Xerox the Kidd – “Test Pattern #21”
Artist: Xerox the Kidd
Although recently relocated to Oakland, California, Seth Mahern, aka Xerox the Kidd, is what we consider a Bloomington, Indiana icon for all the right reasons. Starting with his assorted musical output with groups like John Wilkes Booze, Lord Fyre, and Apache Dropout, Seth has proven himself a psychedelic savant with a huge back catalog of jams on noteworthy labels across the world. And speaking of labels, Seth also co-founded and operates Magnetic South Recordings, a local institution of analog goodness by the way of cassettes, vinyl records, and other paraphernalia of an esoteric nature.
Xerox the Kidd’s aesthetic can be seen on over a decade’s worth of black & white flyers for shows in basements and bars, each time displaying a snippet of 50’s picket-fence-era charm with the colorful vibes and stark patterns of the 60’s psychedelic movement. Mind-melting, drippy, lysergic, sensory-frying, and other far-our terms can be used to describe his art, often created on photocopiers with manually cropped & trimmed assets. Simple but full of impact, the designs of Xerox the Kidd are a acid-trip through the many shades of reality, and perfectly capture the feeling of classic pop art.
Visit Xerox the Kidd’s Website: http://www.instagram.com/xeroxthekidd
The Process: The Artist’s Thoughts
Ever since that NOLA LSD experience in March 1995, I’ve had a special affinity for patterns. It was on that glorious spring day in the Crescent City that I realized there were patterns everywhere. And you could see these beautiful displays if you just had the right perspective. There’s infinite beauty in the world if you can keep your mind’s eye open to it.
That very day twenty-one years ago is the inspiration for my test pattern series. A collection of abstract patterns made by manipulating the process of a photo copier way beyond its intended use.
After making the pattern image on a late model office copy machine, I handed it off to the wild minds at In Case of Emergency Press. Together we devised a printing plan that kept with the “outter limits” philosophy of the project. This is of course an attempt to create a other-worldly visual experience. We’ve incorporated three brain tingling elements: Opti-Illusional Design, Glo In The Dark Screen Printing, and Electro-Magnetic Flocking (the technique to create black-light poster style velvet). Thus transforming a piece of paper from 2 to 4 dimensions.
– Xerox the Kid
Original photocopy master
The Print: Test Pattern #21
“Test Pattern #21” is a liquid trip through multiple printing techniques and trademarks of classic psychedelic posters, beginning with a flood of yellow and blue blend rolled into each other, with the added surprise of glowing in the dark. To top it all off, literally, the black is a fuzzy, 3-dimensional layer of flocking, similar in feel to the infamous “Velvet Elvis” prints or a standard black light poster.
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Purchase: $35
Interested in purchasing a copy of this “Featured Artist” poster? Head over to Etsy by clicking the STORE link in the menu or the image below!
