About
Location
If you would like to visit the Filma Collective, please make an appointment first (no walk-ins please).
Filma Collective is located in the Berkeley Gilman District (look for our gate, pic below):
801 Camelia St. Suite D Berkeley, 94710
About
Filma Collective started as an East Bay art collective founded in late 2017 and later transitioned to the hodgepodge of creativity and coworking we know today.
FILMA itself is an acronym for: Fuck it; let’s make art.
When we originally came together, we were all artists in our own right looking for something more from our creative process; not only did we want to improve our own skills, disparate as they may be, we also wanted to do something bigger than ourselves. So what did we do? We banded together and set out to put on an art show like no other. In 2018 we eventually threw that event which was called Amongst the Vines. Our patrons described it as a mini-meow wolf; we had successfully transformed an entire venue into a living breathing art project… for a day, anyway.
We quickly realized we had created something uniquely awesome and decided to continue, together, as a collective of creatives. Fast forward to 2019 and we knew we needed a place for our creativity; you see we had been making giant art pieces on the sidewalk which the police just loved. We got ourselves a little warehouse in Richmond so we could build everything and then covid happened. The world changed over night, though perhaps not our desire to make amazing interactive experiences. In order to make ends meet we converted our space into something we could share and Filma Collective: Makerspace and Coworking was born.
From this location we worked and created for several years and so did many others. Eventually it came time to renew the and we relocated to Berkeley, CA where we’re a bit more central to the action now. Filma Collective Makerspace and Coworking is a fantastic little community where someone is always working on the next best thing.
The art collective stuff still happens here btw, that didn’t go away, the art collective is just one of the groups that operates in this space. Filma Art Collective engages with various creative events in the Bay Area California including, the Autumn Lights show in Oakland, CA. We’re always working on something, checkout the news to see what’s going on.
Mission
Our mission is to exist within a thriving creative community that empowers everyone who participates. Our reward for operating and maintaining this community is that we, as artists, have a deeper creative experience. And, as we do this, we individually choose to never lose our independence within our artistic collective consciousness.
Core Creative Principles
We love art. We love creating. When we create, we came up with these four principles that guide us and what we do…
Consent – Do you love consent? We sure do! Not only are we excited about consensual interactions between humans, we want consensual interactions with art. Making an active and informed decision to do something is an important aspect of the human experience, we hope to reinforce this with everything we make.
Discovery – We’re constantly delighted when we figure something out, aren’t you? When it comes to art, we don’t like to make everything obvious. Instead we want our creations to inspire exploration beckoning you to become your best self. Plus, we absolutely love watching this process in action.
Immersion – The ability to embed oneself in a fantastic experience is a deep pleasure in life. When we create art, we want you to be the final component of a deep, enriching, experience.
Interaction – While we love stationary art, we most certainly do, interactivity provides a unique relationship with any creation. Furthermore, interaction creates a dynamic experience that changes based on the person experiencing the art. Our art responds to you, just as much as you respond to our art.