Going analog

On November 19, Gazetteer SF hosted Chat Room: Analog at Swedish American Hall on Market Street, a celebration of the pleasures of hands-on experience, especially in our digital age.

The idea for the night was simple enough: Bring interesting people together to discuss how San Franciscans are returning to tactile experiences. Folks like artist and founder Caterina Fake, The Two Eighty Project vintner Christopher Renfro, Zyzzyva editor-in-chief Oscar Villalon, and Modern Appealing Clothing co-owner Ben Ospital took to the stage for lively, wide-ranging conversations. 

Panels included a look at print featuring Villalon, Kernel co-founder Jasmine Sun, and Bathers Library creator Justin Carder moderated by Cydney Hayes; a chat about urban farming with Renfro and farmers-educators Thomas Abbott and Jenna Frank led by Olivia Peluso; a confab about in-person shopping with Ospital and The Future Past owner Lindsey Hansen with Joshua Bote; and a keynote interview with Fake conducted by Matt Haber. Eddie Kim served as our MC.

To encourage attendees to create and explore, we welcomed artists like Crochet Jam creator Ramekon O'Arwisters, punk publisher V. Vale, and typewriter artists Benjamin Bernthal and Holly Juliet Zimbert. DJ Tangerine Meadows and DJ Trippy Chris got the crowd going.

Gazetteer SF has hosted Chat Rooms as a way to connect with our subscribers and the wider reader community since 2024. Analog was our most ambitious event yet and a reminder that with all the distractions available in our pockets, the most interesting things can still be found in real life.