A Curious Cinema: RARE CINEMATIC GEMS + HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS FOR 6 TO 106 YEAR OLDS

SECRET LIFE OF THE SEWING MACHINE
Friday, December 4th
5:30-8:00 pm

AROUND CAPE HORN
Friday, December 18th
5:30-8:00 pm

LOVE LIFE OF THE OCTOPUS
Friday, January 29th
5:30-8:00 pm

HUNTING ON THE SPRING ICE
Friday, February 5th
5:30-8:00 pm




DETAILS
A simple hot vegetarian meal will
be served. All ages welcome! Our programs are designed with children age 6 and up in mind. Children over 6 need not be accompanied by an adult.

RESERVATIONS
Please reserve a spot by e-mailing rsvp@studioforurbanprojects.org. Space is limited. Sliding scale $10-$30 per person at the door.

LOCATION
Studio for Urban Projects
3579 17th Street
San Francisco, CA
94110

Inspired by the unique way that film can induce a sense of wonder and transport us to otherworldly places, A Curious Cinema has been designed to captivate, spellbind and intrigue six year-olds and up. Presented by Studio for Urban Projects co-founder Marina McDougall and educator Bryan Welch of acurious.org.

Secret Life of the Sewing Machine
In his BBC series, “Secret Life of Machines” cartoonist, engineer, and tinkerer Tim Hunkin cracks open our everyday household appliances and shakes out the odd stories, strokes of genius, and mechanical wonderment that lie inside them. In “The Secret Life of the Sewing Machine” (1988, 30 min.), Hunkin takes us on a tour of what he calls the first machine to enter our homes. After watching the film, special guests Michael Swaine and Nancy Jean will help us scratch our itch to stitch. Bring a sock with a hole in it and/or a clothing item for creative modification.

Around Cape Horn
Shot and narrated by Captain Irving Johnson, "Around Cape Horn" (1929/80, b & w, 37 min.) chronicles an age gone by, when 3000 ton sailing vessels crossed the most treacherous waters on earth, powered only by wind and human muscle. Johnson braves the squalls and climbs into the rigging to film the 300 ft barque “Peking” as the entirety of her deck disappears under towering waves. The most dramatic of Johnson’s 1929 footage is shot during torrential storms that rage off of the southernmost tip of South America. After the film, we’ll learn to tie the beautiful Turk’s Head knot with cord.

Love Life of the Octopus
What creature exudes surreal, alien mystery in quite the same way as a cephalopod? Literally meaning “head foot” – cephalopods are the shapeshifters of the subaquatic world. Ambulatory on land and jet-powered in water, these brainy creatures change color to conceal themselves and elude predators amidst clouds of ink. The surrealist pioneer of underwater filmmaking Jean Painleve captures their essence in his “Love Life of the Octopus” (1967, 14 min.). We’ll also show Steve Haddock & Brad Siebel’s “Baby Squid, Born Like Stars" (2006, 6 min.). Then we’ll explore cephalopod adaptations through the dissection of a Humboldt squid and make Gyotaku prints using squid ink. Special guests include Justin Holl & Peter Winch from Gulf of the Farallones Visitor Center and printmaker Julie Whitcomb.

Hunting On The Spring Ice
In 1963, Canadian anthropologists began working with several families of Netsilik Eskimo to create a document of life in the Canadian Arctic before European acculturation. The resulting Netsilik Eskimo Series offers a breathtaking view of kinship, patience, and ingenuity in an environment that is one of the most challenging to human life on earth. We will show an episode from "Group Hunting On The Spring Ice" (33 min). After the screening, tanner JT Beggs will lead us through the process of tanning and stretching a hide followed by some simple projects in leather.

For more information please visit our web site or contact us at info@studioforurbanprojects.org. Special thanks to Liz Keim of the Exploratorium Cinema Arts Program.