Step into a living timeline, exploring the connection between visual culture, spirituality, and the human quest for transcendence. This evolution of visual culture is a clear reflection of deeper societal shifts surrounding mindfulness and human consciousness. Visual culture repeats itself throughout time both spiritually and through visual aesthetics. Paper Trip represents the connections of the Art Nouveau aesthetic, the counterculture eruption of the 1960’s psychedelic poster design and contemporary music and art visual culture. These historical and contemporary aesthetics are a reflection of spiritual and cultural shifts during times of conflict. In a wall of collaborative poster designs, I attempt to recreate characteristic energy of these iconic times in history while forging a new visual language for the present. Showcasing a dynamic tapestry of posters, each a conversation between eras, influenced by the counter cultural poster movement and scholarly explorations of altered states of consciousness. The Art Nouveau movement, wasn’t just about aesthetics; it was a deliberate attempt to create immersive environments that evoked a sense of wonder, interconnectedness, and spiritual resonance.1 This focus on creating holistic experiences is evident in the flowing lines and organic forms characteristic of the style. Like the posters of the 1960s, this transatlantic cultural exchange, transcended national boundaries and fostered a global network of artists, activists, and thinkers.2 This interconnectedness allowed for the rapid dissemination of ideas and artistic styles across continents. Reflecting in the use of psychedelics, A.V. Satish Chandra highlights how it was often intertwined with political activism, a desire for social transformation, and a rejection of materialistic values.3 This rejection of conventional norms fueled a creative explosion that challenged established power structures. Magnifying the power of visual language to express, explore, and even induce altered states of consciousness, Paper Trip recreates the immersive experience of the counter cultural concert poster and draws upon historical and contemporary influences, demonstrating how visual aesthetics can serve as a catalyst for self-discovery, spiritual growth, as well as a deeper connection to the human psyche.

1 Ashby, Charlotte. Art Nouveau: Art, Architecture and Design in Transformation. London: Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2021.

2 Duncan, Russell. “The Summer of Love and Protest: Transatlantic Counterculture in the 1960s.” In The Transatlantic Sixties: Europe and the United States in the Counterculture Decade, edited by Grzegorz Kosc, Clara Juncker, Sharon Monteith, and Britta Waldschmidt-Nelson, 144–73. transcript Verlag, 2013.

3 Chandra, A V Satish. “LSD, ECSTASY AND THE MUSIC OF POLITICS.” The Indian Journal of Political Science 71, no. 2 (2010): 459–68. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42753708 .