Shintai Zweck

Atomic was an interdisciplinary place for creative producers and socially conscious projects working at a grassroots level. It was an effort to help local makers grow relationships with their respective communities through the building and sharing of common energy and resources.

Atomic was a rather unconventional venue in that and we operated as a non-profit even though we were not officially registered as such. Our goal was to offer alternative space for alternative ideas and production, so everything hosted at Atomic was negotiated on a case by case basis depending on whether it was a radical/non-profit/indie for-profit/commercial venture and it’s specific requirements.

Ultimately, we volunteered our time and made space available at highly subsidized rates to projects we wanted to support personally. We therefore made a point of being involved in activities that were mutually beneficial and we aimed to to juggle this with other areas of work in our lives. Atomic was therefore not a full-time venue/project.

Atomic hosted a range of events including screenings, live music, theatre, performance, discussions, craft shows and exhibitions. We’ were also open to our space being used for short-term rehearsals, auditions, photo and film shoots, and more.

Why did we do this?

Despite Winnipeg’s excess of empty buildings, it is surprisingly difficult to find affordable studio and presentation space. Production facilities and expertise can also sometimes be difficult to obtain at a reasonable rate. We tried to help make it easier to create and connect through the provision of space, equipment, and skills.

What kind of activities could take place at Atomic?

We preferred to involve ourselves with projects in the arts and/or concerned with progressive social action. Alternative indie  projects led by artists, musicians, designers, etc., were also of interest. Performances, lectures, workshops, exhibitions, installations, meetings, screenings, debates, fashion shows, small concerts, film and video recording, swaps and sales, fundraisers….

Did Atomic apply for grants?

Nope, Atomic did not apply for grants because we wanted to try something a little bit different that involveed a combination of approaches. For example, business activities (i.e. technical services and rentals) supported other non-profit/non-commercial endeavours. We were also interested in work working out non-monetary transfers such as energy/skill exchange, and we were pretty big on good old fashioned sharing, as well. That said, we had quite a bit of experience writing successful grant applications, so we offered advice when requested. Atomic ultimately ran on passionate volunteerism in support of people and projects that we feel good about.

Why Atomic?

Shortly after moving in, a tag appeared on the side of the building that read: “atomik”. Through conversation with a friend and colleague in Montréal, we were reminded about atomism in the Epicurean sense, and we began to see intriguing parallels between the values motivating this place and the values espoused by the ancient Greek philosopher, Epicurus (341 BCE – 270 BCE).

Epicurus’ atomic materialism framed his belief that superstition-free knowledge about the workings of the world, and the pursuit of pleasure founded on mutually beneficial interactions, were essential to living justly. His advocacy of moderation can be understood as an early call for voluntary simplicity, and while it is true that his vision was considerably more ascetic than we necessarily want for ourselves, the basic points he raised prioritize sustainability and the importance of minimizing harm. Most significantly, Epicurus’ philosophy emphasized friendship as the basis for happiness and we were definitely in support of that!

The depressing update was that, as of October 5, 2011, the tag for which the building as named was buffed by the city without any request/approval on our part. This is truly a shame since we really did plan to preserve this for the long haul.  Atomik never came back and this is all that remains:

 

Atomic’s website will soon be deleted and the following info has been retained:

Community

• Richard Altman – video, motion graphics and sound – Winnipeg
• Kathleen Amshoff – director – New York
• Atomic Don & the Black Sunrise – rock – Winnipeg
• Bacca Minstrels – music – Winnipeg
• Big Fun Festival
• Black Sabbath Cover Band – Winnipeg
• Daryn Bond – performance artist – Winnipeg
• The Brat Attack – political punk – Winnipeg
• Ulysses Castellanos – interdisciplinary maniac – Toronto
• Katrina Caudle – Writer and Interactive Event Creator – Winnipeg
• Central Canadian Centre for Performance – organizers and publishers – Winnipeg
• Circle & Square: Manitoba Festival of Craft – Winnipeg
• Cloudfight – experimental down-tempo – Winnipeg
• Roewan Crowe – visual and literary artist – Winnipeg
• Tony Conrad – video artist, experimental filmmaker, musician/composer, sound artist, teacher and writer – United States
• Dayna Danger – Interdisciplinary artist – Montreal
• Cris Derksen – Cellist – British Columbia
• Aaron Dilloway – experimental audio – Ohio
• Double Hook – particularly mind-blowing experimental audio – Winnipeg
• Echo Theatre / Charlene Van Buekenhout – experimental theatre – Winnipeg
• Jessica Evans – performance artist – Winnipeg
• The Flaming Trolleys – anarchist marching band – Winnipeg
• Fluffy Souffle – Hostess with the Mostest – Toronto
• Friendly Rich and the Lollipop People – Brampton
• Rob Fordyce – intermedia artist – Winnipeg
• Angela Forget – experimental audio – Winnipeg
• Kandis Friesen – Artist, educator, sound & video producer – Montreal
• Liz Garlicki – intermedia/performance artist – Winnipeg
• Garry-Lewis James Osterberg (with Shari Hatt) – art is life/life is art – Toronto
• Ghost Twin – dark electro – Winnipeg
• The Girth – Winnipeg
• Cathy Gordon – performance artist – Toronto
• Danis Goulet – filmmaker – Toronto
• Delf Gravert – actor/filmmaker/photographer – Winnipeg
• Greenhouse – experimental audio – Manitoba
• Ken Gregory – new media/sound art – Winnipeg
• Rhonda Head – opera singer – Manitoba
• Terrance Houle – intermedia artist – Calgary
• Tasha Hubbard – filmmaker – Winnipeg
• Illusive Mind – psychedelic experimental – Winnipeg
• The Incompletely Strangled Theatre Company
• Dr. Aisha Jamal – filmmaker – Toronto
• jaymez - visuals – Winnipeg
• Glen Johnson – Interdisciplinray artist – Winnipeg
• Joe Johnson – Photographer – Missouri
• Erin Josephson-Laidlaw – Interdisciplinary artist – Winnipeg
• Juliacks – intermedia artist – New York/Lyon
• Les Jupes – modern music for people living in the past – Winnipeg
• Jupiter Storm – music – Winnipeg
• Just the Goods – handmade natural and affordable skin care – Winnipeg
• Istvan Kantor – Interdisciplinary artist – Toronto
• Kindest Cuts – dark synth – Winnipeg
• Miss Lyndsay Ladobruk – performance/video artist – Winnipeg
• Keri Latimer – musician/songwriter – Winnipeg
• Kevin Lee Burton – filmmaker – Winnipeg
• Steven Leyden Cochrane – Winnipeg
• Lola – aerialist – Winnipeg
• The Lytics – hip hop – Winnipeg
• Jessica MacCormack – interdisciplinary artist – Montréal
• Coral Maloney – intermedia artist – Winnipeg
• Manitoba Goddess Festival
• Mattin – experimental audio – Spain
• Neal McLeod – poet – Regina
• Jessica McMann – flautist – Manitoba
• Mamaweyas Collective – Winnipeg
• ManChyna – musician/songwriter – Toronto
• The McNasties – blues, rock, metal – Winnipeg
• Divya Mehra – intermedia artist – Winnipeg
• DJ MonkeySparrow & DJ StagPanther – Winnipeg
• Olaf Mooij and Ellen Dijkstra – sculptors – Rotterdam
• Sandee Moore – intermedia artist – Winnipeg
• Ian Mozden – performer – Winnipeg
• The Mystics – rock – Winnipeg
• Jeff Nachtigall – Painter / Community Builder – Saskatoon
• Solomon Nagler and Situated Cinema’s Thomas Evans and Craig Rodmore as part of WNDX – Filmmakers and designers – Winnipeg/Montreal/Halifax
• Nmperign – experimental acoustic audio – Boston
• Nosey Joe – women’s business getter-into-er – Winnipeg
• Out of Line Theatre – experimental performance – Winnipeg
• Praba Pilar – interdisciplinary artist/academic – Winnipeg
• Philosophy Class for Children – Collective – Winnipeg
• The PinkSlips – punk – Winnipeg
• Ragpicker’s Anti-Fashion Emporium – hub for all things astounding – Winnipeg
• Ras-Tamils – reggae – Winnipeg
• Rebel Spell – passionate about DIY punk, community building and social change – Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories
• The Rebel Yell – punk hop – Winnipeg
• The Rita – Noise – Vancouver
• Rock Lake – punk rock all stars – Winnipeg
• Josh Rose – experimental audio – Vancouver
• Julie Rousse – experimental audio – Paris
• Royal Canoe – musico fantastico! – Winnipeg
• Samphibian – contortionist – Winnipeg
• Saünlust – experimental prog rock – Winnipeg
• Tomoko Sauvage – experimental audio – France/Japan
• ((( send+receive ))) a festival of sound – experimental audio art – Winnipeg / international
• Sequin – organ – Winnipeg
• Sarah Shamash – media artist – Vancouver
• DJ Sigourney Beaver – Toronto
• The Sons of God – investigation of a mental airspace – Sweden
• Scott Sørli – artist and architect – Toronto
• Akio Suzuki – experiemntal audio – Japan
• Malena Szlam – interdisciplinary artist – Quebec
• Tim@Atomic – custom fabrication of almost anything – Winnipeg
• Theo Sims – intermedia artist – back in Winnipeg
• 6 – performance – Winnipeg
• Slattern – Rock – Winnipeg
• Smoky Tigr – unexpected lounge – Winnipeg
• Leslie Supnet – visual artist and animator – Winnipeg
• Terrorist – aural assault – Winnipeg
• Natasha Torres Garner – dancer/choreographer – Winnipeg
• Trouser Mouth – drunk bastards – Winnipeg
• Turbojugend River City – community organization – Winnipeg
• Uncle Glennie – this and that – Winnipeg
• Viridians – alternative progressive rock – Winnipeg
• Peter Wiersbinski – Interdisciplinary Artist – Copenhagen
• White Dog – experimental audio – Winnipeg
• WildFire Dance Productions – totally hot! –  Winnipeg
• Winnipeg Arcades Project - roving cross-sectional thinkers – Winnipeg
• Winnipeg Repair Education and Cycling Hub
• Winnipegasus Solstice Festival
• Alexus Young – filmmaker – Winnipeg

What did people have to say about Atomic?