The closing course of a flavor-forward Berkeley day involved a heroic dose of Monterey Bay creatives.
“Molecule to Movement,” a first-of-its-kind MDMA retrospective, bloomed with its own color and movement, unlocking the history behind the discovery, medicinal applications and party plot twists that accompany methylenedioxymethamphetamine, aka ecstasy.
UC Berkeley research chemist and pharmacology professor Alexander Shulgin and his wife Ann’s pioneering (and oft-clandestine) research carried the night, buoyed both by paintings, archival news articles, molecular models and more.
Two driving elements therein: a dazzling short film by Carmel healer/artist Domini Anne and Seaside muralist/DJ Hanif Wondir, and overall orchestration from Shulgin Foundation Executive Director Megan Bowers of Monterey, last seen helping direct Big Sur Fashion Show.
While those cosmic interlopers seek a way to screen the film for local audiences soon, the exhibit is up through May in Berkeley.