Established in 2006, Machines with Magnets hosts experimental music performances, sound and art exhibitions and installations, performance art, film and video screenings, cultural and community events, private events, and fundraisers. Past performances include The Body, Dan Deacon, Mirah, Etran de l'Aïr, Braveyoung, Lydia Lunch, Lightning Bolt, Brown Bird, Container, and Mdou Moctar.
Upcoming Events + Tickets
All ages unless otherwise noted, 21+ with valid ID to drink
Self-Haunted Opening Reception
Thursday, November 19, 2026
6:00 pm
to
9:00 pm
Free
Drawing from Huabi, a tale in the Chinese literary classic Liaozhai Zhiyi, Self-Haunted explores the shifting boundaries between image, desire, and surveillance. In the story a man is drawn into a celestial paradise painted on a wall. What first unfolds as a realm of desire slowly darkens into fear, as an armored official appears in search of an intruder. The painted world shifts with the movements of the mind, where desire and dread give shape to what seems real. Self-Haunted revisits the painted wall as both an image and a boundary, inviting entry while holding the power to expel. Across the exhibition, images beckon, linger, and quietly return our gaze. As enchantment gives way to scrutiny, the worlds we conjure begin to haunt us, shaping how we see and are seen.
Drawing from Huabi, a tale in the Chinese literary classic Liaozhai Zhiyi, Self-Haunted explores the shifting boundaries between image, desire, and surveillance. In the story a man is drawn into a celestial paradise painted on a wall. What first unfolds as a realm of desire slowly darkens into fear, as an armored official appears in search of an intruder. The painted world shifts with the movements of the mind, where desire and dread give shape to what seems real. Self-Haunted revisits the painted wall as both an image and a boundary, inviting entry while holding the power to expel. Across the exhibition, images beckon, linger, and quietly return our gaze. As enchantment gives way to scrutiny, the worlds we conjure begin to haunt us, shaping how we see and are seen.
Put on your biggest hat and race to Machines With Magnets for Headmaster’s second annual Pawtucky Derby. You can expect: * Giveaways and contests: a pony ride dance-off! a fancy hat contest! another contest we’re not telling you about yet but which doesn’t actually require any advance preparations! * Prizes for the winners courtesy of Pretty Snake, House of Cach, Dark Entries Records, Paradise of Bachelors, njoy toys and, of course, Headmaster. * Copies of Headmaster No. 6, along with our exclusive new Headmaster sixpacks * Derby-inspired Loyal 9 vodka cocktails devised especially for the occasion * Music from Erik Ymerica and dancing and people that you know and like (or maybe don’t know and will soon like) * More!
