Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable

Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable
Name	Exploding Plastic Inevitable
Founder	Andy Warhol
Years active	1966–1967
Location	New York City; touring to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Chicago
Genre	Multimedia performance, avant-garde, psychedelic rock

Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable The Exploding Plastic Inevitable was a series of multimedia events organized by Andy Warhol that combined live music, film projection, dance, and performance art during the mid-1960s. Conceived in New York City, the series showcased the Velvet Underground alongside dancers, filmmakers, and visual artists, and toured major cultural centers including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, and Chicago. The events linked figures from the Pop Art, avant-garde, and underground music scenes, drawing attention from critics, patrons, and countercultural communities.

Background and Origins

Warhol organized the events out of his Factory studio milieu where he had collaborated with Patti Smith, Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen "Moe" Tucker of the The Velvet Underground and established ties with filmmakers such as Andy Warhol’s regular collaborators including Paul Morrissey, Jack Smith, and Ronald Tavel. Influences ranged from Marcel Duchamp and Jackson Pollock to happenings by Allan Kaprow and the performance experiments of Yoko Ono and Fluxus artists like Nam June Paik and George Maciunas. The events grew from Warhol’s interest in promoting the Velvet Underground record releases associated with Verve Records, Warner Bros. Records, and the patronage networks tied to collectors such as Gerard Malanga supporters and Manhattan institutions including The Museum of Modern Art patrons and downtown galleries.

Format and Production

The Exploding Plastic Inevitable employed a mobile production model that adapted to clubs, theaters, and lofts such as The Dom (nightclub), The Filmore (San Francisco), The Fillmore East, and loft spaces in SoHo. Technical setup included multiple projectors, stroboscopic lighting rigs sourced from vendors used by The Beatles touring technicians and local theatrical suppliers, and sound equipment comparable to that used by contemporaries like Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones. Production roles overlapped between Warhol’s entourage, crew from Mercury Records-era shows, and stagehands affiliated with venues like Max’s Kansas City and The Scene (club). Tickets and promotion connected with counterculture presses such as The Village Voice and national magazines like Life and Rolling Stone.

Performers and Collaborators

Core musical performances featured The Velvet Underground members Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker alongside guest appearances by artists including Iggy Pop of The Stooges, singer-songwriters associated with the New York folk scene such as Bob Dylan collaborators, and experimental musicians linked to Terry Riley and La Monte Young. Dancers and performance artists included Edie Sedgwick, Mary Woronov, Candy Darling, and Holly Woodlawn, while film and technical collaborators encompassed Andy Warhol’s circle—Paul Morrissey, Ron Rice, Brigid Polk, and cinematographers who had worked with Stan Brakhage and Kenneth Anger. Managers and promoters bridged networks with figures like Michael Goldstein and promoters active in venues frequented by The Byrds and Jefferson Airplane.

Visuals, Film, and Sound Design

Visual elements relied on rapid-fire projection of Warhol’s films such as those in the portfolio of works by Andy Warhol and contemporaneous experimental cinema by Jack Smith, Kenneth Anger, and Ronald Tavel. Films of celebrities and socialites intersected with live video feeds, slide projection, and film loops inspired by techniques used by Stanley Kubrick’s projection teams and avant-garde filmmakers like Maya Deren. Lighting design used strobes, colored gels, and kinetic devices paralleling innovations by production crews for The Doors and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Sound design emphasized distorted guitar feedback, droning viola lines, and beat-driven percussion reflecting approaches from John Cage’s indeterminacy experiments, La Monte Young’s sustained tones, and rock amplification practices developed by engineers who worked with The Who.

Notable Events and Receptions

Shows in 1966 and 1967 at venues in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, and Chicago produced significant media attention and polarized critical response from outlets including The New York Times, Village Voice, Time, and Rolling Stone. High-profile attendees ranged from collectors and curators from The Museum of Modern Art and Gagosian Gallery circles to musicians like Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones, actors from the Warhol Superstars scene, and European artists visiting from Paris and London. Incidents at certain performances involved clashes with police and venue management comparable to disturbances at Altamont Free Concert-era events, prompting debates in cultural institutions and municipal governments about censorship and public morality, with commentary by critics associated with Clement Greenberg and historians referencing the trajectory from Dada to Pop Art.

Legacy and Influence

The Exploding Plastic Inevitable influenced subsequent multimedia practices across visual art, performance, and popular music, informing the work of artists and groups such as David Bowie, Brian Eno, Sonic Youth, Laurie Anderson, U2, Nine Inch Nails, and collectives linked to Industrial music pioneers like Throbbing Gristle. Its hybrid model anticipated practices at festivals and institutions including Glastonbury Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Documenta, and programmatic exhibitions at Tate Modern and Centre Pompidou. Scholars and curators at universities and museums including Columbia University, Yale University, and Harvard Art Museums trace lines from Warhol’s production to developments in video art, club culture, and the staging strategies later used by directors like Robert Wilson and designers collaborating with Madonna. The event’s integration of rock performance, avant-garde film, and celebrity persona continues to be cited in studies of postwar art, music history, and media studies.

Category:Andy Warhol Category:The Velvet Underground Category:1960s in art