A groundbreaking new magazine called Elastic is challenging the conventional boundaries of psychedelic art with its inaugural issue focused on the theme of death. Founded by editor Hillary Brenhouse and creatively directed by Chloe Scheffe and Natalie Shields, the publication deliberately moves away from the traditional psychedelic aesthetic of curved Art Nouveau shapes, vibrant colors, organic hand-lettering, and flowing lines that have historically defined the genre.

The creative team behind Elastic sought to expand beyond the narrow conception of psychedelic art as merely trip documentation or fluorescent abstractions of drug experiences. Instead, they have developed what they describe as a more nuanced psychedelic experience through manipulated printed pages, text used as texture, and anthropomorphized letterforms. This innovative approach creates what the designers call "meaningful collisions" with the limitations of traditional psychedelic art.

The magazine's wordmarks serve as a deliberate tribute to text's ability to anchor viewers in a specific time period. While overtly referencing 1960s concert posters and the classic psychedelic movement's color palettes, these familiar elements ground readers so that the rest of the design can explore new creative territory. "With death in mind, we wanted to emphasize the idea of phases, or life cycles, in the visual motifs," explains Chloe Scheffe.

The first issue's photo collages all address themes of decay, evolution, or decomposition in various forms. Visual elements include melting ice cubes, decomposing peaches, eggshell fragments, shattered pottery, and dehydrated ice cream. These images are designed to converse with the featured artworks and fiction pieces while simultaneously disorienting viewers through what the creators describe as "literal nonsense, but emotional sense."

One of the most striking aspects of Elastic's design philosophy involves unconventional layout choices that prioritize visual impact over traditional magazine hierarchy. "Why is there a piece of cheese obscuring a pull quote?" asks Natalie Shields rhetorically. "In the world of Elastic, a beautiful wedge of cheese on the z-axis (floating above the surface of the page) trumps standard magazine hierarchy. We want people to perceive and enjoy the tensions in our manipulations."

According to Hillary Brenhouse's editor's letter, Elastic is fundamentally interested in "taking walls down" or demonstrating that barriers between different forms of artistic expression were never truly there. The magazine employs various techniques to bring readers as close as possible to experiencing a natural high, including deliberate misprinting where letters repeat or entire artworks are duplicated, and colors expressed through glowing swashes.

The publication's pages present stark contrasts that embody its experimental approach. One spread might feature an MS Paint-style drawing of a figure lying beneath a cosmic fireworks display of hallucinations, while the next page simply displays an egg. The magazine's table of contents is described as "sticky," carrying across interstitial pages and repeating continuously, essentially existing through time.

These interstitial spreads are crucial to the overall experience, as Scheffe explains: "In these spreads, the magazine literally begins to disassemble, becoming illegible and interpretive. The interstitials are crucial to ensuring that reading the magazine from beginning to end is, itself, a psychedelic experience."

Elastic's experimental aesthetic approach is set to continue with future issues. The second issue will explore the theme of interspecies life, examining intimate, hostile, and even psychic connections between various life forms. Readers can expect to encounter fungi and microorganisms alongside what the creators promise will be "a dose of functional weirdness" as the creative team continues to challenge what they perceive as the artistic climate of banality in contemporary design and publishing.