Spring Break
Atomic Pop hosts first Vinylmore show
Issue date: 3/13/08
There was one that was a garish, acidic purple, with too many green bloodshot eyes rolling in every which direction. A foot to his right were two six-inch tall sheep, round and fleecy and as benign as their neighbor was creepy. Behind them was a series of five little figurines, each four inches tall, respectively representing the five different elements in a near-traditional Japanese style, save the fact the medium was a white vinyl plastic figurine.
Such were the small vinyl visitors to atomic POP in Hampden on Friday, March 7. That evening, the alternative toy/book/gadget/magazine store hosted the Vinylmore art show, the first to occur in the area. The event was created by Benn Ray, owner of Atomic Books and atomic POP, two shops catering to the eclectic, artistic and fun in taste, or, as Ray puts it, "Baltimore's first and best source for weird stuff other bookstores won't carry." The stores, which have been in operation since 1991 and have made a fan of John Waters ("a friend and regular customer," according to Ray, adding that Waters has his fanmail delivered to the store), is a hub of the characteristic funky, artistic folk who frequent Hampden.
This is the second art show atomic POP has hosted; however, it frequently hosts writers, musicians and other performers in conjunction with Atomic Books. The prompt, to "take a blank vinyl figure and translate your art using it," as Ray said, was chosen ad hoc by the store owner himself. He says he found his contributors in his own store, regulars who have enjoyed the creative atmosphere at the two Atomic stores. In particular, Ray said, "I specifically went after local artists who were friends or who I was a fan of. This involved photographers, sculptors, tattooists, graffiti artists, comic illustrators, graphic designers, interior painters, fine artists, black velvet painters, etc. But then, I also invited some toy customizers who were regulars at atomic POP to participate too." The result of such diversity of talent and medium, from body ink to interior design, was a unique, sundry show, tied together in its creative havoc by the medium which dictated the artists' only restraint: MUNNY. MUNNY is best described as a soft, solid-colored (either white, pink, black, blue or glow-in-the-dark) vinyl toy with moveable joints and a round head, simian mouth protrusion and half-moon ears, with short trunk legs and vaguely shaped hands lacking distinction between the four fingers. Really what MUNNY looks like is an alien anime claymation figure, frozen and waiting for action.
Such were the small vinyl visitors to atomic POP in Hampden on Friday, March 7. That evening, the alternative toy/book/gadget/magazine store hosted the Vinylmore art show, the first to occur in the area. The event was created by Benn Ray, owner of Atomic Books and atomic POP, two shops catering to the eclectic, artistic and fun in taste, or, as Ray puts it, "Baltimore's first and best source for weird stuff other bookstores won't carry." The stores, which have been in operation since 1991 and have made a fan of John Waters ("a friend and regular customer," according to Ray, adding that Waters has his fanmail delivered to the store), is a hub of the characteristic funky, artistic folk who frequent Hampden.
This is the second art show atomic POP has hosted; however, it frequently hosts writers, musicians and other performers in conjunction with Atomic Books. The prompt, to "take a blank vinyl figure and translate your art using it," as Ray said, was chosen ad hoc by the store owner himself. He says he found his contributors in his own store, regulars who have enjoyed the creative atmosphere at the two Atomic stores. In particular, Ray said, "I specifically went after local artists who were friends or who I was a fan of. This involved photographers, sculptors, tattooists, graffiti artists, comic illustrators, graphic designers, interior painters, fine artists, black velvet painters, etc. But then, I also invited some toy customizers who were regulars at atomic POP to participate too." The result of such diversity of talent and medium, from body ink to interior design, was a unique, sundry show, tied together in its creative havoc by the medium which dictated the artists' only restraint: MUNNY. MUNNY is best described as a soft, solid-colored (either white, pink, black, blue or glow-in-the-dark) vinyl toy with moveable joints and a round head, simian mouth protrusion and half-moon ears, with short trunk legs and vaguely shaped hands lacking distinction between the four fingers. Really what MUNNY looks like is an alien anime claymation figure, frozen and waiting for action.
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