Looking for a cup of coffee with a side of interactive art? Then you'll want to pay a visit to Logjam Cafe at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
The cafe is a publicly accessible extension of artist Tom Sachs' space exploration-themed exhibit Space Program: Europa, on display at YBCA through January 15th.
Sachs, a New York-based sculptor, has designed installations depicting a fictional NASA mission to Europa (one of Jupiter's moons), including a mission control center, an old-school Apollo-era landing module, and even a quarantine center. They were created with a variety of materials, including an old Winnebago.
Logjam Cafe itself is part mobile coffee kiosk, part happy-hour spot and part interactive art space. The brainchild of Sachs and Peddler NY, it was originally designed in Sachs’ New York studio, and accompanied the exhibit to YBCA.
Along with a cup of coffee from Brooklyn-based roaster Lofted Coffee or a glass of whiskey or mezcal, visitors can order a “screw sorting tray” with a variety of screws left over from the construction of the actual installation. They're encouraged to sort as they sip, making them a part of the artwork.
Margot Rada, an employee of YBCA who's serving as the cafe's barista, helped set up the Space Program: Europa display, and told us that one of the most rewarding parts of her involvement with the project was "to be a part of the installation itself—to actually help build it.”
While the rest of us earthlings don't have the honor of helping to build a one-of-a-kind art display, there's a good chance you'll find sipping a cup of coffee while sorting some screws surprisingly satisfying. You can also pick up some Sachs memorabilia, like books, stickers, and T-shirts.
Logjam Cafe is open to the public 9am-6pm Mondays through Wednesdays and Fridays, 9am–8pm Thursdays and 11am-6pm Saturdays and Sundays.