Vinyl on Vinyl turns 2 with Tara McPherson

Tucked away in a corner of the bohemian talyer in Makati known popularly as The Collective is a nook splashed wall-to-wall with graphical delirium called, simply, Vinyl on Vinyl. And it's now two years old: the art space and designer toy store opened in February 2010 as one of the first establishments at The Collective along Malugay St.

 

American visual artist Tara McPherson came back to Manila to join in the celebrations with an exhibit at Vinyl on Vinyl as well as a series of talks at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts and the College of St. Benilde. 

 

The anniversary event was co-presented by Fully Booked, marking the second collaboration between Vinyl and the bookstore. The first was the Vinyl+Splash event last November, bringing together comic book and contemporary artists in a fundraiser for the World Food Programme. 

 

For the jam-packed anniversary event on February 8, Vinyl on Vinyl launched an exhibit of McPherson's work, which ranges from band gig posters to prints and drawings. Local bands Chillitees, Bagetsafonik, and Vulture Club performed at the opening night. McPherson arrived to meet her fans and to autograph prints, drawings, and her latest book, Bunny in the Moon —a compilation of her art work, sold through Fully Booked. (The book won't be on sale internationally until next month.)

 

Talking before students and faculty at the UP College of Fine Arts the next day, McPherson said she actually considered becoming an astrophysicist before plunging into the arts.

 

“I am more fascinated with theories than the math itself,” McPherson commented, saying that some of what she learned showed up in some of her work. 

 

While the faculty present asked about her experience as a teacher at the Parsons School of Design at the New School University in New York, students were more eager to know about her own artistic process and her pet peeves. 

 

“I don't like it when artists copy other artists,” she said, advising those present that “once someone else comes up with the exact same idea that you thought about, it's not a good idea to put your work out there.”

 

Vinyl on Vinyl itself opened in 2010 and, apart from being an art space, sells designer vinyl toys and vinyl records (hence its name). In August of that year, the space hosted McPherson on her first visit to Manila as part of the Graphika Manila conference. 

 

While Vinyl was not the first store in Manila to sell designer toys, its owners are enthusiastic about toys and art and how these two intersect. 

 

One of the principal partners, Gaby de la Merced, describes the store's history this way: “At the beginning, our first year, it was about establishing ourselves, introducing the type of art we have and who we are. This year, it was more about showcasing artists, both up-and-coming ones and those whom we've had from the very beginning.” This year, she says, the priority is making local artists known to the wider world, aside from bringing in artists from abroad. She cites for instance the Indonesian artist and toy designer Arkiv Vilmana, who has exhibited twice at Vinyl, and notes that his last show, which opened on 16 December, was a tribute to the Philippines.

 

De la Merced says that the movement which Vinyl on Vinyl represents is a very new one in the local art scene. “It's been pretty much underground, but it's been surfacing, and people are getting to know it,” she says, “and I really do think this is the wave of the future. I think people will catch on.” An ongoing show at Charlie Cojuangco's Nova Gallery featured a work one of Vinyl's artists, Gabby Tiongson. As for Vinyl itself, it has not yet disclosed further plans except that your correspondent is aware that its schedule is full for 2012. — TJD, GMA News All photos courtesy of Fully Booked