Friday, October 31 2008 • 6:00–9:00 p.m.

Experience Halloween—Exploratorium style! Join us in costume for a ghoulish grab-bag of spooky science and frightful fun. In our first-ever Halloween Fright Night, we dig into the scientific and cultural phenomena behind Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, and death.

 
 
 

Evening Highlights:

6:30 p.m. Sugar Skull-Making Demonstratio n with artist Irma Ortiz (Skylight area)

6:30-8:30 p.m.  Master Mind Machine
Part of our Mind exhibit collection, this imposing robotic presence from artist-in-residence Kal Spelletich inspires a troubling mix of awe, fear, and wonder. ( Mind area)

6:45 p.m. Sugar Skull-Making Demonstration with artist Irma Ortiz (Skylight area)

7:00 p.m. Iron Science Teacher Webcast featuring a secret surprise ingredient (Phyllis C. Wattis Webcast Studio)

7:30 p.m. Cinema Arts Program: Shelf Life by Don Bernier and The Ossuary by Jan Svenkmajer (McBean Theater)

8:00 p.m. Sugar Skull-Making Demonstration with artist Irma Ortiz (Skylight area)

8:15 p.m. Jack the Swindler , an Apocalypse Puppet Theater
Performance (Skylight area)

 
   
   
    And Throughout the Evening: 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Cemetery of Dead Science
Creep through a graveyard of debunked science. Do you think some of these ideas might be undead ?

Colorless Treats
Sodium-vapor lights disguise colorful and tasty surprises.

Rest in (Temporary) Peace: A Coffin Experience
Curious? Find out what it’s like to think inside the box. (Ages 12 and up)

Write Your Own Obituary
Celebrate your life from beginning to end in this fanciful writing exercise.

Energy from Death Exhibit
Delve into decay to find out how nature deals with death.

Leech Mobile with the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses
See real bloodsuckers (supervised by medical professionals, of course!) and learn about their role in modern medicine.

Ceremonial Community Altar (Skylight area)
Altars are often ceremonial spaces for communing with the departed—leave a message or memento for someone who’s passed away.

   
      Hours: Phantasmagorium takes place from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. The museum is open from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and closed from 5:00-6:00 p.m.. Doors re-open at 6:00 p.m.

Admission: General Admission. The event is free for Members and same-day museum visitors.

Directions 		   
      Acknowledgments: The Exploratorium thanks the Jelly Belly Candy Company and the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company for their generous and delicious donations, and Derek Stavenger for his provision of materials for the Cemetery of Dead Science. Special thanks to volunteers Kathe Traynor and Lily Lew for co-developing the Cemetery of Dead Science installation.