Hot Rod Biology

. . . this hybrid show obviously presents me with a good opportunity to investigate a possible hybrid visual language ñ so I've been working on trying to blend the B-grade horror poster with a country & western aesthetic. I also thought it'd be appropriate to use Elvis again ñ good or evil etc. It's supposed to look as though Elvis is either saving the girl, but also perhaps those are his 'monster' hands holding her? And is she in danger, or is she simply overcome by Elvis' presence?

I'm not sure how successful this is in terms of it's being a 'hybrid statement'? I guess I'm fairly happy with the content [text and image], but the visual language at work appears to be more horror than country . . . I think? Be good to ask someone to look at this actually? Keen on some feedback . . .

Perhaps the colours I've used here [they're not all the same colour] aren't helping the 'country' reading either? I'd used this colour to try and reference the horror film aspect ñ kinda' the 60's psychadelic ones. Here's a black and white one for comparison . . .

What I am finding really interesting about this work is that it's actually really hard to create something that sounds quite easy ñ a hybrid statement ñ by appropriating and blending two [or more?] existing visual languages to create a new hybrid one that moves beyond being purely referential, and is in some sense 'new'.

I like the idea that the appropriated sources are placed in conversation with one another. Reading Greil Marcus' "Dead Elvis" and "Lipstick Traces", I've been really enjoying the way he pulls together [and makes sense of] things that had previously seemed disparate and unrelated. [This is, I guess, what prompted me to put Johnny Rotten and Elvis together in the same room?]

I think part of the difficulty I've had with this poster is that both the references are actually quite close/similar ñ in that they're both from 50s/60s pop culture . . . I don't know? Perhaps I'm just making excuses? It also kinda' bugs me in the respect that I feel like I've seen this before, in Art Chantry's work for 'The Cramps' for example . . . but I don't believe in pure originality, and it's not what I'm after . . . what am I after again? [I need to sit down and think about that again]

I actually quite like the poster though ñ I think it looks like we sound.