Driving Obsession February 5, 2007

Grotto Nights is back and it's furious, fast, and free. Join us for a night of reportage, science, and art in the form of a subversive Valentine to our cars.



DRIVING OBSESSION is a fond, provocative look at our obsession with cars and driving, and how it's changing the world.

Doors open at 6:30 -- seats available on a first come first served basis -- early arrival is highly recommended.

After the event there will be a party for audience and performers. No-Host Bar/21+

THE PROGRAM:

Bucky Sinister reads his show-stopping poem on NASCAR.

Lisa Margonelli reads about the unexpected perils of cheap gasoline from her new book Oil On the Brain: Adventures from Pump to Pipeline.

Dr. Graham Fleming of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory explains how he and others are using synthetic biology to create fuels for the future.

Dan Hoyle does a scene from his hit one-man show now playing at the Marsh--Tings Dey Happen-- based on the year he spent studying oil and politics in Nigeria on a Fulbright scholarship.

Baghdad taxi driver/art student Mounaf Shaker's documentary film Omar Is My Friend shows his search for gasoline, a living, and hope in today's Iraq.

Andy Raskin tells a first person story about driving, dating, and the genetic component of parking.

The musical group The Loins (featuring writer Beth Lisick) does a surprise performance of an car-based piece of literature.

JD Beltran shows two short films about love, obsession, and cars from her "Secrets" series.

Ben Baumgartner shows his latest body of NASCAR-themed art.

Matt Jalbert shows his photographs of crashed and abandoned cars.

Official Website: http://www.sfgrotto.org/events.html