESCRIPTION:Gray Area presents Jan Jelinek and Andrew Pekler for a show that explores the contours of avant-jazz and leftfield ambient music. \nAbout the Artists \nJan Jelinek\nJelinek’s works deal with the transformation of sounds\, translating source materials from popular music into abstract\, reduced textures. Bypassing traditional musical instruments\, he constructs collages using tiny sound fragments from a wide variety of recording devices: tape recorders\, digital samplers\, media players and the like. The recordings are processed into repetitive loops that boil the original down to its essentials\, the source material becoming indecipherable in most cases.\nHe began releasing his work in 1998\, initially under the pseudonyms Farben and Gramm. In 2000\, his sound collages played in the Young Media Pavilion at the EXPO2000 world’s fair in Hannover. Over the following years\, he worked with artists like Sarah Morris and the German writer Thomas Meinecke\, collaborated with the Japanese improvisation ensemble Computer Soup and the Australian jazz trio Triosk\, and created audio-visual performances with video artist Karl Kliem at venues including the Centre Pompidou in Paris. In 2007\, with Andrew Pekler and Hanno Leichtmann\, he founded the improvisation trio Groupshow that refuses any repertoire and any limitation on performance duration.\nIn 2008\, Jelinek established the Faitiche label as a platform for his own experiments\, for joint projects\, and for work by musician friends. The releases include collaborations with the vibraphonist Masayoshi Fujita\, Japanese sound artist Asuna\, Frank Bretschneider (Beispiel) and the work of fictional sound researcher Ursula Bogner\, whose scores\, drawings and writings have been presented and performed around the world. Since 2012\, Jelinek has been writing and producing experimental radio pieces for state broadcaster SWR that deal with fictional identities and soundscapes. Many of his radio plays have been honoured with awards. The theme of fictional and multiple identities runs through the whole of the Faitiche catalogue. Under the pseudonym Gesellschaft zur Emanzipation des Samples (GES)\, as Ursula Bogner\, or using his own name\, Jelinek’s oeuvre ranges from field recording collage to electroacoustic music to minimalistic drone. What these various works all have in common is improvised live processing of previously collected sound material. In his current live performances\, Jan Jelinek weaves diverse sound materials into Ecstatic Sound Collages\, as he calls it himself. \nAndrew Pekler\nAndrew Pekler was born in 1973 in Samarkand\, Uzbekistan. His family immigrated to the United States in 1980. He has resided in Germany since 1995.\nAndrew Pekler works with sampling and synthesis to produce texturally rich and sensually evocative sound compositions. Since 2002 he has released solo and collaborative musical works for labels includung Faitiche\, Kranky\, Shelter Press\, and Senufo Editions.\nPekler has also produced a number of video and installation works – always in combination with sound. Together with cultural anthropologist Kiwi Stefanie Menrath he developed PhantomIslands – A SonicAtlas\, an interactive online map that charts the sounds and histories of a number of islands that were once found on nautical maps but have since disappeared.\nIn addition to his studio productions\, Andrew Pekler has composed music for theater productions\, dance performances\, sound installations\, film soundtracks\, and fashion shows. He has presented his music in numerous performances throughout Europe\, North and South America\, East Asia and Australia. \nChris Otchy\nChris Otchy is an electronic music producer known for his atmospheric sound design\, blending elements of ambient\, deep techno\, and experimental synthesis. Drawing inspiration from film scores\, nature\, and the pioneering work of electronic musi legends\, he crafts evolving compositions that blur the line between organic and synthetic. His work features modular synthesis\, field recordings\, and hypnotic rhythms creating a cinematic\, immersive experience. Chris’s journey began in New York City in the early 2000s\, playing keyboards with various synthpop and indie bands. After an extended period exploring other interests\, he returned to music in 2016\, relocating to San Francisco and shifting his focus to abstract instrumental and contemplative sounds. He’s since composed for short films\, moder dance\, and live visual performances\, collaborating with artists worldwide. His releases on labels such as Constellation Tatsu and Deep Electronics continue to explore the boundaries of electronic music. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-jan-jelinek-and-andrew-pekler/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/JJAP-Poster-Blank.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250421T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250421T210000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250411T124701Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250411T124701Z UID:10035848-1745258400-1745269200@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Simulation Sessions - April 2025 with Chaim Gingold DESCRIPTION:Join the Simulation Sessions community for a conversation with Chaim Gingold\, author of Building SimCity: How to Put the World in a Machine. \nMonday\, April 21\, 2025 \n6PM – 9PM (drop by anytime!) \nOpen to all\, regardless of experience / skill level. \nEach session begins with a lightning talk or workshop and is followed by hacking\, hanging\, and peer-to-peer skill-sharing. \nFree RSVP \nBring your computer and current works-in-progress. \nSeated program \nView our FAQ page for more info\, or contact us at info@grayarea.org with any accommodation requests.\nAbout Simulation Sessions \nSimulation Sessions is a free monthly event series facilitated by the World Engines Lab\, incubated at Gray Area. In response to the growing prevalence and sophistication of virtual simulations and environments\, these sessions seek to sustain a local community of 3D designers\, artists\, and technologists\, facilitate peer teaching and learning\, and spark dialogue about the social\, cultural\, and political dimensions of building digital worlds. \nAll\, regardless of skill or experience level\, are welcome to attend and bring their current projects (in any 3D platform\, including Unreal\, Unity\, Godot\, Three.js\, Babylon.js\, Rhino\, Blender\, Houdini\, Spline\, Womp\, TouchDesigner\, Custom 3DAI tools\, and more). \nEach session begins promptly at 6pm with a brief talk or mini-workshop led by a member of the community. At 6:30pm\, participants are invited to work on projects\, seek technical advice\, mingle\, and meet others engaged in the practice of building simulations. Feel free to arrive at any time between 6:00 and 9:00pm. \nThis Month’s Speaker\nChaim Gingold \nChaim Gingold is the author of Building SimCity: How to Put the World in a Machine (MIT Press)\, which Stewart Brand called “one of the best origin stories ever told and the best account I’ve seen of how innovation actually occurs in computerdom.” Gingold began his design career apprenticed to Will Wright on Spore\, where his chief accomplishment was designing the critically acclaimed Spore Creature Creator. His projects\, like Earth: A Primer\, a science book made of interactive toys\, have been featured by Wired\, CNN\, and the New York Times. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-simulation-sessions-april-2025-with-chaim-gingold/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/490021238_1060267939480564_3313522778197281596_n.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250419T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250419T210000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250411T124114Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250411T124114Z UID:10035847-1745089200-1745096400@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: SPECULATIONS ON CAPTURE | Film Screening - Morehshin Allahyari in Conversation with Usha Iyer DESCRIPTION:Gray Area is pleased to present Speculations on Capture (2024)\, a new film by Bay Area based Iranian-Kurdish artist Morehshin Allahyari. \nSPECULATIONS ON CAPTURE | Film Screening\nw/ Morehshin Allahyari in Conversation with Usha Iyer \n– Doors: 7PM\n– Intro talk: 7:30PM\n– Film screening: 7:45PM (35 mins)\n– Conversation + Q&A: 8:20 – 8:50PM\n– Cocktail hour: 8:50 – 9:30PM \nAll ages \nSeated \nView our FAQ page for more info\, or contact us at info@grayarea.org with any accommodation requests.\nAbout the Event \nOriginally commissioned by the UK’s Victoria & Albert Museum\, Speculations on Capture continues Morehshin Allahyari’s practice of using 3D simulation\, digital fabrication\, archival methods\, and storytelling as tools to deconstruct Western technological colonialism. \nFollowing the screening\, Stanford professor Usha Iyer will join Allahyari for a rich discussion on the film\, history\, and myth-making\, and the power of media to refigure imperialist legacies\, followed by a Q&A with the audience. After the program\, stick around for a cocktail hour with the speakers. \nSpeculations on Capture and the associated program are presented with support from the San Francisco Arts Commission as part of the Shaping Legacy initiative: a multi-year equity-focused commitment to critically examine the monuments and memorials in San Francisco’s Civic Art Collection.\nAbout Speculations on Capture \nThe V&A houses one of the largest collections of Islamic art in the world\, with over 19\,000 objects spanning the 7th to the early 20th century. Allahyari’s poetic film explores the histories of astronomical instruments crafted in Iran and Pakistan\, now held within the museum’s collection. Dating from the 1200s to the 1700s\, each object was digitally reconstructed in 3D for this project and appears in the film alongside archival documents and historical photographs. The museum’s records\, capturing only fragments of these objects’ narratives\, document their arrival between 1865 and 1930\, yet provide little insight into how their displacement affected their places of origin and the people connected to them. Their journeys reflect the colonial histories that have shaped Western museum collections. \nBorn and raised in Tehran\, Allahyari extends these incomplete narratives\, merging historical facts with speculative fiction to imagine lost encounters\, diverted knowledge\, and inaccessible cultural histories. Her work disrupts conventional museum frameworks\, challenging the power dynamics of institutional collections while re-establishing connections between objects and their original histories\, cultures\, and communities. By transcending the limitations of archives\, Allahyari envisions alternative pasts and possible futures for these artefacts. \nAllahyari has been instrumental in conceptualising the term “digital colonialism\,” describing how technological tools can perpetuate colonial power structures. She reinterprets the act of scanning as an embodied\, performative gesture with open-ended political implications\, proposing\, “Put it to use. Let it colonize the colonizers.” In her work\, Allahyari engages with replicas of Middle Eastern cultural artefacts\, narrating their long histories as symbols and relics while simultaneously performing ritualised 3D scans of each object. She explores how digital reconstruction can function as a means of reclaiming narratives\, revealing technology’s capacity to either erase or preserve cultural memory. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-speculations-on-capture-film-screening-morehshin-allahyari-in-conversation-with-usha-iyer/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/MAIN-zoom.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250419T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250419T130000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20241221T150342Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241221T150342Z UID:10034240-1745056800-1745067600@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: TouchDesigner 101: Creating Interactive Installations and Generative Art DESCRIPTION:Over the last several years\, TouchDesigner has risen to prominence as a leading software tool used to create immersive experiences\, interactive installations\, performance tools for lighting/live shows\, and generative visuals. \nThis intensive course focuses on an interactive installation and generative art perspective\, and will cover methods of visual experimentation and project building for installations. Over the course of 12 weeks participants will learn TouchDesigner from the ground up\, starting with foundational skills including the basics of the interface\, node-based programming techniques\, and best practices for development and organization. Once the foundations have been covered\, participants will take a deeper dive into textures\, 3D geometry (including procedural techniques and particles)\, rendering\, UI building\, utilizing Python within the software\, and more. \nThe workshop is a great way for new users of TouchDesigner to build a foundational knowledge of the software and to start experimenting with the same techniques that are used by experienced developers and artists alike. \nOver the course of the program\, students will learn the technical skills and gain the creative inspiration to create an interactive artwork in a final public showcase attended by the creative community\, industry\, and museum professionals. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-touchdesigner-101-creating-interactive-installations-and-generative-art/2025-04-19/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Gray-Area-Workshop-Image-1-1.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250412T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250412T130000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20241221T150342Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241221T150342Z UID:10034239-1744452000-1744462800@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: TouchDesigner 101: Creating Interactive Installations and Generative Art DESCRIPTION:Over the last several years\, TouchDesigner has risen to prominence as a leading software tool used to create immersive experiences\, interactive installations\, performance tools for lighting/live shows\, and generative visuals. \nThis intensive course focuses on an interactive installation and generative art perspective\, and will cover methods of visual experimentation and project building for installations. Over the course of 12 weeks participants will learn TouchDesigner from the ground up\, starting with foundational skills including the basics of the interface\, node-based programming techniques\, and best practices for development and organization. Once the foundations have been covered\, participants will take a deeper dive into textures\, 3D geometry (including procedural techniques and particles)\, rendering\, UI building\, utilizing Python within the software\, and more. \nThe workshop is a great way for new users of TouchDesigner to build a foundational knowledge of the software and to start experimenting with the same techniques that are used by experienced developers and artists alike. \nOver the course of the program\, students will learn the technical skills and gain the creative inspiration to create an interactive artwork in a final public showcase attended by the creative community\, industry\, and museum professionals. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-touchdesigner-101-creating-interactive-installations-and-generative-art/2025-04-12/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Gray-Area-Workshop-Image-1-1.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250405T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250405T220000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250328T190053Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250328T190053Z UID:10035657-1743883200-1743890400@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Recombinant Media Labs and Gray Area present The Turntable Trio DESCRIPTION:Pioneers of New Turntablism\, Maria Chávez\, Evicshen (aka Victoria Shen) and Mariam Rezaei come together in this historical\, head-scrambling\, boundary-shattering trio. \nMaria Chávez + Victoria Shen + Mariam Rezaei\naka The Turntable Trio \nwith Las Sucias \nSaturday\, April 5\, 2025 \nDoors: 8PM \nAll Ages \nStanding performance \nAbout The Turntable Trio \nPioneers of New Turntablism\, Maria Chávez\, Evicshen (aka Victoria Shen) and Mariam Rezaei come together in this historical\, head-scrambling\, boundary-shattering trio. The group weave together elements of musique concrète\, free improvisation\, noise\, techno and hip-hop with instrument building and modification. Each artist has a wildly different approach to turntablism. Techniques deployed to create their dizzying sets include scratching\, beat-juggling\, sampling and looping\, while the technologies include double-needle-head shells and acrylic needle nails. The trio’s compositional aesthetics combine sound sculpture\, maximalism/minimalism and sonic destruction. Together\, they show that New Turntablism is beyond technique\, genre or compositional theory; it’s about the unknown. This important project represents the first time three female turntablists of colour have come together in this way. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-recombinant-media-labs-and-gray-area-present-the-turntable-trio/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Turntable-Trio-Tour-Grid-post-blank-credit-@siljastrom-scaled-1.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250405T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250405T130000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20241221T150342Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241221T150342Z UID:10034238-1743847200-1743858000@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: TouchDesigner 101: Creating Interactive Installations and Generative Art DESCRIPTION:Over the last several years\, TouchDesigner has risen to prominence as a leading software tool used to create immersive experiences\, interactive installations\, performance tools for lighting/live shows\, and generative visuals. \nThis intensive course focuses on an interactive installation and generative art perspective\, and will cover methods of visual experimentation and project building for installations. Over the course of 12 weeks participants will learn TouchDesigner from the ground up\, starting with foundational skills including the basics of the interface\, node-based programming techniques\, and best practices for development and organization. Once the foundations have been covered\, participants will take a deeper dive into textures\, 3D geometry (including procedural techniques and particles)\, rendering\, UI building\, utilizing Python within the software\, and more. \nThe workshop is a great way for new users of TouchDesigner to build a foundational knowledge of the software and to start experimenting with the same techniques that are used by experienced developers and artists alike. \nOver the course of the program\, students will learn the technical skills and gain the creative inspiration to create an interactive artwork in a final public showcase attended by the creative community\, industry\, and museum professionals. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-touchdesigner-101-creating-interactive-installations-and-generative-art/2025-04-05/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Gray-Area-Workshop-Image-1-1.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250401T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250401T200000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20241221T145537Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241221T145537Z UID:10034227-1743526800-1743537600@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Andrew McLuhan teaches Understanding Media Intensive: Part two DESCRIPTION:Join a group of like-minded people from around the world for the newest cohort of Understanding Media Intensive: Part Two\, the second of a three-part intensive survey of Marshall McLuhan‘s major 1964 work Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man\, taught by Andrew McLuhan\, Director of The McLuhan Institute. Over 13 weeks we will cover chapters 8-20 – part one covered background and chapters 1–8. UMI: Part Three (spring or fall 2025) will cover the concluding chapters 21–33. \nIf you’re interested in how technology shapes us individually and socially\, if you’re interested in the pioneering work of Marshall McLuhan\, if you’ve tried to read Understanding Media but had a hard time with it\, if you’d like to immerse yourself in a deep study of this 1964 guidebook and explore how to use it to make sense of the contemporary world\, this course is for you. Course participants join in from around the world in a small group from a variety of backgrounds from students to teachers\, artists to CEO’s\, people in technology\, marketing\, from all walks of life come together to explore and make sense. \nIn an age where our media environment conditions and structures our reality in increasingly potent ways\, Understanding Media provides important foundational knowledge on how our cultural traumas and tropes are embodied in technologies. This course will provide lecture and discussion on Part Two of the book\, which puts forth a set of tools for exploring human technologies and innovations as a means to regain agency in the midst of our increasingly disorienting online lives. \nInstructor Andrew McLuhan reads each chapter aloud\, with personal anecdotes and other sources (books\, essays\, letters\, documents) to add context and comprehension. Discussion and optional creative assignments provide another valuable resource to help students absorb the material and apply it today. Live students are able to engage in discussion and ask questions while an Audit option is available at a lower cost for those unable to attend synchronously. \nLectures will include explorations and explanations of never-before-seen author annotations\, historical documents\, and personal accounts. This course picks up at the beginning of Part Two of Understanding Media starting with Chapter 8 – The Spoken Word: Flower of Evil? and will conclude with Chapter 19 – Wheel\, Bicycle\, and Airplane. A scrapbook of materials around the publication of the book in 1964 compiled by Marshall’s wife Corinne McLuhan\, containing reviews and interviews\, will add further context to how the book was received and provide insight into the material under discussion. \nClasses average 2-3 hours and will be streamed live on Tuesdays from January 7\, 2025 – April 1\, 2025\, starting at 5:00pm PST / 8:00pm EDT\, and ending no later than 8:00pm PST / 11:00pm EDT. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-andrew-mcluhan-teaches-understanding-media-intensive-part-two-2/2025-04-01/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/umiAsset-2.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250330T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250330T160000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250311T104428Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250311T104428Z UID:10035494-1743339600-1743350400@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Weirding AI: Fine tuning and RAG for Poets & Artists DESCRIPTION:This 2-day workshop invites participants to explore the intersection of AI-generated poetry and queer poetics\, crafting their own fine-tuned\, AI-driven poetic voices. Rather than simply prompting a language model\, participants will engage in the deeper creative act of designing the datasets that shape AI’s expressive potential—curating its tone\, constraints\, and poetic identity. \nWe’ll examine AI as an uncanny poetic collaborator\, situating our work within a lineage of algorithmic writing that spans Markov chains\, Oulipo constraints\, and contemporary LLMs. Through hands-on experimentation\, we’ll move beyond surface-level AI generation to explore fine-tuning and dataset curation as a form of authorship\, uncovering how AI can serve as an extension of poetic intention\, surprise\, and enchantment.\nConcepts We’ll Explore: \n AI & Divination: Generative text as a form of oracular revelation (Tarot\, automatic writing\, AI as an unpredictable mirror)\n The Psychedelics of AI: The uncanny\, the surreal\, and the queerness of probabilistic meaning\n Poetic Constraint vs. AI Uncanniness: What happens when we design the constraints rather than just generate text?\n Performance\, Theatricality & AI: What does it mean to create an AI with a persona? How do we perform with machines?\n Fine-Tuning vs. Prompt Engineering: The difference between curating a dataset vs. writing good prompts \n This workshop is for poets\, artists\, and technologists eager to experiment with AI not just as a tool\, but as a co-creator—one that challenges\, surprises\, and extends our sense of poetic authorship. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-weirding-ai-fine-tuning-and-rag-for-poets-artists/2025-03-30/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oct-5-Screenshot.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250329T210000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250329T235900 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250311T112811Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250311T112811Z UID:10035500-1743282000-1743292740@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: DJ Dials x THROTTLE present FJAAK DESCRIPTION:21+ / ALL SALES FINAL / Tickets are tranferable VIA Tixel. \nFJAAK\, the Berlin-based duo of hardware heads\, have been constantly making a name for themselves over the last half a decade. Having grown up together in Spandau on the outskirts of Berlin\, Felix Wagner and Aaron Röbig began quite early to create all different kinds of music before ending up taking on the city’s heritage – techno – to make it their own \nTHROTTLE: The highly acclaimed event series debuted in 2024 and has already featured official SF debuts and return appearances by artists like Nico Moreno\, Oguz\, Tommy Four Seven\, ØTTA\, Lilly Palmer\, Kobosil\, Trym\, Partiboi69 & Kettama (Ketboi69). URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-dj-dials-x-throttle-present-fjaak/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/https___cdn.evbuc_.com_images_962259313_289015354170_1_original.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250329T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250329T160000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250311T104428Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250311T104428Z UID:10035493-1743253200-1743264000@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Weirding AI: Fine tuning and RAG for Poets & Artists DESCRIPTION:This 2-day workshop invites participants to explore the intersection of AI-generated poetry and queer poetics\, crafting their own fine-tuned\, AI-driven poetic voices. Rather than simply prompting a language model\, participants will engage in the deeper creative act of designing the datasets that shape AI’s expressive potential—curating its tone\, constraints\, and poetic identity. \nWe’ll examine AI as an uncanny poetic collaborator\, situating our work within a lineage of algorithmic writing that spans Markov chains\, Oulipo constraints\, and contemporary LLMs. Through hands-on experimentation\, we’ll move beyond surface-level AI generation to explore fine-tuning and dataset curation as a form of authorship\, uncovering how AI can serve as an extension of poetic intention\, surprise\, and enchantment.\nConcepts We’ll Explore: \n AI & Divination: Generative text as a form of oracular revelation (Tarot\, automatic writing\, AI as an unpredictable mirror)\n The Psychedelics of AI: The uncanny\, the surreal\, and the queerness of probabilistic meaning\n Poetic Constraint vs. AI Uncanniness: What happens when we design the constraints rather than just generate text?\n Performance\, Theatricality & AI: What does it mean to create an AI with a persona? How do we perform with machines?\n Fine-Tuning vs. Prompt Engineering: The difference between curating a dataset vs. writing good prompts \n This workshop is for poets\, artists\, and technologists eager to experiment with AI not just as a tool\, but as a co-creator—one that challenges\, surprises\, and extends our sense of poetic authorship. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-weirding-ai-fine-tuning-and-rag-for-poets-artists/2025-03-29/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Oct-5-Screenshot.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250329T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250329T130000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20241221T150342Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241221T150342Z UID:10034237-1743242400-1743253200@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: TouchDesigner 101: Creating Interactive Installations and Generative Art DESCRIPTION:Over the last several years\, TouchDesigner has risen to prominence as a leading software tool used to create immersive experiences\, interactive installations\, performance tools for lighting/live shows\, and generative visuals. \nThis intensive course focuses on an interactive installation and generative art perspective\, and will cover methods of visual experimentation and project building for installations. Over the course of 12 weeks participants will learn TouchDesigner from the ground up\, starting with foundational skills including the basics of the interface\, node-based programming techniques\, and best practices for development and organization. Once the foundations have been covered\, participants will take a deeper dive into textures\, 3D geometry (including procedural techniques and particles)\, rendering\, UI building\, utilizing Python within the software\, and more. \nThe workshop is a great way for new users of TouchDesigner to build a foundational knowledge of the software and to start experimenting with the same techniques that are used by experienced developers and artists alike. \nOver the course of the program\, students will learn the technical skills and gain the creative inspiration to create an interactive artwork in a final public showcase attended by the creative community\, industry\, and museum professionals. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-touchdesigner-101-creating-interactive-installations-and-generative-art/2025-03-29/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Gray-Area-Workshop-Image-1-1.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250325T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250325T200000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20241221T145537Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241221T145537Z UID:10034226-1742922000-1742932800@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Andrew McLuhan teaches Understanding Media Intensive: Part two DESCRIPTION:Join a group of like-minded people from around the world for the newest cohort of Understanding Media Intensive: Part Two\, the second of a three-part intensive survey of Marshall McLuhan‘s major 1964 work Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man\, taught by Andrew McLuhan\, Director of The McLuhan Institute. Over 13 weeks we will cover chapters 8-20 – part one covered background and chapters 1–8. UMI: Part Three (spring or fall 2025) will cover the concluding chapters 21–33. \nIf you’re interested in how technology shapes us individually and socially\, if you’re interested in the pioneering work of Marshall McLuhan\, if you’ve tried to read Understanding Media but had a hard time with it\, if you’d like to immerse yourself in a deep study of this 1964 guidebook and explore how to use it to make sense of the contemporary world\, this course is for you. Course participants join in from around the world in a small group from a variety of backgrounds from students to teachers\, artists to CEO’s\, people in technology\, marketing\, from all walks of life come together to explore and make sense. \nIn an age where our media environment conditions and structures our reality in increasingly potent ways\, Understanding Media provides important foundational knowledge on how our cultural traumas and tropes are embodied in technologies. This course will provide lecture and discussion on Part Two of the book\, which puts forth a set of tools for exploring human technologies and innovations as a means to regain agency in the midst of our increasingly disorienting online lives. \nInstructor Andrew McLuhan reads each chapter aloud\, with personal anecdotes and other sources (books\, essays\, letters\, documents) to add context and comprehension. Discussion and optional creative assignments provide another valuable resource to help students absorb the material and apply it today. Live students are able to engage in discussion and ask questions while an Audit option is available at a lower cost for those unable to attend synchronously. \nLectures will include explorations and explanations of never-before-seen author annotations\, historical documents\, and personal accounts. This course picks up at the beginning of Part Two of Understanding Media starting with Chapter 8 – The Spoken Word: Flower of Evil? and will conclude with Chapter 19 – Wheel\, Bicycle\, and Airplane. A scrapbook of materials around the publication of the book in 1964 compiled by Marshall’s wife Corinne McLuhan\, containing reviews and interviews\, will add further context to how the book was received and provide insight into the material under discussion. \nClasses average 2-3 hours and will be streamed live on Tuesdays from January 7\, 2025 – April 1\, 2025\, starting at 5:00pm PST / 8:00pm EDT\, and ending no later than 8:00pm PST / 11:00pm EDT. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-andrew-mcluhan-teaches-understanding-media-intensive-part-two-2/2025-03-25/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/umiAsset-2.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250324T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250324T220000 DTSTAMP:20260612T224227 CREATED:20250311T112604Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250311T112604Z UID:10035499-1742846400-1742853600@missionlocal.org SUMMARY:Gray Area Grand Theater: Michael Rother plays NEU! & Harmonia & Solo Works DESCRIPTION:(((folkYEAH!))) Presents\nMICHAEL ROTHER Plays NEU! & Harmonia & Solo Works \nplus:: Isaiah Mitchell & Adam MacDougall \nGray Area \nSan Francisco\, CA \nMonday\, March 24\, 2025 \nDoors 7pm / Show 8pm \nAll Ages \nAll Sales Final. URL:https://missionlocal.org/event/gray-area-grand-theater-michael-rother-plays-neu-harmonia-solo-works/ LOCATION:Gray Area Grand Theater\, 2665 Mission St\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94110\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://newspack-missionlocal.s3.amazonaws.com/mission/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/https___cdn.evbuc_.com_images_902477903_5361608366_1_original.jpg GEO:37.7544054;-122.4183493 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Gray Area Grand Theater 2665 Mission St San Francisco CA 94110 United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=2665 Mission St:geo:-122.4183493,37.7544054 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR