Whipped Cream & Other Delights: remake/remodel
February 7, 2014
By Jillian Owens
February 7, 2014
Thrift Store aficionados everywhere have probably stumbled upon at least one of the 6 million copies of this iconic album:
Once you see it, you can’t really forget it.
What’s going on here? What happened to this poor woman that resulted in her being outfitted in chiffon and what appears to be not whipped cream, but shaving foam (Shaving Foam & Other Delights just wasn’t very catchy)? The world may never know.
Throughout his many years as a record collection buyer, Chris Bickel kept finding copy after copy of this 1965 hit. An obsession was born!
A Man with a (slightly strange) Vision!
As a record collector, I found most of my prized scores in this time after the general public dumped off entire prized collections, but before the internet scavengers had a marketplace. Trips to thrift stores and flea markets were a daily ritual. In endless searches for elusive gems, one could not ignore the omnipresence of Herb Alpert’s Whipped Cream and Other Delights LP. That record was EVERYWHERE. Every stack you looked through would have at least 2 copies. It was hard to ignore because of the arresting covert art. Even if you had seen it a million times, it would always stop you in your tracks: Hey, this looks cool! – Oh, it’s Herb Alpert again, I must have said to myself a million times.
Bickel grew increasingly enthralled and annoyed with the album, and found himself buying every copy he encountered. His current Whipped Cream and Other Delights collection is now over 400 albums strong (and growing!).
But what of it? So some weird guy is hoarding copies of a particular album. Who cares?
I’m getting there.
Chris Bickel had a plan.
I began to give the covers away to artist friends and had them altered in an effort to turn an essentially worthless monument of obsessive compulsive behavior into something of value. Using the canvas that is already a masterpiece and allowing the artist to improve upon or degrade, I have begun to rebuild the collection into something more or less than pop culture detritus.
20 local artists were commissioned to transform Whipped Cream & Other Delights into something that delighted them. He and Jeffrey Day, arts writer & curator partnered to bring an exhibition of these works to the Community Gallery of 701 Whaley.
The results of this artistic experiment are funny, creepy, beautiful, campy, and bizarre.
Lyon Hill got Klimty with his creation.
Jeffrey Day’s work is a bit more old school.
Amanda Ladymon’s Lady Priestess de Cream is a steal at $50.
…but it’s hard to play favorites with such an eclectic collection!
The opening on Tuesday, February 4th drew in quite a crowd. The event was a Who’s Who of the Columbia Art scene, and the reception of this odd & obsessive collection was overwhelmingly positive.
Artists and Art Lovers come together!
Events like this feed the creative soul of our city. How awesome is it that a guy can take his very random act of OCD and turn it into a fun collaboration with some terrific artists and actually get a really great turnout on a rainy Tuesday night?
You should definitely take the time to swing by the Community Gallery of 701 Whaley and check out Whipped Cream & Other Delights: remake/remodel before it closes. This exhibition of 30 works by 20 artists includes about a dozen works that will be for sale. You can check out the facebook page for this event right here.
Here’s what you need to know to see the show:
Whipped Cream and Other Delights: remake/remodel
February 5, 2014 – February 22, 2014
Address: 701 Whaley Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Recurrence: Every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Times: Wednesday: 11am-8pm; Thursday & Friday: 11am-5pm; Saturday: 9am- 5pm; Sunday: 1pm-5pm
Admission: Free
Phone: 803-939-4735
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