My first open lab- 2.1.23 by Meghana Ravikumar

Ok hold up. Can you believe we’re in 2023? And not only 2023 but FEBRUARY 2023? How fucking bizarre. My body/brain/soul/metaphysical spirit combination still thinks it’s 2020, so much so that a friend of mine said “this was supposed to go out May 2020,” paused for DRAMATIC emphasis, and I sat there “yeah like it’s going to go out in a couple of months, that makes sense.”

Anyway. We’re in February 2023 and Open Lab is back open in person (see what i did there?). And I was there- last Wednesday. I didn’t really know what to expect and what I experienced was adult playtime. Or play time for adults- whichever phrasing you prefer.

There was a history lesson, a field trip to the old cabaret house, a bucket of coins (even with some Krona in there), a pool of water, and devices to make sounds with your body.

I’ve always been curious about SF’s history, and the more I know about it, the more bizarre it is. Like, did you know up until Golden Gate Park was created to compete with New York’s Central Park (i know big dicks and all), all of that land was sand dunes? How crazzyyyy. Anyway, Dai’s history lesson and field trip took us to an old cabaret hall on the Barbary Coast which was most recently an art supply store. It’s odd to see a place of lawless debauchery become one of the most expensive areas in one of the most expensive cities in the world (well at least North America).

Now onto the coin bucket. I became a dragon, a socialist (so just me), robin hood, back up tambourine artist, and back to me again. I plotted and hoarded, expanding my coin pile with all my cunning. I wrestled and snuck, employing all my dragon skills. In one goal- to claim all the coins for myself.

After I had accomplished in claiming the whole hoard, well, it just wasn’t fun any more. So I began to redistribute my wealth as benevolent as any guilt ridden gilded age industrialist. I stole again but instead for myself, for those with smaller piles (they needed me).

Look at that fooooocus.

I putzed around with some electromyography in the hopes to make musssiccccc (if I may be so bold). Others were more successful

This is what success looks like kids.

But then the water called me. As it calls to us all.

Till next time,