The Lab

GODWAFFLE NOISE PANCAKES
I came here to see some noise artists and eat some pancakes. It was basically a feast for the senses. All six of them (Yes, I said six).
I loved Sunhammer’s sounds and whatever movie the Lab played in the background was so perfectly trippy that it just fit flawlessly with the sounds, the taste, the feel, and the sights that this event created.
So friendly, so emotional, and so extreme all at once.
I really can’t say enough about it. I can’t wait to be able to return for more sounds and more pancakes.

Great arts space in the heart of the mission! One block from the 16^th BART station, The Lab offers every kind of art exhibit imaginable. Friends have said they are easy to work with when forming shows. BYOB.

Came here for the first time for the opening of Illuminated Forest, and love the space. It’s smallish, and somehow the half a block between mission and capp st. goes from hipster to drug attic in record time.

The Lab. Dope space with a peaceful environment. Went here for the Soundwave Festival on it’s last performance «Revelations in the Illuminated Forest» by Jeff Ray and an amazing team of multimedia and musicians alike. More so the integration of «The Life & Times of Buildings and structures» which depicted numerous homes and their meaning for different people in the Bay Area. What I liked about this particular production is multimedia, amazing sound using different instruments, and a sensored environment throughout the performance, having certain lights reacting with sound, reflecting on the various forest like
Japanese artist (who flew in just for this performance) Takahiro Kawaguchi collaborated with San Francisco artist [ruidobello] which was the second performance of the evening and their depiction of «Underwater Mechanics», using mechanical instruments which he built to display a post industrial water world environment. Was a unique experience and can only be taken for word by actually seeing and going.
Bathrooms are located through the back on the right side as you go up the stair entrance.

Totally weird, but how awesome that this place exists. Where else combines vegan pancakes and a noise show?

it’s no fun unless there’s discipline. good events, i just wish they started at midnight. looking forward to the jonas reinhardt show. only fun at this space.

Crazy experiments and bleeding edge art are the specialty of the LAB. Experiments don’t always work, but when they do it’s my favorite kind of creative brilliance. The LAB has been nourishing this kind of work for decades.

TheLabXKSW.
lala, always open for fliers. :]

The Lab calls itself an interdisciplinary arts organization. They don’t have great advertising so you have to check out their site to know what’s going on, but they have totally diverse and interesting exhibitions/​shows of visual, perfoming and media art. It is also where the post-​postcard 10, a holiday art fest that sells tons of smaller art pieces to shoppers are very low prices.
Recently they also had a show called Dtourned Menu: Food in the Form of Activism. I didn’t see it but i wish i did.

Deep in the mission,
At 16^th and Capp,
You’ll find a small gallery,
All full of crap… and some good stuff too.
This place has been around for a while, and has a cool concept (see quote at bottom), a nice little space, and some fun shows, but I have also been to a number of disappointing shows that make me wish they were more selective about their curators.
Unfortunately, they don’t advertise well and are a little slack about things like opening on time, but they do put in the effort to support local art, and you have to love them for that.
They put on one juried show a year and a number of different performance and fine art shows, seems to be on average of 3 – 4 a month.
One of my favorite events is the annual Post-​Postcard show (you just missed it) where any artist can submit petite originals or small edition reproductions and sell them at the show, splitting the profits with the gallery. It’s a great place to do your holiday shopping and prices range from $ 1-​$ 30
My other favorite is the Striptease Fashion Show and Trunk Show, where the walls of the gallery are lined with local designers selling their stuff, and a raised runway where the models come out wearing the merchandise, which is auctioned right off their backs. I like that much better than the ones where models return down the catwalk, just as well-​dressed as when they arrive.
Overall, grim part of the neighborhood, but I give props for that, and it is a good concept, but they could do a lot more with it.
They say it well on the web site «The LAB is an interdisciplinary arts organization which supports the development and presentation of new visual, performing, media and literary art. We assist artists in the creation of new work and showcase work of the highest quality by emerging and underrepresented experimental artists. Of particular interest is work which crosses boundaries, encourages evolving artistic and social dialogue between artists and audiences, and develops the culture and community of the … Bay Area.»

If you’re into art, you’ll have to check out Post-​Postcard 10!!! It’ll be on until Sunday, Dec. 3^rd. Awesome place to find art without having to spend an arm and a leg — max price on any piece is $ 30. Last night they had a DJ and the place was packed!
This is perfect if you’re looking for Christmas presents and I’ve actually found quite a few gems here!