SNAPSHOT

The Great Northern

Immersive Event Space

The Great Northern is the perfect combination of function and design.

Located in San Francisco’s “Design District,” this iconic venue features a capacity of up to 700 guests when using the entire space and various configurations to accommodate smaller groups of 100 or less.

Featuring two stunning bars, a massive event floor and 30 feet high ceilings, The Great Northern is sure to impress. Our “Future Deco” architectural esthetic has been crafted to showcase the classic “Style Moderne / Art Nouveau” composition fused with legendary “Void Audio” sound and next-level lighting and projection design.

Infinite Frame

Interactive Portrait Generator

Infinite Frame is an interactive digital video and still portrait generator with infinite output possibilities. The installation uses event patrons as the subjects and conductors of live art. Participants create a video portrait in the automated video booth, and the video appears at the control station. The control station is a touch screen and custom gaming controller which consists of 30 illuminated push buttons and slide potentiometers. The controller enables users to select their videos and play them back on a loop while manipulating sound, video, and artistic modes in real time with a seemingly infinite number of effects. Unique art works can be saved on the fly by pressing a large button on the controller. When pressed, the project prints free 4" x 6" archival stills of their favorite video frames. The images are also saved to a share station for immediate emailing.

Infinite Frame appears courtesy of Justin Young

Mirror Mirror

Interactive Video Wall

Mirror Mirror is a unique play on interactive video walls. Users can select from 16 different artistic software programs while creating, saving, and printing full body portraits. The system also records short video clips which can be immediately shared via email. The piece encourages you to dance, play, pose and repeat!

Mirror Mirror appears courtesy of Musepop.

Golden Gate Dolls

Performance

Golden Gate Dolls is a collective of internationally acclaimed performers based in San Francisco. We offer a variety of performance experiences that range from high-level specialty circus acts to hostess-ing and everything in-between.

Justin Young

Interactive Artist

Justin Young is an award winning multi-media artist and interactive technology designer based in San Francisco, CA. His projects have been exhibited in international institutions such as the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco, the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, UNESCO in Paris,The Center for Fine Arts in Brussels, the Hirshhorn Museum in DC, and the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

Justin creates a range of interactive installations, from fine art, games and toys, to custom photo and video installations for companies like Google, Facebook, and others.

Justin currently has a project on view in the UNESCO kiosk at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. For SNAPSHOT Festival, he will be displaying his interactive portrait generating machine called Infinite Frame.

Demian Becerra

Live Photography

Demian Becerra AKA theholymountain travels the world photographing artists, bands and events. "We in the same picture but we all got different poses."

For booking contact demian@holymountain.us

Capacitor

Performance and Interactive Sculpture

Capacitor's mission is to illustrate the personal connections between audience and the world they inhabit.

Born out of the collision of cultural influences found only in the San Francisco Bay Area, our performances explore the patterns and relationships inherent in nature and the cosmos. Through dance, interactive video, cirque nouveau, live music, and large-scale movement sculptures, Capacitor humanizes abstract scientific concepts, transcending cultural barriers and widening the scope of basic human experience for audiences of all ages.

Capacitor Artistic Director Jodi Lomask, designs movement structures out of steel, bungee, fiberglass, and wood. Her choreography unites unique characters, innovative performance devices, with distinctive movement textures for Capacitor's signature synthesis of visual magic and raw athleticism. Defined by a sculptural approach to the body, costuming, and props, her inventive choreographic solutions emerge from problems born of conceptual, physical, and spatial parameters.

Smokes

Soundtrack

A musician in the womb, classically trained violinist and audiophile, Smokes has been curating her record collection pretty much her whole life. She cut her teeth in Austin, TX, the live music capital of the world, before moving out West to get her disco, house & techno groove on with a residency at San Francisco’s infamous underground lair, House of Love. A vinyl purist through & through, Smokes brings the heavy wax for some jazzy, soulful, psychedelic, cinematic - smokey - selections.

The Tracy Piper

Installation & Painting

Tracy Piper is an ex-circus performer turned figurative painter based in San Francisco, CA. She has shown at SCOPE and SELECT in Miami, FL; stARTup Art Fair in San Francisco, CA; SCOPE New York, NY; and exhibits internationally. In 2017 Tracy competed on the GSNTV show “Skin Wars: Fresh Paint” and emerged victorious! She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Illustration with distinction from California College of the Arts and is currently represented by Art Attack SF in San Francisco, CA.

Gavin Hardkiss

Soundtrack

Gavin Hardkiss is an musician, DJ, label owner, producer, remixer, author and artist. He was born in Johannesburg South Africa and is currently based in San Francisco.

Gavin has released five albums under the guise of Hawke. Recent releases include the Hawke album Love In Stars and the singles WarPeace and Sunshine People on Hardkiss Music.

In the 90’s, along with faux brothers Robbie and Scott, Gavin helped pioneer the American electronic music scene with the groundbreaking record label Hardkiss Music. Hardkiss quickly joined the ranks of the international DJ elite, DJing at raves and clubs in cities throughout the world, eventually reaching legendary status with the release of the classic double album, Delusions of Grandeur. Delusions of Grandeur reached number one on the Rolling Stone Magazine alternative charts.

He has remixed the likes of Brazilian Girls, Youssou N’Dour, Mazzy Star, Elton John and Michael Franti, and performed alongside Afrika Bambaataa, Derrick May, Snoop Dogg and The Buena Vista Social Club. The song Mundo Via Afrika was featured on the official Sony World Cup album “Hello Africa,” alongside the best of contemporary African musicians.

Contact Info: hardkisslives@gmail.com

Dominic Fontana

Installation

Dominic Fontana’s journey as a tape artist began in San Francisco. As a city native, he was introduced to a diverse array of art forms and entered the graffiti scene at a young age during the mid-1990s. Dominic was immediately drawn to the range of colors, shades, and shapes made with spray paint. As he grew older, his fascination with street art transferred onto tape, stickers, and anything adhesive.

Dominic experimented with tape art on a variety of surfaces, but more seriously after entering the metal industry. In 2009, he discovered the ultimate canvas- galvanized steel. It’s ability to maintain the integrity of tape became the foundation for his style. Reflective tape is his secret ingredient, adding depth and dimension under different levels of lighting. When he creates a new piece, he allows it to evolve on it’s own. The methods and materials he uses to carve, weave, and layer tape transform it into balanced, symmetrical, and often abstract artwork. This unique combination birthed the name he has come to use to encompass his artwork: Taped Metal Canvas.

Galen

Soundtrack

Galen founded Sunset Sound System by setting up a generator and speakers at a park in Berkeley, California every sunday to spin records he didn’t get a chance to play anywhere else. Word spread and soon many hundreds of people we’re dancing and picnicking while watching the sun set behind the San Francisco skyline. Today, Sunset Sound System is on the move with incredible boat and outdoor parties as well as the annual Sunset Campout Festival.

Galen developed his signature sound through these weekly jams and as well as his technically proficient yet fluid dj style. The psychedelic music scene of 90s San Francisco provided a launching point to his extensive vinyl collection the spans many genres from classic disco to post-punk to roots reggae and modern house music. His sets can travel a diverse range yet maintain a conscious groove of cohesiveness, always appropriate to the time and place. They are thoughtful, yet never pre-planned, with artfully-timed track selections that spark any dance floor, appealing to the old school just as much as the new.

Music productions have become a more frequent mode of expression for Galen. Release collaborations with Claude Von Stroke, Justin Martin, Lopazz, and Shiny Objects having laid the foundation to new solo endeavors. A handful exist now and are becoming more frequent as his bass & groove laden production style becomes more defined.

Marina Berlin

Sculpture

Marina Berlin is a Russian-born artist, based in San Francisco. She initially trained as a painter at Massachusetts College of Art and Design where she received a BFA and several awards, including a Merit Scholarship and Art School Trust Award. Marina spent years with a brush--of one type or another--in hand, first painting on large canvases, then moving onto human faces while working as a makeup artist in TV and film.

In 2013, She discovered wire mesh by accident while building an armature for an urban greenspace. She had epiphany, quit her day job and locked herself in the studio for a year to work exclusively on wire mesh sculpture, pushing the boundaries of an underappreciated medium.

Marina considers herself a deep crafter, but has always been fascinated with technology and recently began incorporating VR and AR into her practice.

John Doe

Founder of Porto

Haute Mess

Soundtrack / Wednesday May 8, 7-9pm

A Bay Area native, Haute Mess (aka Kristen Sunde) began her journey as DJ and promoter in 2011 while hosting an absurdist San Francisco monthly, “Romper Room”. Wild experimentation with every genre gave birth to the Haute Mess sound:catchy hooks with bass-heavy beats that send hips in motion and spread smiles around the dance floor.

Joining the underground party crew Brass Tax in 2012 kicked off a Haute Mess booty-shaking beat parade across California — including monthly residencies at both Amnesia and Bootie Mash-Up (DNA Lounge), and billings at super-extravaganzas like Beats for Boobs, Supper of Survivors, Breakfast of Champions, The Artumnal Gathering, LoveBoat, and Dirtybird Campout. In 2016 she was invited to join the all-female DJ collective Angels of bAss and began weaving her eclectic styles with producing philanthropic events benefiting women’s causes.

Whether it’s warming up a discerning audience with indie-dance, ramping up a festival with funky tech house, or making hearts a’flutter with sexy breaks, Haute Mess hits the right note, spreading dynamic flavors to special events and nightclubs in the Bay Area and beyond.

FouFou Ha!

Performance

Fou Fou Ha is San Francisco’s premiere cartoon performance ensemble mixing dance theater, character interaction and a bedazzled fashionista trixter magic. Since 2001, the Fous have activated events, put on full game and variety shows, told stories (albeit in gibberish) and brought play and the absurd to events across the nation, having recently sprouted a NY branch known as Fou York.

Described as having a Fosse precision with a Jim Henson sensibility, Fou Fou Ha truly represents the mashup of San Francisco drag, mixed with witty political acts and a fashion forward paradigm blender with a twist of party monster. Part glitter, part Fool archetype, part dance company and inhibition annihilators. Welcome to the Fou dimension…enjoy the ride

Josette Melchor

Soundtrack / Monday May 6, 7-9pm

Josette Melchor is the Founder of Gray Area Foundation For The Arts, a leading San Francisco non-profit dedicated to applying art and technology to create social and civic impact.

As a Community Organizer, she partners with cities to address civic issues through public activations such as the Urban Prototyping Festival. A respected Executive Director, she has implemented sustainable revenue models to stabilize organizations and led fundraising campaigns to revive the historic Grand Theater as an 800 person venue in the Mission District as well as the Oakland Fire Fund to serve hundreds affected by the Ghostship tragedy.

As a Curator, Josette instigated the first exhibition that paired artificial neural networks with artists which helped establish the Artists and Machine Intelligence program at Google.

She was gifted her first set of turntables at seventeen, which inspired her to DJ and develop an eclectic collection of music at the confluence of disco, techno and house. Her selections are influenced by over fourteen years of large-scale media arts production and relationships with well known music producers.

She has led the development of hundreds of creative technology projects utilizing cutting edge technologies and alongside work at Gray Area is starting an experiential media studio Dreamboat with a small team of artists.

In other words, Josette Melchor is a Human classified as a Community Organizer, Curator, Entrepreneur, DJ, Queer Mexican Woman programming life at the intersection of art and technology based in San Francisco. She founded Gray Area Foundation for the Arts– a leading nonprofit media arts center– more than a decade ago and is driven to serve diverse audiences with her work.

Cole

Soundtrack

Cole Berggren IS music. When not singing, programming, and drumming for his electronic rock band, Ownership, he can be found DJing some of the best clubs in SF and beyond. Known for a wide variety of styles, programmed with a musician's ear, and with DJ skills honed over nearly 20 years, Cole has played such bay area clubs as Housepitality, Ruby Sky, Mezzanine, Phonobar, Great Northern and many others, and he currently holds a monthly residency at Monarch in SF. He's played the legendary club APT in NYC, the rooftop of the Standard Hotel in LA, and the Sunset Campout Music Festival. He has also been honored by being asked to play The Do Over in L.A., arguably the world's biggest, funnest day party in LA (and beyond). Some of his corporate clients include Tesla Motors, Levi's, Puma, Stanford University, and LIVE NATION! which has him in rotation as the VIP room DJ at The Masonic, and in the poster room at The Fillmore. He recently played the opening night party in Super Bowl 50's Super City, with a classic rock set opening for Chris Isaak. His extensive musical background has led to other employment such as session drummer and vocalist, blog-writer for Monster Headphones, Om Records and Stunner of the Month, and music director/head music writer for SEX+DESIGN magazine, where he put his musical knowledge to work planning and DJing huge events, and interviewing artists such as Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, Cody Chesnutt, Public Enemy, Pillow Talk, Matthew Dear and many more.

For bookings contact him at coleodin@gmail.com.

Michael Christian

Sculpture

Michael Christian is inspired by the genius of nature and build things that make him smile. He builds large fun and playful interactive sculptures.

John Doe

Founder of Porto

John Doe

Founder of Porto

DJ Cole

Soundtrack

Cole Berggren IS music. When not singing, programming, and drumming for his electronic rock band, Ownership, he can be found DJing some of the best clubs in SF and beyond. Known for a wide variety of styles, programmed with a musician's ear, and with DJ skills honed over nearly 20 years, Cole has played such bay area clubs as Housepitality, Ruby Sky, Mezzanine, Phonobar, Great Northern and many others, and he currently holds a monthly residency at Monarch in SF. He's played the legendary club APT in NYC, the rooftop of the Standard Hotel in LA, and the Sunset Campout Music Festival. He has also been honored by being asked to play The Do Over in L.A., arguably the world's biggest, funnest day party in LA (and beyond). Some of his corporate clients include Tesla Motors, Levi's, Puma, Stanford University, and LIVE NATION! which has him in rotation as the VIP room DJ at The Masonic, and in the poster room at The Fillmore. He recently played the opening night party in Super Bowl 50's Super City, with a classic rock set opening for Chris Isaak. His extensive musical background has led to other employment such as session drummer and vocalist, blog-writer for Monster Headphones, Om Records and Stunner of the Month, and music director/head music writer for SEX+DESIGN magazine, where he put his musical knowledge to work planning and DJing huge events, and interviewing artists such as Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, Cody Chesnutt, Public Enemy, Pillow Talk, Matthew Dear and many more.

For bookings contact him at coleodin@gmail.com.

John Doe

Founder of Porto

Celebrity Face Swap

Photo Booth

Have you ever wanted to have a baby with a celebrity or were just curious what that baby would look like? You’ve come to the right place. This is definitely questionable technology, but we seem to be living in that world. Use this at your own risk and prepare for lulz!!!

Celebrity Face Swap appears courtesy of PhotoBoof!

Johnnie Walker

Soundtrack

Seeking out the few record shops in his hometown of Albuquerque, NM, Johnnie began the deep dive into the origins of hip hop and dance music. Led by his intuition and keen ear, he began to discover a broad sonic world of magic and excitement. These new sounds never left his psyche, and set the foundation for his career as a DJ. 

Moving to San Francisco in 2000, he was immediately absorbed into the thriving dance and DJ scene. For over a decade Johnnie learned his lessons from the best in the Bay, honing his skills as a both a DJ and a dancer. Encouraged by his friends and mentors, and much to the delight of party goers, he began to unleash the full force of his aesthetic development on to the dance community. Putting his taste, record collection, and love of dance to use - Johnnie quickly became an underground local hero. With the support of long time friend and stalwart DJ/Producer, Nikola Baytala, he joined the crew of the now legendary Bionic Party at 222 Hyde. This led to an invite to become part of the world-class Bay Area DJ collective, Disco Knights. Since then, Johnnie Walker has continued to set dance floors on fire all over the Bay, and beyond - including Hospitality, Noise Pop, Underground SF, Monarch, and the iconic Sunset Sound Systems Campout. He now has his own event, Como Tu Quieras, garnering a strong local following of dancers and top selectors.

John Doe

Founder of Porto

Vin Sol

Soundtrack

Vin Sol has been taking club-goers on a trip with his tracks and sets for the past two decades. A ridiculously talented producer with the catalog to back it up. Chances are you have already sweat through your shirt to any one of his releases on Unknown to the Unknown, Clone, Icee Hot, Delft, Honey Soundsystem, NonPlus or Ultramajic, if you've happened to set foot in a nightclub in the past six years.

As regular guest on Rinse FM and BBC Radio 1, his sets expertly span the genres of house, electro, techno, italo, disco, freestyle, soul, funk and whatever other finds he digs up. In 2017 he caught the ear of B-Traits and was chosen to be a BBC Radio 1 Future 12 resident, where he had the opportunity to flex his encyclopedic knowledge of dance music new and old.

His latest endeavor Club Lonely is both a party and record label releasing music from the likes of Ben Sims, Alden Tyrell, Matrixxman, Francesco Farfa, Project Pablo and himself alongside of the rest of the Club Lonely crew. The party's mantra is "A Safe Place To Play House" and has been a hub for the freaks left in San Francisco.

The way Vin steps to music is an honest way using the classic tools of the trade and holding up his values to the craft, respecting the past but not afraid to shatter it.

John Doe

Founder of Porto

Rich DDT

Oscilloscope Synth

Rich DDT is an interactive installation designer, live electronic music producer/performer, and event organizer. His custom work for museums, public spaces, and art events features emerging technologies to create an awe-inspiring, educational and playful environment for human connection.

Oscilloscope Synth is a brand-new musical instrument built upon decades-old technology. Gracing the glowing display of this precision lab tool is synaesthetic mapping of sound to form. It’s a pure joy to play, with a wide range of entertaining animations and brilliantly retro blips. However the real magic comes when you discover that this is no hoax - you are indeed seeing what the sounds actually look like! It’s a mind-boggling journey into the true nature of oscillating wave forms.

See a video of the Oscilloscope Synth in action here.

Jetpack Living

React-O-Sphere

Jetpack Living (aka Ben Sutherland) is a San Francisco based artist with a focus on music reactive projects ranging from VJing to music videos to games.

The React-O-Sphere is audio reactive visualizer created in Unity3d and controlled through a combination of live audio, midi, and 3d sensors.

John Doe

Founder of Porto

John Doe

Founder of Porto

John Doe

Founder of Porto

John Doe

Founder of Porto