Bay Area/ San Francisco/ Arts & Culture
Published on October 13, 2016
Inside Logjam, Yerba Buena Center For The Arts' New Interactive Art CafePhotos: Elaine Gavin/Hoodline

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 spaceThe 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.