Ethereal Alchemy

Charlotte’s Ethereal Alchemy Music Festival is a theoretical, yet effervescent portal to neopsychedelic bliss, right in the heart of University City. The identity of the festival is built around the vivacious world found in "I Found God in a Tomato" by Psychedelic Porn Crumpets—a nearly nine-minute track that drifts between dissonant silence and distortion, embodying themes of transformation, transcendence, and controlled chaos.

Elements draw heavily from the surreal aesthetics associated with psychedelic rock: kaleidoscopic forms, gemstone hues, warped anatomy, and liquid-like distortions. Central to the animated gif is a distorted eye with a dripping pupil—a visual metaphor for the cyclical, immersive nature of transformation. Dyed, stained and marbled textures scanned and layered overtop one another mimics the fuzzy visual sensations often evoked by this genre, and furthermore, the psychedelic experience.

Letterforms often hand drawn and woven connectedly into the organic illustration, allowing typography and image to function as one unified system. Deep, muted tones blanket the compositions, producing a dreamlike mood that toes the line between beauty and overstimulation.

Expanded elements feature ambiguous figural forms and an hourglass-shaped keyhole built from the eye motif, emphasizing the passage of time and disorientation. Each touchpoint leans into abstraction, avoiding clichés and instead reflecting the genre’s surreal ambiguity through richly layered form and texture.