Mission Mission

Remember a couple weeks ago I saw a sticker somewhere of the Gumball Baby Head in the top left quadrant of the above photograph? Turns out, it’s the work of an artist named Paul Insect, and he’s got a show up at Fifty24SF right now (pictured), and it’s pretty good. Lots more baby heads filled with interesting things. Plus some non-baby-head stuff for those of you not as enamored of these as me.

AND at the opening on Thursday I heard rumblings about the possibility of Upper Playground producing some exclusive Paul Insect baby head apparel! I’m crossing my fingers and holding my thumbs for an Eyeball Baby Head hoodie.

SF Art & Design Lover has show details and lots more here.

This here was (and might still be) lashed to a temporary chain-link fence around the construction site at Mission and Chavez. Calling the number is fun.

Update: Beware spoilers in the comments.

Last week I said my new favorite zine is Stay Away From Other People by Lisa Hanawalt, and it turns out she’s helping man the Buenaventura Press booth at APE all weekend. She’ll have prints like this one for sale, as well as some original art. Link.

Libby’s Niche points us toward an opening tonight at Iceberger, In Defense of Home, In Defense of Industry by Alex Lukas. Looks like nothing but gnarly post-apocalyptic dreamscapes. Party goes from 7-9pm. Link.

Saw these in a window in Glen Park somewhere.

I saw this on the side of a gumball machine outside Val 16 Market. It is a bright orange baby head with gumballs or marbles or atoms or something in its cranial cavity. Wha!? I made it the wallpaper on my phone, and my phone has never been happier.

Also, I checked Flickr to see if anyone had a higher resolution photograph, but found something else good instead.

Update (Oct. 30): Baby head is by a guy called Paul Insect. Thanks, Wooster Collective!

My new favorite zine is Stay Away From Other People by Lisa Hanawalt. It’s full of gorgeous drawings of well-dressed zoo animals like these, as well as entertaining lists like “12 Things To Do When You Are Stuck In Traffic” and “3 Unpleasant Sensations”. It’s kind of dirty and kind of violent and I love it. Get it here.

Tonight is the kickoff of Video Fest 2008, held at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts.  The festival this year received 49 different film submissions of which 17 will be shown either tonight (10/17) or tomorrow (10/18).  From the festival blog:

Video Fest 08 is focused on people’s existence and their surroundings, the relationships that develop between the human being and nature, community, family and their social surroundings.

Although I have not often ventured into the Mission Cultural Center, the couple of times that I did, I was extremely impressed.  Once I heard some really good jazz that had people stopping in their tracks and turning the sidewalk into an impromptu theater.  Another time I saw an absorbing exhibition featuring photos snapped by kids and young adults.  If past experience is any clue, this should be good.

I experienced it all at Litquake:

The Good: hearing the phrase “earnestly pimpled.”

The Bad: heat so intense upstairs at the Elbo Room I had to leave, thus allowing me to hear the phrase “earnestly pimpled” downstairs.

The Ugly: I like cats but damn cat (Yelp informs me his her name may be Ripley), you need some hair!

Any writers that blew your socks off? Strange characters? Anyone else notice and/or find refreshing that the average age on Valencia rose about 20 years last night?

The Curiosity Shoppe tonight hosts an opening reception for Annie Gavin‘s new show, 49 Reasons Why. The whole show is said to be inspired by San Francisco’s famous 49-Mile Scenic Drive signs. Browse more of the artist’s work at her online store. Thanks, Eve! (via sfgirlbybay)

Is that enough links for one three-sentence post? No? Well, then…

Previously on Mission Mission:

.02 Mile Scenic Drive-Thru Sign at Jimboy’s Tacos in Sacramento Pokes Fun at San Francisco’s 49-Mile Scenic Drive Signs