Nicole Xu: BLEND

Counter Culture Movement in the 60s and 70s feels like a fabulous show for me,

while the impact of the movement is still continuing in our times.The project is created to
amplify the visual elements of fashion from the old times, while presenting the ideas of
love, freedom, and spirituality, and also the characteristics of Counter Culture. Different
styles of films are blended together as well as images from 50 years apart. By
compositing the images from two time periods, the abstract visual elements create the
feeling of connected time. The interaction of the two layers of images creates
unexpected visual effects, including colors and patterns, which draws to the two
important elements in fashion design as well. As there is no way to experience and be
part of the movement, the video becomes my interpretation of Counter Culture.The
video both starts and ends in a movement of moving forward, which symbolizes the
continuing impact of the movement through time.The soundtrack used for the video is
Mojoʼs remixed version of White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane, also a work of mixing
Counter Culture with todayʼs culture. Films included in the project are: The Trip (Roger
Corman, 1967), Easy Rider (Dennis Hopper, 1969), Be (Ben Van Meter, 1967), Hair
(Milos Forman, 1979), Psych-Out (Richard Rush, 1968), Rainbow Bridge (Chuch Wein,
1972), and Monterey Pop (Pennebaker, 1968).