Tomorrow is PARK(ing) Day

If you're like me, you're probably wondering what the heck PARK(ing) Day is. Turns out, it's a worldwide event that encourages city dwellers to turn metered parking spots into temporary parks for the public good. Basically, it's an event to raise awareness for the need for more urban green space. San Jose has a group created by the Greenbelt Alliance, the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, and the San Jose Parks Foundation that will be PARK(ing) at the corner of 2nd & San Carlos tomorrow. Great timing with Zer01 hitting full swing tomorrow!

ZERO1 Kicks off Today!!!

For the full schedule of everything going down over the next 4 days, just click on the images below to expand them, or print the schedule using this PDF link!

Psycho Donuts is Coming to Downtown San Jose!

Comedy Sports and Psycho Donuts are teaming up to give everyone a worthwhile premiere of downtown's first true donut shop tomorrow at Camera3.  If you haven't heard of Psycho Donuts before, then you will definitely have to click on this link to see the abominations they've created =).

Join us in celebrating the opening of a SECOND location for Psycho Donuts...at ComedySportz in Downtown San Jose! The wildly popular and crazy trademark donut creations will now be a part of the Downtown experience as they join up with ComedySportz, the live improv comedy show, to transform the inside of Camera 3 and make for a truly interactive experience for donut lovers and comedy goers alike. There is no other spot like it in downtown! When: Thursday, September 16, 2010 Time: 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. Where: 288 S.2nd street in Downtown San Jose The event is FREE to all, so you can: • MUNCH on donut samples • WATCH some comedy from the crew at ComedySportz at any of the special mini-shows   presented in the ComedySportz theater • EXPLORE the newly transformed space • SEE/purchase the crazy art from local artists such as Christine Benjamin, Simon Salas,    Murphy Adams and many more • TAKE PHOTOS in the Padded Pfoto Cell- New and improved! • PURCHASE the beloved donuts or coffee and smoothie concoctions from the Full Service   coffee bar • MEET the Nurses from Psycho Donuts and Comedians from ComedySportz • ENJOY hanging out at the indoor Donut Asylum or on the outdoor Psycho Patio   Invite your friends and family and we'll see you then! *RSVP here for your attendance and to take part in our Facebook Fan-exclusive giveaway"

2010 Honda Civic Tour featuring Paramore, Tegan and Sara, New Found Glory and Kadawatha

Just a quick heads up to let everyone know that 4 great bands are playing at the HP Pavilion as part of the 2010 Honda Civic Tour this Friday: Kadawatha (cool pop-rock band based out of Sri Lanka), Tegan and Sara, New Found Glory, and Paramore.

Genghis Khan @ The Tech - Discount Tickets

The Genghis Khan exhibit at The Tech will only be available until October 24th. I've been hunting for some promotional codes, and the best one I've been able to find so far is LEXUS, which brings a $25 adult ticket down to $20 (just enter this code when you log in or create a Tech account). Member of the museum only pay $15 for an adult ticket. If anyone out there has a better discount code, please don't hesitate to post it in the comments! Details on the special exhibit below.

01SJ: Play Me I'm Yours

This is probably my favorite 01 exhibit so far. 20 decorated piano's have been placed across San Jose, most of them Downtown. Anyone can walk up to them and just start playing. A couple weeks ago I was walking down Paseo de San Antonio and heard some jazzy piano music accompanied by singing. It really seemed to add so much life downtown, I couldn't wait to find out where the music was coming from. At first, I thought it was a hired professional, but as I got closer I discovered just a normal guy playing his heart out. There wasn't even a crowd he was playing for, he was just playing because it was clearly something he loved to do.

A few other times, I actually did find crowds of people watching and listing to impromptu street artists. There always seemed to be something interesting going on around the pianos. This is one 01 project that I wish would become permanent!  Photos from the Play me I'm Yours website below:

Dance in Transit

The weekend of the 18th and 19th continues to become more and more interesting. According to the press release below (thanks DLo for the tip), there will be full 90min modern dance concerts starting at the Convention Center Light Rail. I have no clue how they're going to pull this one off, but I'm definitely curious to find out =). San Jose has plenty of dance talent (google Katee Shean), so it's about time something like this comes together in our neck of the woods.

01SJ: Santana Row Also Gets a Role

Downtown San Jose isn't the only part of San Jose benefiting from the ZER01 festival, Santana Row is getting in on the action as well. Below is the full breakdown on what to expect in the "other downtown."

Be part of the art at Santana Row

SAN JOSE, Calif. (August 25, 2010) – Dreams for the future projected four stories high, ballerinas with musical tutus and a lone piano waiting to be played are some of the unique, interactive art that will be on display at Santana Row during the 2010 01SJ Biennial (01sj.org), a city-wide exhibition of visual and performing arts, public art and digital media.  As a proud sponsor of the Biennial, Santana Row will host three of the dynamic installations and performances.

Play Me I’m Yours

Tickle the ivories with this installation by internationally acclaimed artist Luke Jerram.  From August 28-September 19, Santana Row will host one of 20 pianos placed throughout Silicon Valley, each one free to be enjoyed by anyone who encounters it.  Whether they practice their scales, play a concerto, or just fiddle with the keys, visitors are encouraged to take photos or video of themselves interacting with the pianos and share with the world at 01SJpianos.com.

On Wednesday, September 8, Play Me I’m Yours will be part of Piano Explorations, a special performance by young pianists who will play piano selections ranging from classical to jazz.  Produced by the Steinway Society of the Bay Area and Sherman Clay Pianos of Santa Clara, members of the audience will be encouraged to duet with the young artists on Luke Jerram’s installation.  Piano Explorations takes place September 8 at 6 p.m. in Park Valencia.

offscript (pictured right)

From September 14-19, the glass façade of Santana Row’s newest building, 300 Santana Row, will become a massive canvas for this interactive video installation by artist Christopher Baker that asks the question: what happens when individuals reject a future scripted for them and move offscript? 

Participants are encouraged to submit responses to the question, “What is your dream for the future?” in 140 characters or less.  Answers can be submitted by email, text message or voicemail (408-634-4436), Twitter (#offscript) or Facebook (offscript).  Answers may also be sketched and submitted at www.offscript.org.  To see the story that unfolds as these responses are projected across the façade of 300 Santana Row, stop by September 14 -19 from approximately 7:30 p.m. – Midnight.

For full details on participating in offscript, visit offscript.org.

Audio Ballerinas

In this site-specific collaboration between Ballet San Jose and artist Benoît Maubrey, dancers from Ballet San Jose will wear solar-powered, plexiglass tutus that have been equipped with microphones and speakers that record and play back the sound patterns of their movements and their environment. Using photovoltaic sensors, sounds emitted from Audio Ballerinas change according to the intensity of light, enabling these world-class dancers to translate their movements directly into sound.  Santana Row will host two performances of Audio Ballerinas on Saturday, September 18. (Times and location to be announced; visit santanarow.com for the schedule.)

For more information on these interactive works of art, visit 01sj.org or santanarow.com.

About ZER01’s 01SJ Biennial

San Jose-based ZER01 has served as a catalyst and platform for the world’s most innovative artists since 2000. The nonprofit focuses on inspiring creativity at the intersection of art, technology and digital culture.  As producer of the 01SJ Biennial, a multidisciplinary, multi-venue event of visual and performing arts, the moving image, public art and interactive digital media, ZER01 has showcased the work of 350 artists from more than 40 countries using such media as GPS-equipped pigeons, interactive platform shoe devices, mobile phone and surveillance technologies.

A celebrated success in the region, the two previous  01SJ Biennial in 2006 and 2008 attracted 65,000 visitors and generated $15 million in economic revenue for San Jose. Between biennials–the 2010 01SJ Biennial takes place Sept. 16-19, 2010–ZER01 nurtures Silicon Valley’s cultural landscape with events such as the SubZERO Festival, produced in partnership withSoFA, which drew 10,000 people to downtown San Jose.

About Santana Row

Santana Row is a one-of-a-kind neighborhood that blends a distinctive mix of living, shopping, dining and entertainment.  Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Santana Row features 563,000 square feet of retail, an international array of restaurants, a 213-room European-style boutique hotel and six-screen arts theatre, all surrounded by meticulously landscaped gardens, parks and plazas.  Above the retail pedestal are 514 residential units, featuring a fitness center and resort-style pool.  Santana Row is a property of Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT), headquartered in Rockville, Maryland.