The
Exploding Plastic Inevitable, sometimes simply called
Plastic Inevitable or
EPI, was a series of
multimedia events organized by
Andy Warhol between 1966 and 1967, featuring musical performances by
The Velvet Underground and
Nico, screenings of Warhol's films, and dancing and performances by regulars of Warhol's
Factory, especially
Mary Woronov and
Gerard Malanga.
Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable is also the title of an 18-minute film by Ronald Nameth with recordings from one week of performances of the shows which were filmed in
Chicago, Illinois, in 1966. In December 1966 Warhol included a one-off magazine called
The Plastic Exploding Inevitable as part of the
Aspen No. 3 package. The
Exploding Plastic Inevitable had its beginnings in an event staged on January 13, 1966 at a dinner for the New York Society for Clinical Psychiatry. This event, called "Up-Tight", included performances by the Velvet Underground and Nico, along with Malanga and
Edie Sedgwick as dancers and
Barbara Rubin as a performance artist. Inaugural shows were held at the Dom in
New York City in April 1966, advertised in
The Village Voice as follows: "The Silver Dream Factory Presents The Exploding Plastic Inevitable with Andy Warhol/The Velvet Underground/and Nico." Shows were also held in
The Gymnasium in New York and in various cities throughout the
United States.