Pauline’s Explosions at Minnesota Street Project
by Sam Whiting
Among the masses at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Artopening this weekend will be people who remember the groundbreaking for the original building, nearly 25 years ago, whenMark Pauline and Survival Research Laboratories literally broke the ground with an explosion from a fire-breathing machine.
That drew a citation from the Fire Department, and Pauline was banned from performances in San Francisco — until one night last month when he had a permit for a “secret show” that included robots, props and audience participation. Pauline will show footage from that event this weekend at 1275 Minnesota Street in Dogpatch.
The event, called “Blow this S ... t Up,” includes a 13-hour loop of video chronicling Pauline’s career. Also on display will be several of Pauline’s violent creations, including a huge mechanical inchworm with a claw that moves and a “Pitching Machine” that throws wooden boards at 200 mph.