Saturday, May 25, 2013

MISSION CONTROL

Your favorite place to get friendly

‘Speakeasy’

Speakeasy: Sexual Revolutions

Posted by Gravity On April - 12 - 2013

Thursday, May 30th
8pm – Midnight

We are proud to announce the return of Speakeasy to Mission Control!
You are invited to share in this very special evening!

SEX GEEK SPEAKEASY: SEXUAL REVOLUTIONS
Hosted by Sex Educators Reid Mihalko & Monika Thomas

$15 Advance | $20 at the Door | Free for Allies with RSVP

You can fully explore the pleasurevolution of today, yesterday, and the future at the "Sexual Revolutions" Sex Geek Speakeasy. We’ll be entwining the spectrum of sex-positive communities with performances, mini-workshops, and a panel discussing what makes sexual revolutions possible, personally, locally, and socio-historically.

The panel will be moderated by Robert Lawrence, co-founder of the Center for Sex & Culture with panelists like Deborah Taj Anapol, Ph.D. author of "Love Without Limits" and “Polyamory in the 21st Century,” and Joani Blank founder of Down There Press and Good Vibrations.

We’re piling up a diverse cross-section of sex-positive communities from BDSM to tantra, polyamory, and beyond. You could experience a mini-workshop on breath work, massage, 2nd base petting and body language, and watch burlesque, suspension bondage, or a kinky splooshing scene.

Also, there will be an on-location broadcast of the Sex Geek Speakeasy on the sex-positive-feminist radio show, Sexploration with Monika. An exhibit from fine art erotic photographer David Steinberg will celebrate sexuality with disability and transgender beauty.

~Hosted By~

Monika Thomas

Sexploration with Monika is a sex-positive talk show with certified sexual health educator Monika Thomas who firmly believes “Sex is proof that God loves us and wants us to have fun!” Monika likes to discuss how women and men get what they want in the context of sex and relationships with a heavy emphasis on exploring new ideas, consent, negotiation, safe sex, non-traditional relationships, connection, communication, and play. SexplorationwithMonika.com.

Reid Mihalko

Reid’s workshops have been attended by close to 30,000 people from a myriad walks of life, orientations, relationship styles, countries and religions. Known for his charisma, wit and emphasis on integrity, Reid travels the country teaching, coaching, consulting and collaborating on fulfilling his mission: Create more self-esteem, self-confidence and health for adults in and out of the bedroom. Follow Reid on Twitter as @ReidAboutSex. Learn more about Reid on his web site ReidAboutSex.com

~Our Esteemed Panelists~
He has been a safer-sex educator since 1980, and is the co-founder of SF’s Center of Sex and Culture producing and designing safer-sex education events of many kinds. During his decades as a guest lecturer at colleges and universities, he’s covered a diverse range of sexuality-related topics.

Debra is an explorer of the spaces where sex, spirit, sustainability, love & ecology meet. Her Tantric journey through inner & outer space is an ongoing process of discovery. She brings over 30 years of professional practice, to her work as a seminar leader and relationship coach.

She founded Down There Press, a publisher of sex-related books in ’75. She later founded Good Vibrations. She was one of the
first volunteers at San Francisco
Sex Information Blank is also known for her inventions of the Butterfly vibrator and
Intimate Art Tattoos

Cléo Dubois was an early member of the SF Leather community & is now a BDSM educator, writer, documentarian, ritualist, & personal trainer in the kinky arts. Known for her fiery style and body-spirit-heart connection , she’s become one of the most respected of the early practitioners.

Tommi is a longtime queer activist, writer and performer who was part of the Gay Liberation Front, and the
queer sexual revolution
in Philadelphia in the early
70s. He is editor of “Smash the Church, Smash the State: the early years of gay
liberation (City Lights).

~And ART By~
David Steinberg is a photographer, author, and journalist whose work focuses on issues of masculinity and sexuality. He was awarded Best Photographer for the Erotic Awards 2010 and is the editor of Photo Sex: Fine Art Sexual Photography Comes of Age and The Erotic Impulse : Honoring the Sensual Self. He writes a column for SFGate.
~Also Featuring~
Crayon
Coloring
Contest
Learn Petting
& Body Language tips
Kitty performs
a playful
kink scene

Live
Suspension Bondage

Spanking & Kink Demos in the Fungeon
Tantric
Breath Work
& Touch
~Plus!~

A SEXY SCREENING!
Get a sneak peek of some of the hottest sex technique films!

Divine Nectar: A Guide To Female Ejaculation by
Tallulah Sullis

AND

Better Female Masturbation and a Better Sex Life with Daisy from the Welcomed Consensus

Dress:
You can opt to wear a costume of historical sexual revolution…
the roaring 20′s, the swinging 60′s… or even the first wave of "free love" in the 1870′s.
Or come as your own personal sexual revolution!
Vibe:
This is not a play party.
It is a very sexy party that will stmulate your mind and stir your soul.
A feast for the eyes. A sensational soiree . . .
No PAL required.

This is a Private Event for Mission Control Members.
(Membership is Free & Instant!)

21 and over only (we check ID!).
We don’t serve alcohol, so BYOB

           


Speakeasy: Sex at Dawn!

Posted by Gravity On October - 31 - 2011

Thursday, November 10
Doors 7pm | Panel 8pm | Close 11pm

We are proud to invite our Mission Control Allies to this very special event…

SEX AT DAWN – Modelling a New Culture of Sharing
A panel discussing open relationships, artistic collaboration, and alternative economics

Cost for Allies: Free with RSVP | Guests of Allies $20 | RSVP & Tickets Click Here

~Featuring ~

Christpher Ryan
www.sexatdawn.com

Funny, witty, and light . . . the book is a scandal in the best sense, one that will have you reading the best parts aloud and reassessing your ideas about humanity’s basic urges well after the book is done.” — Newsweek

Michael Mikel

Director of Advanced Social Systems at Burning Man and founder of Black Rock Rangers
www.burningman.org

Neal Gorenflo

Co-founder and publisher of Shareable Magazine, a nonprofit online magazine about sharing.
www.shareable.net

Polly & Scott

Founders of Mission Control

Come and see this star studded panel at Mission Control as they discuss the larger cultural implications of the book ‘Sex at Dawn’ with it’s author Christopher Ryan. Continuing on from the Open Relationships panel at the Supperclub the night before, this panel expands the conversation, focusing on the idea that so much of what has been considered ‘the darker side of human nature’ is, in fact, not natural to our species. We bring together experts who are modelling a new culture of sharing to talk about their experiences and insights on modern human behavior.

Artistic Collaboration
When you take people out of their everyday life, and give them the opportunity to create whatever inspires them, the drive to collaborate isn’t driven by money or fear. What is it driven by, and how can we replicate that ‘natural’ desire to work together in our culture?

Open Relationships
The default social norm in our culture is monogamy, and most people don’t even realize there is an alternative. How can we create new social structures that support alternative relationship models and give people the opportunity to explore what really works for them?

Alternative Currency
Our current economics are defined as ‘the distribution of scarce resources’. What happens if the resources are not scarce? Using technology to remove the need for a centralized system, and the ability to make new agreements about how we distribute our resources, what happens to people’s interactions when their ‘money’ is not scarce?

About Our Community
Mission Control is a membership supported and volunteer run community space- “a nexus of artistic, sensual and social evolution.” We have a core membership that we call ‘The Alliance’ and we host exclusive events for them, like workshops and panel discussions, as a thank you for their contribution.

Speakeasy: Ecosexual

Posted by Jason On November - 1 - 2010

Mission Control Presents:

Speakeasy: Ecosexual

Thursday, December 2nd |

7 PM – 11 PM

Join hosts Annie Sprinkle, Carol Queen, and Francesca Gentille as they explore our harmony with nature and our harmony with each other.

~

Enjoy Hors D’oeuvres by En Fuego

~

Speakeasy is a social and cultural gathering that invites our community to learn, discuss, and share together.

What is Ecosexuality and Why is it So Hot?

with Ecosexologist Annie Sprinkle, Ph.D.

Take a stimulating, provocative, and rather kinky journey with Annie as she shifts the metaphor from Earth as mother, to Earth as lover. This pioneering new show & tell slideshow presentation explores the landscape of a new, satisfying sexual identity. See green porno, X-rated environmental activists, and ecosex art. Check out fetishes such as aquaphilia, arboreal frottage, wind play, mysophilia, cloud sex, pollen-amory and learn to find your e-spot.  By the end of this half-hour presentation you’ll want be ecosexual too!

Annie Sprinkle Ph.D. is the prostitute/porn star turned artist/sexologist. She has passionately researched and explored sexuality in all of its glorious and inglorious forms for thirty six years, and has shared her findings all along the way through producing and starring in her own unique brand of sex films, photographic work, teaching workshops, and college lectures.

Sustainable Sex Toys for an Ecorotic World

with Dr. Carol Queen

You care about the carbon footprint of the products you consume: what about your sex toys and your lube? Is it possible for locavores to have a “locarotic” sex life? Which products are better for the environment? What do you (and your friendly local sex-shopkeepers) have to consider if you want to love and lust as greenly as possible? Dr. Carol Queen, Good Vibrations Staff Sexologist, will cover all this and more!

Carol Queen is an author, editor, sociologist and sexologist active in the sex-positive feminism movement. Queen has written on human sexuality in books such as Real Live Nude Girl: Chronicles of Sex-Positive Culture. She has written a sex tutorial, Exhibitionism for the Shy: Show Off, Dress Up and Talk Hot, as well as erotica, such as the novel The Leather Daddy and the Femme. Queen has produced adult movies, events, workshops and lectures. Queen was featured as an instructor and star in both installments of the Bend Over Boyfriend series about female-to-male anal sex, or pegging. She has also served as editor for compilations and anthologies. She is a sex-positive sex educator in the United States.

A Gaia Themed Ritual

with Francesca Gentille

Gaia philosophy is a broadly inclusive term for related concepts that living organisms on a planet will affect the nature of their environment in order to make the environment more suitable for life.

Francesca will present the ritual to small groups of 8-10 people behind the closed doors of Mission Control’s Harem room. Each session will take about 20 minutes. The focus will include:

-Earth as Mother, Lover, and Home
-Body Blessings: Earth, Air, Fire, & Water
-Macrocosm & Microcosm

Francesca Gentille is an initiated shaman in 4 traditions, clinical sexologist, empowered aging specialist, and relationship counselor. She is the popular internet radio host of Sex: Tantra & Kama Sutra and co-author of the award-winning sex & relationship book “The Marriage of Sex & Spirit.” Francesca is the co-director of the Integrative Arts Institute, and the founder of The Sacred Courtesan School of Feminine Mystique and Power. She is the creator of the village model of Shamanic Soul Coaching – reclaiming the treasures of spirit lost in the dark of trauma.

Hors D’oeuvres by En Fuego

Presented by Dana Kelly

Served by Nymphs & Satyrs

Executive Chef Leslie Pineda, and Designer/Foodie/Producer Dana Kelly are the co-founders of En Fuego —a reoccurring food-art event. Chef Pineda has worked in some of San Francisco Bay Area’s finest restaurants, always with the idea that the best ingredients along with presentation, make for the best culinary experience. The focus is on bringing flavor and flair to the community, using fresh local organic ingredients.

Cost: Members -$20 at the door, $15 pre-sale | Allies -Free!
Members click HERE for presale tickets.

This is a private event for Mission Control members (Membership is free & instant)
21 and over with ID.  BYOB. No alcohol will be served. No PAL required, so bring your friends!

This is a social and cultural event and not a play party, though some nudity may be shown.

Please dress up in earth friendly or 20′s Speakeasy attire if you can. It’s more fun that way!

Great Night: Speakeasy Japan

Posted by Gravity On April - 5 - 2010

Speakeasy Japan was a huge success! Thanks to everyone that volunteered to make Mission Control’s first Speakeasy a great event. And thanks to all the folks that came out and participated in a truly unique and memorable evening.

Speakeasy – Japan, Tuesday March 23rd

Posted by Jason On March - 3 - 2010

Join us for Speakeasy-Japan, a social and cultural gathering exploring the contrast of contemporary and traditional Japanese culture,
celebrated within the magical milieu that is Mission Control.

Featuring:

Midori on Pink Japan | Chanoyu Tea Ceremony by Heather Tea Dragon | Japanese Love Hotel and Fetish Tea Service | Shibari style Rope Bondage | Japanese Snacks… and More!

 

~

Tuesday, March 23rd 7 PM – 11 PM

$20 at the door, $15 pre-sale.  No PAL required, so bring your friends! Alliance Cards and Multipasses accepted. This is a social and cultural event and not a play party, though some nudity may be shown. As always, strictly BYOB.

Please dress up in Cosplay or 20′s Speakeasy attire if you can. It’s more fun that way!

 



* Scroll down for more info *

~

Pink Japan: Secret Lives & Underground Sex Cultures

Take a tour of the sexual underbelly of Japan in this funny expose.

Presented by Midori

Join Midori, author of The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage, in this quirky and insightful talk and a double-expatriate’s presentation of Japan’s hidden sexual culture. Midori is a Kyoto born, Tokyo-raised, trouble-making, freak-seeking missile of a Japanese-American author and sex educator based in San Francisco.

From cuisine, music, fashion, technology to anime, Japan’s cultural influences on the West is immense. In many ways Japanese erotic cultures also influence today’s Western tastes. Yet the daily realities of Japan’s gender relations, sexual habits, sexual consumer culture remain hidden to us, creating an aura of mystique. Join us and peak behind the sliding walls…

Acclaimed writer and lecturer on a wide range of sexual topics, and an activist, Midori has a degree in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and vast indispensable experience as a pioneering San Francisco sex educator. She is known for her humanistic, humorous and warm classes that help revv-up sex lives and encourage self discovery and personal growth. Originally from Japan, now based in San Francisco, she travels all over the globe teaching passionate love skill. A regular advice columnist for CarnalNation, Men’s Health, and other publication, Midori has appeared on HBO and BBC, and has been featured in Vogue, Playboy, Der Spiegel, Cosmo and more. Multifaceted, she is a performance and installation artist who has been invited to present to art institutions such as Tanzquartier, Vienna and Das Arts in Amsterdam. She’s the author of bestselling books “The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage” and “Wild Side Sex”

For more on Midori, visit   Www.PlanetMidori.com

~

Chanoyu Tea Ceremony

Hosted by Heather Tea Dragon

Ms. Tea Dragon is looking forward to serving you a bowl of tea at Mission Control. There will be three seatings during the course of the evening. However, space is limited, so please secure your admittance ticket for the tearoom early!

Born in the year of the Dragon, this little “Tea Dragon” has been trained in the tradition of Urasenke Chanoyu. She began her studies of chanoyu at the University of Hawai’i in a beautifully rustic tea house set amidst a traditional Japanese garden located on the Mānoa campus. The scenery and atmosphere of the location inspired her to pursue the Way of Tea all the way to Kyoto, Japan; where she studied at the technical tea college for one year.  Soon she was living in the Bay Area continuing her studies in San Francisco and volunteering at the Sakura Matsuri, local educational programs for college students, art galleries, and museums. She continues to host gatherings both public and private and always makes sure to bring her tea whisk with her to the playa.

Chanoyu literally means “hot water for tea.” This procedure of making and drinking powdered green tea is a form, definite and regular. It cannot be defined as to content. That is for each person, each occasion to decide. While chanoyu may be a solitary activity, more often it is done within a small group of people.

In the words of Sen Genshitsu, fifteenth generation Head Tea Master of the Urasenke Tradition of Chanoyu, “Strange to say, this tranquility [of sitting alone] will deepen even further when another person enters the microcosm of the tearoom and joins the host….That we can find a lasting tranquility within our own selves in the company of others is the paradox.”

~

 

Shibari with Madame Butterfly, MastressK, & miss meowrs
Shibari, or kinbaku, is the Japanese art of bondage. It is a significant theme in Japanese eroticism and invokes a fascination with domination and submission. Translated literally Shibari means “to tie” or “to bind.” It is used in Japan to describe the artful binding of objects or packages. It has come to also mean bondage of a jujun (“one who submits to the rope”) in intricate yet simple patterns by the nawashi (“one who uses rope”).  It aims to be aesthetically pleasing to behold and sensually pleasing to experience.
As Midori describes it, the:

artistic heart (of Shibari) is much like that of Ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement) . . . Take the natural ingredient, apply to it the artist’s interpretation, distilling nature’s patterns. . . thus producing a symbolized homage to the balance and grace of natural forces. Like Ikebana, which understands, incorporates, and represents the drama of seasons, Japanese rope bondage understands, incorporates and represents the drama of fantasy and sexual desire.

At Speakeasy Japan we will enjoy the Shibari art of Madame Butterfly and MastressK – each acting as ‘nawashi’ for the evening. Join them in the main room as they artfully bind, interpret and distill the beauty of miss meowrs, their ‘jujun’.

~

Love Hotel Cafe

envisioned by our very own Chris Kiss

For one night only, we bring to you the Mission Control Love Hotel Tea Service. Japan’s erotic impulses are translated into cultural and contextual “mash-ups” that fetishize the innocent, the foreign and the virtual.

Chris will combine two of these: a Maid and Butler Cafe and a Love Hotel. The result – a Love Hotel Cafe where you can enjoy tea and scones served by attentive and sweet Maids and servile and accommodating Butlers.  Become Master or Madame of the house for the time it takes you to quaff your tea (sip slowly!).

 

A uniquely Japanese institution, the phenomenon of the Love Hotel is captivating both aesthetically and in terms of its function in the layered and complex sex culture of Japan. Sharing roots with the geisha teahouses of the Edo period, love hotels provide an insight into the psycho-social and political history of sex in Japan, and speak to prevailing views and expressions of kink, sexual orientation and social convention. Often combining traditional furnishings and aesthetic elements such as shoji screens, tansus, and Ukiyo-e woodblock prints with contemporary elements such as manga, karaoke, video game consoles, device bondage, school-girl pornography, and various visual tropes adopted from western culture, these spaces represent one of the many fascinating aspects of the nuanced world of sexuality and fetish in Japan.

 

Mission Control and the love hotel serve distinctly different roles in their respective sexual sub-cultures – Mission Control has been designed to foster community and openness while the love hotel is designed to serve the privacy needs of its clients – however, they share many characteristics. Both use the artistry of environmental design to stimulate imagination, and both provide a unique place for freedom of expression.

PLUS:

Japanese Snacks

Music

And More!

In true Mission Control style, there are many ways to co-create & participate… dress up, volunteer, bring japanese goodness, ask questions, and start conversation.  This is our time to relax together.

Enjoy the social and cultural nexus that brings all your favorite friendly people together.

COSTUME PLAY!

Please feel free to dress up in your favorite Japanese Cosplay or Speakeasy 20′s wear.

It’s more fun that way!


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