We accidentally happened upon Pandora’s Trunk over the weekend and need to share! For those of your who haven’t heard, Pandora’s Trunk is a travelling indie-arts show hosted and featuring independent designers here in San Francisco. This month’s show was hosted at the lovely B.U.S. Stop and featured live music, unique takes on clothing, delicious refreshments, and free admission!
Out of the 15 or so exhibiting vendors, one particular booth caught my attention (and wallet)… Recover Your Thoughts is a book bindery’s “side project”, combining discarded public library books, excess print-house paper stock, and twenty thousand dollars worth of high-end book bindery equipment. The creations merge remnants of the previous books with good-quality paper stock to produce one-of-a-kind blank journals infused with some humor and a lot of creativity!
Future dates for Pandora’s Trunk are as follows (check the website for additional dates):
Saturday, November 22, 2008 (1:00 - 5:00pm)
– hosted by Climate Theatre
– 285 9th Street @ Folsom, San Francisco
– featuring live cabaret fashion performance, live music, refreshments
Thursday, December 4th, 2008 (6:00 - 11:00pm)
– hosted by Brava Theatre
– 2781 24th Street @ York (near Bryant)
– featuring live fashion runway show, live music, activities, refreshments
The Crucible is gearing up for their 8th Annual Fire Arts Festival, happening July 9-12, 2008 (nightly from 8pm - Midnight)! This one-weekend-only event is not to be missed. They take over the huge empty lot across from their building/workspaces, create a city of machinery, and basically set everything on fire!!!
It’s a spectacular open-air exhibition with nearly four acres of fire sculpture and interactive art, amazing fire and dance performances, great music, food, libations, and more. This annual celebration showcases the largest collection of fire and light sculptures in the West Coast, like the gigantic sculptures by Dan Das Mann and Karen Cusolito, and the fabulous Steampunk Tree House, making its Bay Area debut.
We were out at the Haight Street Fair in San Francisco last Sunday and BOY it was a doozy! I don’t think they could have crammed one more person onto that packed street. And the best thing about it? Independents EVERYWHERE! So many street vendors in fact that most of the normal shops were closed for business! Talk about the indies taking over!!
At either end of Upper Haight, there were stages set up with rotating live acts. The schedule went DJ, band, DJ, band… so no matter what type of music you were into, they were delivering. Everyone was as polite as could be expected, given the massive crowds that showed up, but one thing was sure… people were really there for the fantastic independent booths!
Hopefully you made it out too!! We would love to hear your thoughts on the day!!
LEGENDmag attended last night’s showing of Stravinsky’s Firebird ballet (”Crucible-style”) and it was nothing short of spectacular. So much so, that as I sit here typing, it is actually difficult to explain just what made it so remarkable….
Could it be the breathtaking acrobatic talent; the good vs. evil metaphoric dance interpretations featuring traditional ballet and dirty, street break-dancing; or possibly the political/social satire; or maybe the motorcycle acrobatics, flaming trans-am, and brilliant metal sculptures? Then again, it could just be the fact that everything was on fire!
Nevertheless, there is barely time left to still catch this world-class performance. It is not to be missed, and will surely spoil you—in the best way possible—for any future ballet performances you plan to attend!
And for those that didn’t know, The Crucible is a non-profit school offering classes in all the industrial arts. They had a number of disciplines on display in the lobby before the show, including: metal work, welding, kinetics, neon & light, jewelry, and glass blowing. Classes are now in session, check their website for a schedule (or to volunteer).
Checked out the March 2008 issue of The Plug today, and I have to say it is quite funny. The piece on the hand-made “public service” signs was fantastic, and the “found camera” spot is one of those why-didn’t-I-think-of-it moments. Have a gander and enjoy!
Boob and Dink early detection kits—crocheted for your enjoyment and education—are available over at Etsy.com. Both are available in 4 colors: peach, biege, brown or dark brown and come with all necessary instructions. Get one for a favorite indieperson today!
