Cabinet of Short Stories
Mimi Berlin 2016
Amsterdam, Date Dear....... You are now the owner of Mimi Berlin’s installation “Cabinet of Short Stories”. This artists’ book is the irst and only copy, it accompanies the installation and it shows you, in detail, exactly what’s in the Cabinet of Short Stories” it also contains the actual stories of the works on display.
This cabinet is now your property. So if u like you can change or replace the objects, or even take them out and wear them. Just play around with it all, why don’t you? You can put everything back where it belongs easily; the original spots are marked.
xoxo Mimi Berlin
Cabinet of Short Stories*
Powder Box Girls Top Floor / Page 4
History of Circus Legends Third Shelf / Page 8
Evolutionary Extravaganza Second Shelf / Page 14
Close-Up Portraits First Shelf / Page 20
No Harm Harem Basement / Page 22
*As seen at the X-Bank in Amsterdam, 2016.
Cabinet of Short Stories Top Shelf: Powder Box Girls Powderbox Girls: readymades by Mimi Berlin, 2016. Mixed media with found and collectable objects, which have been left untouched and treasured in plastic cubes. Five of the original ‘Powder Box Girls’ (part of Mimi Berlin’s ‘Fuck Flat’ series) are featured at the top shelf of the ‘Cabinet of Short Stories’ You can see these girls as souvenirs from the Amsterdam Red Light district. The reason they are placed on the topshelf? Sex Sells!
The Story: The ‘Powder Box Girls’ stand tall in their windows; launting bodyparts like there’s no tomorrow. Shamelessly they try to haul anyone who passes them by into their tiny rooms. Shine and glitter is all that matters in these shopwindows. Yes, you guessed right, these girls are for sale; they work the red-light district by night. And by night only; they are different from the other ‘scarlet women’. You must know that these girls of pleasure have dayjobs as well. Working during the day is very important to them, without these jobs they couldn’t work as prostitutes. For them society is turned upside-down. The ‘Powder Box Girls’ feel they’re going to miss out on a very big slice of life if they haven’t at least spent 5 years taking care of an other person’s sexual needs, for money. Needless to say, the Powder Box Girls (and their believes) are a just a small group of sex-workers. They it neatly into one “building”; The ‘Fuck Flat’.
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Gorgeous Librarian, 2016, Mixed media (plastic cube, 1920s porcelain halfdoll, Dutch pocket dictionary, 1st pressing/ Meulenhoff ca 1950) 9 x 9 cm.
The Story: This is Delia, she suffers from severe memory loss. Her daytime job as a librarian can be done easily; she just looks up everything she needs to know, again and again. Her speciality at night is bondage. This gorgeous librarian likes to experiment with plastic elastics, the ones she gets from the mailman. Delia thinks it’s a more friendly way to tie people down; that is not the case of course. She knows that, but she forgets. It’s never a valuable lesson for Delia when one of her clients turns blue, but they keep coming back for more.
Powder Box Girls
Stripper Pole, 2016, Mixed media (plastic cube, 1920/30s etched glass, porcelain legs marked “Deutschland”, 1960s metal compact powder box) 9 x 9 cm.
The Story: This is Sella, aka ‘La Giraffa’ Sella is a top fashion model, At night Sella works as a striptease dancer, specialized in spinning the dancing pole. Sella always was the most known for her legs, they were so long that they earned her nickname ‘La Giraffa” Lady Dice, 2016, Mixed media (plastic cube, 1920s/1930s porcelain halfdoll, $1 bill, 1950s compact powder box) 9 x 9 cm.
The story: This is Tina, by day she earns her living with gambling; hence the nickname ‘Dice’. Tina is popular, she gets the most tips. She thinks it’s a blessing, but it’s not. Yes you guessed right: Tina’s Tips are being swallowed at the crap table every day, this way Tina compromises her position behind her window at night each and every day. Nobody knows for sure if she will be present at night, up till now she missed 7 shifts.
Vanity, 2016, Mixed media (plastic, 1920/30s etched glass, porcelain halfdoll, 1950s metal compact powder box) 9 x 9 cm.
The story: This is Loulou, she is from Germany. Her day job is taking care of children at the daycare center in the local gym. Loulou is one of 6 sisters, so during the night she likes to just take care of herself. The customers she attracts are the ones who like to watch Debby, 2016, Mixed media (plastic cube, 1940s/50s porcelain Dutch souvenir wooden shoe, fur, anodised aluminium, 1960s metal powderbox, biscuit porcelain) 9 x 9 cm.
The Story: This is ‘Debby’, she was born in the smallest village in The Netherlands. During the daytime she is an estheticienne. At night, next to having plain sex for cash, she takes care of her colleauges by tyding up their hair. Debby likes to shave eyebrows off, cut long hair short and she loves pushing haircoloration to it’s limits.
Cabinet of Short Stories
Third Shelf: The History of Circus Legends Two original statuettes, (readymades in carefully selected vintagedeluxe 20th century products) from the series; ‘The History of Circus Legends’, ‘Contorsionist’ and the’ Well Done Lamb’, have been placed on the third loor of Mimi Berlin’s ‘Cabinet of Short Stories’. They are situated amongst irst editions of Mimi Merchandise (launched in 2016): Silk Scarf “Mirror” (the irst and only signed and numbered scarf on earth) and the irst ‘Giant Rabbit’ sculpture, also signed and numbered. >’Headless Girl Resting’ (photography by Wendelien Daan) Retired lady from the circus (headless girl act) is resting in the blossom park. She is wearing the “Mirror” scarf which is made in a limited edition of 50 pieces.
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Original group of “Circus Legends” made in 2013
“Mirror” scarf design
The History of Circus Legends
Giant Head Balancer. Placed in the ‘Cabinet of Short Stories’: The First, signed and numbered, 20 cm tall replica of the original ‘Headbalancer’. Printed in 3D and handpainted by Mathilde Admiral, made in a limited edition of 10 pieces only in 2016.
The ‘Headbalancer’ rabbit was created by Mimi Berlin in 2013 as part of ‘The History of Circus Legends’. His name is Dinky. This statuette has always been everyone’s favorite. Most of the Circus Legend statuettes have been sold but the original Dinky always will be part of Mimi Berlin’s private collection. >The Headbalancer (1990s ceramic, 1930s etched pink celulloid 7 x 10 cm) wearing a sterling silver pendant by Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co. (as featured in Harper’s Bazaar)
The story of Dinky, Headbalancer. (neé ? a Deaf Albino Rabbit)
Dinky was a pet bunny owned by The LaMothe Trio, circus performers and brothers with a head and hand balancing act.(1) Dinky was born an albino and was deaf to both ears. The brothers didn’t eat him like they usually did with animals, no, nothing but good fortune came to Dinky througout his life! The LaMothe brothers concealed his dissability, or rather made the most out of it, by covering Dinky’s ears with pink jars (matching his red eyes). These jars enabled Dinky to stand on his ears for hours. This was the way he made himself useful; balancing upside down during the entire, ten minute, act of the LaMonte Trio. This unknown but legendary rabbit was almost a mini sideshow by himself. (1)Billboard 22 September, 1906
The History of Circus Legends
Contorsionist, 2013, Mixed media (1990s/1980s ceramic, bakelite) 7 x 8.5 cm.
The Story: Clements the Contorsionist. (neé Clements de Marlo 1902-1993, Bremen)
From the 1910s through the 1930s this celebrated contorsionist performed his magic at circus and vaudeville circuits around the world. He is credited by circus historians as creating several new contortion (or bending) acts. The most populair being “Frog’s Paradise”(1) which Clements created in 1911. Was he a man without any bones? No, he inherited his talent. Mr de Marlo’s vertebrae didn’t scrape together, so the muscles and ligaments in his spine allowed the vertebrae to stretch lots and lots of inches apart. On top of that Clements started training his unusual body at the correct age of four years old. Mr de Marlo’s was also a stuntman in silent ilms for the actor John Barrymore, doubling for acrobatic shots and fencing.(2)
(1)Circus and the City: New York, 1793-2010 (2)New York Times, June 4, 1993
The predictive story of Dolly (taxidermy, replica)
After World War I ended, there were lots of dressed up (sheep) sculptures(1) to be found at the sideshows. They were created to remember the Dolly Sisters after they moved from the USA to France. The Dolly Sisters were very populair twins, socialitĂŠs, dancers and singers at the Ziegfeld Follies, the seductive glamour they brought on stage abroad was highly missed in the US of A. Hence the creation of numerous well done embellished dressed up sheep. These taxidermies or statuettes were often covered in faux pearls.(2) to copy the sisters original outits, designed by a.o. Paul Poiret. note: the choice for faux pearls is clear: these beads were at the height of fashion in those days. On the other hand why they used sheep remains a mystery.
(1)Bonhams Auctioneers, Demetre Chiparus, lot #78, 2012 (2)Mimi Berlin’s Evolutionairy Extravaganza
Lamb, 2013. Mixed media (1970s porcelain, signed Goebel W
Evolutionary Extravaganza Functionality without a story. The whale obviously doubles as a lamp: Art-Deco style. It’s not a ish, it’s a lamp: it will lit anything you want to read. The toothbox is a box, to keep teeth or any other knick-knacks in.
Fish Lamp, 2013, Mixed media (AXA bycicle head led light on batteries, 1970s pressed glass, Duct tape) 17 x 10 cm.
Whale’s Tooth (dents de lait), 2013, Mixed media (ceramic box, signed FG / found bone) 7 x 7 cm.
Canis Collum Longus (Doggie Longneck), 2014. Mixed media: (glass perfume bottle with plastic head, signed: Avon/1970s ceramic/ 1940s celluloid) 8,5 x 12 cm.
The story: Doggie longneck is one of several species which are still in the experimental phase. The Collum Longus species are supposed to oversee the ields whilst hunting. Tests results proved that the collum longus is still too fragile, they break easily.
Evolutionary Extravaganza
Rabbit Necklace
Pearl Producer
Rabbit a.16, 2014. (Mixed media: ceramic/Small and brown faux pearls/Large sweet water pearls/Pink Jade) ø 9 x 14,5 cm. Rabbit a.12, 2014. (Mixed media: 1970s porcelain signed Goebel/ Small faux pearls/Large sweet water pearls/Marble) 6,5 x 6,5 x 11 cm.
The Story: These two species; Rabbit a.12 and Rabbit a.16 are created for the same purpose: pioneering digital hearing enhancement technology (DHET). Rabbits are extremely suitable for DHET because of their largest feature: the ears. By blocking the eyes and mouth they won’t see no evil and speak no evil, but they can hear evil extremely well. And that’s where they come in handy. The species is created to double as a propaganda and gossip detectors, next to being cute. Rabbit a.12, on the right, is stuck in an experimental phase: the pearly smile allows making sounds. Rabbit a.16, the last try-out in line, is the most eficient one, but not yet cute enough.
Cabinet of Short Stories First Shelf: Close-Up Portraits Close-Up is a series of portraits wich can be used as a necklace, a toy, a tesbih or as an artpiece on your wall.
The Close-Up series is made with beads in onyx, coral and pearls (salt and sweet). The smiles aren’t perfectly white; these yellow smiles are made with vintage-de-luxe glass beads. All the faces have 14kt golden locks on the top in the middle. The Stories: Close-Up 1, 2015. Hi I’m Pepper, I am the son of Virgil and Tilly. I’m a bit worried about my appearance in this short story. I own the girls on the top loor of this Cabinet of Short Stories and that isn’t quite legal. Close-Up 2, 2015. Hi I am Tilly, I am a nail artist. The longer the better is my motto ;)
Close-Up 3, 2015. Hi I am Virgil, I am the friendly Harem Keeper, that’s why they call it the ‘No Harm Harem’. I’m also a bit worried about my appearance in this story (book) I own the space portrayed on the next page, which isn’t quite legal.
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To show all the expression these carachters own they are portrayed and shaped into a GIF. Please insert the card above into your computer to view these faces move.
Cabinet of Short Stories Basement: No Harm Harem ‘No Harm Harem’: Eight Veiled Animals, 2015, mixed media (lace/crochet/ceramic/porcelain.) Whippet with Veil, 2015, Mixed media: (1970s ceramic, cotton crochet.) 10 x 20 cm / Bulldog with Veil, 2015.(Mixed media: 1990s ceramic, cotton crochet, marble) 7 x 12 cm / Foot of Darlene (Mixed media: 1930s porcelain, 1970s ceramic, 1950 glass) xx x xx cm / Cats with Veil, 2015. (Mixed media: 1970s ceramic, cotton crochet) 13 x 16 cm/ 6 x 10 cm.
Safely tucked away in the basement of Mimi Berlin’s Cabinet of Short Stories is the ‘No Harm Harem’ Some of the animal-ettes have been let out of the basement though; to pose for a beauty editorial in Harper’s Bazaar. Yes, they are fashionable!
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The Story: All female animals, with veiled faces, too many of them; looking quite similar. They all have the same story to tell as well. They are always hidden downstairs because they are so pretty and valuable, they just exist to not be broken and for being adorable. The white veils protect the females even more from harm, or so they are made to believe. The foot of Darlene has been placed between them by Denzel the haremkeeper; to set an example for runaways.
Thanks to: Graphics & Lay-out/ Appdikted. Text/ Mimi Berlin, Eli Schaffer. Photography/ Mimi Berlin, JW Kaldenbach, Wendelien Daan, Beja von Bis, Jolanda van Eijk Amsterdam 2016. mimiberlin.com mimimall.me mimimall.amsterdam insta: @mimiberlin_amsterdam twitter: @mm_brln