Announcing Playback Lab, Free Video Preservation for San Francisco Residents
BAVC Media and SF COMMONS have unveiled our new community preservation center, the Playback Lab!
Inspired by the Memory Lab Network at public libraries nationwide, BAVC Media and SF COMMONS now offer free, do-it-yourself audiovisual preservation services for San Francisco residents. Boasting a variety of playback machines, the SF COMMONS Playback Lab empowers our community to control their own stories held on video formats most common to the average creator.
“We’re really playing against the clock with analog media, and quickly running out of time to save crucial stories that give character to our local community. San Francisco has had such a rich tradition of independent creativity that breaks down cultural boundaries – the Playback Lab offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to celebrate this tradition, to shed light on hidden histories, and to strengthen our individual voices.”
– Tim Lake, Director of BAVC Preservation
Launching in conjunction with BAVC Preservation’s 30th anniversary, the Playback Lab will initially offer VHS, Video8/Hi8, and digital video (DV) digitization capabilities.
BAVC Media’s Preservation team: Chris Castro, Adira-Danique Philyaw, Victoria Fajardo, Tim Lake
For 30 years, BAVC Media has been a leader in video preservation, working with some of the most prestigious and celebrated institutions, universities, and foundations in the country. These collaborations have ensured long-term access to thousands of hours of our collective history, doing so with the highest standard of care and at the cutting edge of technology.
“A lot of us have old video tapes with precious memories, but figuring out how to transfer them can be tricky and often costly. SF COMMONS is offering San Francisco residents and community based organizations free access to the technology and training needed to preserve these valuable memories and stories. It’s a fantastic opportunity to keep your special moments safe and accessible, and we’re eager to assist you in preserving them.”
– Andy Kawanami, Director of Community Media at BAVC Media
The lab’s launch includes collaborations with local partners, the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) and the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) Legacy Foundation + Archive
“It’s impossible to overstate the value of the BAVC preservation team as a Bay Area resource, not just for the work they do to preserve increasingly fragile, at-risk analog media, but for their knowledge, expertise, and generosity in making preservation accessible to the community at large, as evidenced by the Playback Lab. Our analog media collections at the San Francisco Art Institute Legacy Foundation + Archive represent the explosion of creativity made possible by newly available consumer-grade video recording equipment in the 1970s and beyond, and we’re so grateful to be able to partner with BAVC to preserve some of that fascinating, unique, Bay Area art and cultural history. Bringing preservation to the community keeps these and so many other histories alive–documentation of creative work, of moments in time, of people and places that would certainly be lost otherwise.”
-Becky Alexander, Archivist, SFAI Legacy Foundation + Archive
Located in BAVC Media’s space at the Ninth Street Independent Film Center (145 9th Street, San Francisco CA 94103), the Playback Lab will be open for use by local organizations on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays; and San Francisco residents on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Interested in learning more? You can book an orientation with the Playback Lab team to get started at bavc.org/playback-lab
