monkeymay Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 This is what I did last Saturday night. Things blowing up real good. Amazing, overwhelming ritualistic destruction by machines. An intense visceral experience that lasted about 25 minutes but seemed like forever. Pummeling blasts of hot air, blistering levels of noise (even with earplugs) dense fire smoke, machine madness... It finally stopped when the cops and fire dept showed up and shut it down. A more detailed description here About SRL and Mark Pauline: "Survival Research Laboratories was conceived of and founded by Mark Pauline in November 1978. Since its inception SRL has operated as an organization of creative technicians dedicated to re-directing the techniques, tools, and tenets of industry, science, and the military away from their typical manifestations in practicality, product or warfare. Since 1979, SRL has staged over 45 mechanized presentations in the United States and Europe. Each performance consists of a unique set of ritualized interactions between machines, robots, and special effects devices, employed in developing themes of socio-political satire. Humans are present only as audience or operators." Anyone else ever been to one of their shows? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Elissa Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 Worked on a show with them in 1985 while doing a summer internship at LACE, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions. Fun to watch their robots destroy eachother, but mostly I remember dancing with the remarkably gorgeous Matt Heckert afterwards. My job included twisting wire hair onto a 60' tall robot and finding them a whole (dead) sheep for Monte Cazazza to decimate. Heckert was Pauline's partner back then; looks as though they've split? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
monkeymay Posted April 9, 2005 Author Share Posted April 9, 2005 Oooo, Monte Cazazza, there's a name from the past. He was friends with a good friend of mine, I heard the tales of the dead cats and bottles of petrol. Must have been fun finding the sheep. LACE was still over on Broadway then - what a great space that was, upstairs from Victor's Bridal shop! Did you ever see Johanna Went perform there? Kipper Kids? We used to get the sheep's heads and blood for Johanna's shows across the street at Grand Central Market. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blondie Posted April 9, 2005 Share Posted April 9, 2005 I read about Survival Research Labs in Gearheads – The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports, a very entertaining and illuminating look at the industry by Newsweek’s technology correspondent with some peripheral interest for food board veterans . Here’s a review from the SF Chronicle. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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