The Hairy Trinity of the Big D will be presented as a wunderkammer. Wunderkammers or cabinet of curiosities, were first assembled in the mid-sixteenth century in Renaissance Europe. They were encyclopedic collections of types of objects whose categorical boundaries were yet to be defined and might contain a mix of fact and fiction. They were a demonstrable expression of the Renaissance’s all-embracing view of knowledge. Meant to provide an expanded awareness of the complexity of nature as well as an altered vision of the world, these formed collections were precursors to museums.

One of the most famously described 17th century cabinets was that of Ole Worm (1588-1655), who often went by his Latin name - Olaus Wormius. He was a Danish physician and antiquary who compiled engravings of his collection. Worm’s artifacts were a starting point for his speculations on philosophy, science, natural history, and more. A catalog was published following his death as the Museum Wormianum. Cabinets of curiosities would often serve scientific advancement when images of their contents were published. In this tradition, a book will be published of The Hairy Trinity of the Big D. Besides following the historical precedents of wunderkammers, a movie and lecture are also in production.

Kunstschranks were miniature editions of wunderkammers conceived by the merchant-prince and diplomat Philipp Hainhofer (1578-1647) of Augsburg. Kunstschranks were produced for the nobility and were intended to reduce a microcosm of a macrocosm to an even smaller format. They could occupy an owner's drawing-room for enlightenment and entertainment. As a rule, the contents were always taken from Hainhofer's own collection. In this tradition, The Hairy Trinity of the Big D is being produced from the collection of Brent Birnbaum. The wunderkammer will be comprised of numerous kunstschranks, exposing the connections between the men and the objects of The Hairy Trinity of the Big D.

Robert Matthew Van Winkle was born October 31, 1967 and attended R.L. Turner High School in Dallas, Texas. Vanilla Ice, as he is known, was discovered in 1987 at the Dallas nightclub City Lights during a talent contest. In 1989, he released his debut album, Hooked. In 1990, Ice signed a contract with SBK Records, who reissued Hooked under the title To the Extreme. It reached #1 on the Billboard 200 and sold 11 million copies. Vanilla Ice’s second major release, Extremely Live, was called "one of the most ridiculous albums ever released" by Entertainment Weekly. Around the same time he received a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star for his 1991 movie, Cool as Ice.
Ice melted and attempted suicide by overdosing on heroin. Once revived, he decided it was time to change his lifestyle. As a symbol of his attempt to begin anew, he got a tattoo of a leaf on his stomach. Robert grew dreadlocks and joined a grunge band called Picking Scabs in 1995. In 1999, the music video for Ice Ice Baby was retired forever on the MTV special, 25 Lame. More recently, Van Winkle was arrested on April 10, 2008, in Palm Beach County on a battery charge for allegedly kicking and hitting his wife Laura. On February 27, 2009, he performed with MC Hammer in Orem, Utah and on March 28, 2009, Virgin Mobile's advertising campaign, Right Music Wrongs, put him on trial. 700,000 voters found Vanilla Ice innocent of crimes against music.

Below are images of objects from the collection of Brent Birnbaum.







mix



VHS and DVDs



concert tickets



patches and stickers



records









magazines




magazine posters



jewelry




clothing



magazine articles



compact discs



cassettes



cards



pinbacks



books



backstage passes



autographed photos



advertisements

Dennis Keith Rodman was born May 13, 1961 and attended South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas, Texas. The Worm, as he was known, played professional basketball for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks. After aborting a suicide attempt in 1993, he reinvented himself. He dyed his hair in artificial colors, got multiple piercings and tattoos, and regularly disrupted games by clashing with opposing players and officials. He famously wore a wedding dress to promote his autobiography. Following his NBA career, Rodman concentrated on film and professional wrestling under the name Rodzilla. More recently, The Worm was arrested following a domestic dispute incident at a Los Angeles hotel on April 30, 2008. Unable to wiggle out, he was sentenced to one year of domestic violence counseling and three years probation. On March 29, 2009, Dennis was the fifth contestant eliminated from Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice.

Below are images of objects from the collection of Brent Birnbaum.



VHS





toys



tickets



posters



pins






mix





magazines









clothing



plaques



pinbacks



books