Launch Recite Me assistive technology
A person with blue hair and makeup crouches on a wooden floor against a starry black backdrop. Bright blue digital scribbles and abstract shapes are drawn around them.

Jon Burgerman and Kirsten Becken pay homage to The Beatles' LSD-inspired hit

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Date
4 February 2013

There was a time when drug references had to be smuggled into lyrics lest the moral sensibilities of the squares were piqued. Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds represents the apogee of this knowing subterfuge but how times have changed, bottoming out with Afroman’s Because I Got High. But forget Afroman for a moment (if you can) and check out this awesome collaboration between artist Jon Burgerman and photographer Kirsten Becken, named after The Beatles’ surrealist hymn to the powers of mind-altering hallucinogenics. Colour and composition combine with real aplomb to produce a series that keeps on giving.

A person with a black bob and bold makeup looks at the camera, wearing a purple blazer and a chunky red necklace. White and red scribbles, including hearts and the word “Diamonds”, are layered over the image.
Above

Jon Burgerman/Kirsten Becken: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

A person with bright pink hair and gold jewellery wears a faux-fur collar and a patterned dress. Pink digital line drawings of a creature are layered over the figure against a black, starry background.
Above

Jon Burgerman/Kirsten Becken: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

A person with bright blue hair and a blue beret poses against a black background. They wear a light blue jacket, a black skirt, striped tights and yellow heels, surrounded by neon-coloured line drawings of abstract faces and shapes.
Above

Jon Burgerman/Kirsten Becken: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

A person with a black bob and red makeup trailing from their eyes looks at the camera. They wear a grey blazer over a black corset and a chunky silver chain necklace. Red digital scribbles are layered over the image, including a shape on their chest and swirls in the background.
Above

Jon Burgerman/Kirsten Becken: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

A person with bright pink hair and matching shoes poses against a black, starry backdrop. They wear a pale green outfit with a shimmering gold waist cincher, overlaid with a bright pink digital scribble.
Above

Jon Burgerman/Kirsten Becken: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

A person with blue hair and a grey coat poses against a black background. They are surrounded by colourful, neon-style doodles of abstract animals and the words “SNIFF SNIFF”.
Above

Jon Burgerman/Kirsten Becken: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

A person wearing a patterned blazer and colourful trousers crouches against a black backdrop speckled with white dots. A blue digital illustration of Donald Duck is drawn over them, masking their face and head.
Above

Jon Burgerman/Kirsten Becken: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

A person with bright blue hair and a black veil looks at the camera against a starry black background. They wear a red fingerless glove and a large sparkling ring, surrounded by neon red and blue scribbled illustrations.
Above

Jon Burgerman/Kirsten Becken: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

A person stands with their arms raised, wearing a patterned outfit and chunky green boots. They are framed by large, colourful neon-style doodles of abstract figures on a black background.
Above

Jon Burgerman/Kirsten Becken: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

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About the Author

Rob Alderson

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Rob Alderson is a freelance writer, editor and strategist. He was previously editor-in-chief of It’s Nice That and WePresent, and editor of Design Week. He publishes the newsletter Undo, which tries to make sense of how AI is changing design work, the design process and the design industry.

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