
Survival Research Laboratories: Inconsiderate fantasies of negative acceleration - ptorrone
https://blog.adafruit.com/2018/01/06/survival-research-laboratories-inconsiderate-fantasies-of-negative-acceleration-characterized-by-sacrifices-of-a-non-consensual-nature-_srl_-marlboroughcontemporary-survivalresearchlabs-srl-m/
======
wrs
“Pleased and slightly nervous” aptly describes my feelings as an audience
member at an SRL event. Maybe not “slightly”. I remember one in downtown SF
(next to the SFMOMA site?) with a V-1 buzz bomb engine. They were dropping
what I guessed might be balloons of acetylene gas into it. I thought the
audience would be showered with glass from the adjacent building, but that
didn’t quite happen. (IIRC, there were also giant stumbling robots of some
sort, but I was more focused on the loud explosions and subsonic rumblings.)

------
VonGuard
100 years from now, SRL will be considered to be the DaVinci of massively
dangerous robotic art.

------
bsenftner
Been watching SRL performances since the 80's... Went to one in the early 90's
and feared for my life. Great fun!

------
notananthem
Yeah, brought a SRL history/photo book to my first week of work, my manager
was both slightly terrified and also happy he hired me.

------
jjwiseman
I think this piece is actually a sculpted version of Mark Pauline's hand:
[https://cdn-blog.adafruit.com/uploads/2018/01/IMG_0245.jpg](https://cdn-
blog.adafruit.com/uploads/2018/01/IMG_0245.jpg)

Details and gory photos at
[http://www.srl.org/yard/misc/injury.html](http://www.srl.org/yard/misc/injury.html)
("In 1982 Mark was working with a rocket motor that exploded in front of
him.")

------
ineedasername
I wasnt sure if this was pure satire or something real until I read this part:

 _...capable of hurling a standard two-by-four at speeds up to 200 miles per
hour. Violence and danger are materials in Pauline’s work, and fear is often a
reasonable response... "_

Then I was nearly sure it was satire. I read more and saw the photos, and am
now nearly convinced it's real. I kind of don't want to look further and
pierce the veil of uncertainty.

~~~
legohead
The 200mph 2x4 by itself doesn't seem unreasonable to me. When I lived in
Oklahoma and was searching for a storm shelter, a common strength-test was to
launch 2x4s at them at extreme speeds, in excess of 120mph I believe.

Example:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIKBbRUcAoI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIKBbRUcAoI)

------
inostia
Saw these guys in LA a few years ago. Mark Pauline is a true
visionary.Excellent show, well worth attending.

