It was a poster for Caterpillar Changes. Printed in red on yellow paper. Typographically designed in the shape of a butterfly with psychedelic-style lettering
Barbara Rubin (1945-1980) was a filmmaker who was highly active in the New York avant-garde cinema scene in the early to mid 1960s. Her 1963 film Christmas on Earth has become a cult classic and important document. She was heavily involved with Jonas Mekas and his Filmmakers’ Cooperative and was a key figure in counter-cultural circles: she introduced The Velvet Underground to Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan to Allen Ginsberg.
Gordon Balls’ intimate recollection of a fascinating time in American history allows a vicarious experience for those unwilling or unable (due to age) to participate.
In 1967 Rubin mounted a two-week multimedia production entitled Caterpillar Changes, one of the first showings of films in a fragmented installation setting. In his memoir ’66 Frames Gordon Ball discusses the production and the poster they created: “among filmmakers lending their work were Harry Smith, Andy Warhol, Jonas Mekas, D.A. Pennebaker, Jack Smith, John Cavanaugh, Stan Vanderbeek, Robert Breer, and Bobbie Neuwirth; among the musicians scheduled to perform were Gato Barbieri, the Free Spirits, Angus MacLise, and the Velvet Underground.
The Genealogy of Style 