Tucked away in the Yerba Buena Gardens, the multimedia arts and technology museum with the sweet name of Zeum (pronounced "Zee-uhm") is a heaven of creativity and fun. Its digital studio, music production lab and Metafield Maze are just what it takes to fire up our imagination and awaken long forgotten feelings of endless possibility.

Though badly tempted to put on the Zeum-supplied cushiony felt costumes, film our green-screen-Karaoke performance of "Stacy's Mom" and superimpose it on a Martian landscape, our inner Nick Park held out for the clay animation studio.

Seated at the communal tables next to small backdrops and cameras, we spent the blissful better part of an hour fashioning little clay characters around bendable metal skeletons. We smiled benevolently at the tykes complaining about the missing orange clay and at their quizzical parents. Soon after, we moved our creations to the prettiest decor and took our white clay-bunny on a very convincing carrot-munching stop-animation romp in a green garden. The software allowed us to remove the one frame showing our hand and we got to
take a DVD home for a mere $5. (suggested donation)

Need we say more? While kids are busy deciding whether to stay above the influence, we know where we'll have our next birthday party.

Zeum
221 Fourth Street
(@ Howard Street)
Open Wednesday–Sunday, 11 am–5 pm
Adults $8

By SFist Natacha