Night+Day

tuesday
september 3
Photo Synthesis Photography is charged with X-ray-type power in the hands of artist Adrienne Bolsega, whose black-and-white portrait photograms reveal her subjects in startling new ways; it wasn't until she made one of her ailing father, for example, that she realized how frail and small he had become. Bolsega obtains her images by pressing skin directly against photosensitive paper, without the interference of camera or lens. This way, she says, she can "capture the unseen spirit of the person." An exhibit of Bolsega's work opens at 8 a.m. (and continues through Oct. 11) at the Downstairs Gallery, UC Extension Center, 55 Laguna, S.F. Admission is free; call 252-5221.

The Reel Wheel Deal In honor of the Cycle Messenger World Championships '96, the Red Vic will unspool three locally produced videos celebrating eco-friendly transportation. Ted White's 1992 Return of the Scorcher shows links between environmentalism and feminism; Wella Lasola and Seth Weinstein's 1992 Beasts of Burden, meanwhile, delves into the subculture of S.F.'s bike messengers; and Chris Harvey's 1993 On Any Third Sunday captures footage of the races and other activities run by the S.F. Illegal Soapbox Society at the top of Bernal Heights. Screenings are at 7:15 and 9:15 p.m. at the Red Vic, 1727 Haight, S.F. Admission is $4.50-6; call 668-3994.