Cinema
Our intimate, 40-seat cinema is able to host a range of performances and events by contemporary artists working in film, video, sound, music, multimedia and performance. Along with screenings and performances, you will also find workshops, salons, artist talks and lectures. Our focus is primarily on experimental and artist-made.
Upcoming Programs & Events
Experimental Animation Workshop with Lydia Greer
August 1, 2 & 29, 2020
1:00-3:30pm, each day
Meeting via live video
This 2-day on-line workshop (with an optional 3rd day), led by experimental animator and educator Lydia Greer, is an introductory overview of experimental animation, including the history, methods, and techniques used by artists working with non-linear and experimental animation methods. Resources will be provided so that you can get started on your own research and inquiry. [SOLD OUT!]
Live from Shapeshifters: Suki O'Kane and Tim Perkis
Sunday, August 16, 2020
7:00-8:00pm
Live broadcast via our streaming channel
Suki O'Kane returns to Shapeshifters to present two new pieces for bass drum, electronics, and performative projection. Hard to Read is a new work directed by (and featuring the electronics and coding of) Tim Perkis. Together Suki and Tim animate and sonify his disarming and mysterious archive of human expression. Surprised by Sin is a new work for for bass drum, liberation texts, and hand-held projections. Viewers are invited to watch this live performance by tuning in on August 16th from 7-8pm to Watch it live, online.
Art + Action Post Card Writing Happy Hour with Kristin Cato
Saturday, August 22, 2020
4:00-6:00pm
Meeting via live video
Join us for the Art + Action Postcard Writing Happy Hour led by artist and activist Kristin Cato where we will learn a bit about the history of mail art, then apply some aesthetic efforts toward swinging and swaying voters with our own collective action! Sign up to participate now!
Live from Shapeshifters: Lori Varga, Dennis Keefe & Kit Young
Sunday, August 30, 2020
7:00-8:00pm
Live broadcast via our streaming channel
Paying homage to the historic Vortex Planetarium sessions of 1959, Bay Area artists Lori Varga, Dennis Keefe and Kit Young will combine their massive arsenal of A/V systems to perform three distinct pieces celebrating the art of synesthesia. Pairing early electronic soundscapes with modular and semi-modular visual systems made from 16mm film projectors, vintage lumia equipment + state of the art digital and hand-built A/V systems, the trio will forge new pathways into alternate realities sculpted from cosmic light and sound in five dimensions! Watch it live, online.
Virtual Material Cinema Happy Hour with Ellie Vanderlip
Saturday, September 26, 2020
3:00-6:00pm
Meeting via live video
Join filmmaker Ellie Vanderlip and Shapeshifters Cinema for a Virtual Material Cinema Happy Hour! This 3-hour workshop will cover a plethora of techniques for physically manipulating 16mm film, from bleaching to scratch animation. Attendees will be provided with a small packet of special tools and 16mm found footage clippings to play with. Sign up to participate now!
