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Survival Research Laboratories
Founded in 1978 by Mark Pauline, Survival Research Laboratories (SRL) are a renowned performance art group. They are known for their performances with custom-built machines. Their machines are generally robotic, and they have pioneered large-scale machine performance.
Mark Pauline founded the group
Founded by Mark Pauline in 1978, Survival Research Laboratories is a group of artists who perform with custom-built machines and special effects devices. Their performances are hostile to a straightforward narrative and to corporate culture. They use robots, special effects devices and other weapons to create fear and awe in their audiences.
Survival Research Laboratories has been producing dangerous shows for thirty years. Their shows involve a wide range of special effects devices, including cannonballs, guns, a flamethrower mounted on an elephant-sized frame, fresh carcasses and electrocution. The group is considered to be one of the forerunners of large scale machine performance.
Survival Research Laboratories is based in San Francisco, California. They are led by Mark Pauline. He is the artist and chief mover of the organization. He started the organization in November 1978.
SRL’s performances are unwieldy and gonzo
Founded by Mark Pauline in 1978, Survival Research Laboratories (SRL) is a collective of technicians and artists who build freakish militaristic machines. Their work includes remote-controlled six-legged crawlers, modified jet engines that shoot hurricanes of fire, and wheelocopters.
The SRL team is in New York this week for its first major gallery show. The team is also known for its zany and spectacular performances. For example, the SRL Air Launcher can fire an air blast that shatters glass remotely. The machine also boasts a shockwave cannon similar to the Wunderwaffen anti-bomber device.
Another popular SRL machine is the Pitching Machine, which can hurl two x fours at 200mph. The machine has an impressive sculptural aspect. The heart of the machine is a 37 HP industrial motor. The head moves at 20 feet per second.
SRL’s exhibition at Marlborough Contemporary
During the last month of 2018, Survival Research Laboratories, an oversized Bay Area staple, traveled east for its first ever show in New York. The exhibition, which runs through February 10, features eight sculptures created by Mark Pauline. The show features a giant fire-breathing robot and a self-contained pitching machine.
The show also features video documentation of past Survival Research Laboratories performances. These videos include footage of the pre-show activities, as well as footage of the mini-shows that take place during each performance.
Founded by Mark Pauline in 1978, Survival Research Laboratories has staged over 55 mechanized presentations throughout the United States and Europe. Its ethos focuses on re-directing the tools of industry. The company’s work is a counterpoint to Silicon Valley’s convenience apps and frictionless capitalism.
SRL’s robots fight each other to the death
Founded by Mark Pauline in November 1978, Survival Research Laboratories (SRL) is a conglomerate of technological artists and machinists who create humanoid robots, mechanical mutants, and other mechanized deformities. It also has been the subject of a federal lawsuit, which it settled in cash.
The aforementioned show was held at the Alex’s Service Station in the North Beach district of San Francisco. The venue has since been converted into a North Beach farmers market. The show attracted a paid audience of 2,500, while a smaller group of onlookers watched outside the cyclone fence.
The most notable piece of the show was the “Pitching Machine,” which hurled wooden planks up to 200 miles per hour into a bulletproof container. This was a new and exciting aspect of Pauline’s work.
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