Mark Pauline conceived of and founded Survival Research Labs in November 1978. Since that time, he has operated SRL as an organization of creative technicians dedicated to redirecting the techniques, tools, and tenets of industry and science away from their typical manifestation in practicality or product. SRL has staged fifty-six mechanized presentations around the world, consisting of ritualized interactions between machines, robots, and special-effects devices.

Amy Critchett is the founder of Art+Audience; executive producer of Leo Villareal’s public work, including The Bay Lights; and wife of the legendary Mark Pauline. She is passionate about changing the game where art, audience and innovation meet.

About California Countercultures
Thinking Through the Arts and Design at Berkeley: California Countercultures is a UC Berkeley course cotaught by Natasha Boas, independent curator and critic of contemporary art and theory, and Michael Cohen, associate teaching professor in the African American studies department. The Wednesday public lecture series is organized by Natasha Boas. California Countercultures is sponsored by UC Berkeley’s Big Ideas program and the Arts + Design Initiative, with additional support from Cal Performances and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.