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UFO

Poster
1967 (made)
Artist/Maker
English, Michael (artist)
Place of origin
England (made)

Psychedelic poster. Day-glow crimson/ blue text on white.

Object details

Category
Prints
Object type
Poster
TitleUFO (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Oversize silkscreen
Paper
Silkscreen
Brief description
Screenprint psychedelic poster by Michael English for UFO club, January 27 and February 3, 1967. London, 1967.
Physical description
Psychedelic poster. Day-glow crimson/ blue text on white.
Dimensions
  • Height: 83.4cm
  • Width: 596mm
  • Height: 835mm
  • Width: 598mm
Marks and inscriptions
  • JANUARY27.FROM 1.30-4AM & FEBRUARY 3. / AMMMUSIC. PINK FLOYD SOFT MACHINE. / FIVE-ACRE LIGHT. BROWN'S POETRY. / PLIGHT OF THE AEROGENIUS.CHPT1. CHAPT2. / INTERNATIONAL TIMES. BRUCE CONNOR MOVIES. / IT GIRL BEAUTY CONTEST.FOLM MAKERS CO OP.FOOD / UNDER BERKELEY CINEMA.TOT.CT.RD. 15/-.MEMBERS 10/-. (Text of poster.)
  • UFO (In large day-glow red and blue letters, taking up most of the poster.)
Gallery label
"Michael English (born 1942)
Poster for UFO January 27 and February 3
1967
Screenprint
E.1696-1991

Here the music was provided by Pink Floyd and Soft Machine, who were the house bands for the early months of UFO. Avant garde performance was provided by David Mairowitz's 'Flight of the Aerogenius' which continued over several UFOs, a light show by Jack Bracelin's Five Arc Lights and poetry by Pete Brown. The UFO club ran from 10:30pm to 'dawnlite'. On these two evenings different types of music, films such as the artist Salvador Dali's famous 'Chien Andalou' and Disney cartoons, as well as Mark Boyle's art event light show 'Son et Lumiere of Earth, Air, Fire and Water' were held.
Michael English recalls packing into taxis with twenty friends and "Speeding through gloomy streets that were dark and empty and almost dead, suddenly bright splashes of colour flashed from the hoardings and all around the building sites there were bright fluorescent lips - sometimes only one, sometimes three of four together - screaming 'COME TO UDO, OPENING TONIGHT.' Twenty curving lips screaming in unison 'EVERYBODY'S WELCOME'. Amazing pink lips lit up the night with an invitation 'STAY TIL IT'S LIGHT'."

Text by Julia Bigham
Object history
Poster advertising the UFO club, January 27, 1967.
Subjects depicted
Clubs
Nightclub
Party
Music
Bands
Bibliographic reference
Christoph Grunberg, ed. Summer of Love: Art of the Psychedelic Era London: Tate, 2005. 239 p. : ill. (some col.) ISBN: 1854375954.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.1696-1991

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Record createdNovember 13, 2006
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O129172/ufo-poster-english-michael/
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