You're Under Arrest
Photographs by Marla Aufmuth
The diabolical machinery of Survival Research Labs is a "physicist's wet
dream," in the words of founder Mark Pauline. For two decades, the
performance group's metal monsters - some the size of semis, with iron
claws and WWII rocket motors for mouths - have been ramming into each
other, clawing apart dead cows, and breathing fire for happy, twisted
audiences.
Pauline's genius has cost him. His hand was mangled in an explosion
in his workshop in 1982, and a 1990 Bible Burn show in
Lewiston, New York, was censored when Pat Robertson and other members of
the Religious Right condemned it as an outrage. Still, not one of the
group's 25 core members has ever been arrested for their pyrotechnics.
Until now.
On 11 March, Pauline and SRL manager Mike Dingle will go to a
pretrial hearing to address charges that, according to Pauline, will
make it almost impossible for them to mangle heavy metal in their
hometown of San Francisco. Their arrests came in connection with the 26
November Crime Wave show, an extravaganza of hip heavy
artillery, with live Internet and audio feed. The show - financed by
Pauline's credit cards - featured a jumping, exploding Unabomber puppet
and an Armored Attack Helicopter, as well as a bound-and-gagged
Execution Guy.
The charges (unlawful open burning and use of explosive materials) will
probably be dropped in exchange for community service, because it's a
first-time offense. For these cash-starved performers, however, this is
more than a slap on the wrist. SRL can't afford the pricey permits
required by the San Francisco fire department, so the group is effectively
banished from home. Says Pauline, "We won't be able to do the shows we're
accustomed to doing and we're known for. Period."
Angry but not defeated, Pauline says that he'll take SRL on the road to
other states and countries. "Most artists would rather do a painting,
write a book, or do some computer graphics, because you don't have to worry
about machines and a lot of complicated technology," he says. "But people
like myself like taking risks. We like involving other people in those
risks. Most people don't think they can provoke the wrath of the gods and
get away with it."
Though SRL shows can get a little scary, today's climate of
intolerance and lack of support for experimental or provocative art is
even scarier. We asked Dezso Molnar, an SRL engineer who creates the
robot jet engines, to re-create what you missed at Crime
Wave, in all its fiery glory.
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Discuss the arrest of Survival Research Labs.
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