The annual “Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival” in Indigo, California has opened its doors a few days ago. Someone would say that it is a spectacle festival by hosting many famous bands and artists but also the art installations by visual artists, architects and designers would definitely have important roles at the event’s success. 

Each year Coachella features art installations from artists worldwide. Whether because of the artist’s choice of materials or the processes of their practices, this year’s work demand a shift of perception at Coachella’s playground.

Here is a closer look of attractive installations at Coachella 2018:

Image Spectra during night. Image © Forbes

Spectra. Image © Brian Van Der Brug

SPECTRA by NEWSUBSTANCE

Inspired by the sunrise and the sunset at the Valley, U.K. based design studio Newsubstance designed a multilevel, spiral-shaped pavilion structure “Spectra” that offers a bird’s eye view of the festival ground. The seven-story structure made of Plexiglas windows reflecting rainbow colors with mesmerizing hues reflects the richness of the festival located in a central position on the field.

Spectra during night. Image © Matt Masin

"We were really keen to try to make people slow down and take a breath from the buzz of the festival," says Patrick O'Mahony, creative director for Newsubstance. "And maybe look at the site in a totally different way."

"As guys from Britain, we don't often see the sun shine very much," O'Mahony continues "So as you go through, you're fully washed with those rich colors we associate with the Coachella festival. Taking its cue from the valley's picturesque sunrises and sunsets, the structure charts through a prism of 31 colors that change with every step courtesy of a series of hidden light fixtures."

Image © Forbes

Starting at the ground-level opening, to the top of the installation and back down again takes 0.34 miles. As you pass by the various panels, your view changes with every step – as does the color that you're washed in. And an observation deck with a great panorama of the Valley welcomes you at the top of the 75 foot tall structure.

"Spectra" is expected to remain a permanent fixture at Coachella for at least the next few years.

ETHEREA by Edoardo Tresoldi

Italian artist Edoardo Tresoldi who named as one of the most influential European artists under 30s by Forbes has installed three monumental wire mesh sculptures. Edoardo Tresoldi is known for his monumental wire mesh sculptures that function as public interventions, transcending time and space and instigating a dialogue between art and the world. The Italian artist’s translucent, ghostly works take the shape of classic architecture and larger-than-life figures hovering over spaces from Paris to Abu Dhabi to Eau Claire, Wisconsin. His three Baroque-inspired buildings at Coachella are made only of wire mesh and ranging in size 36, 54 and 72 feet respectively.

Image © Forbes

Image © Roberto Conte

Tresoldi defines his installations as "a growing experiential path where architecture becomes a tool and place for contemplation, a dedicated space where the sky and clouds are narrated through the language of classical architecture." Thanks to the transparent wire mesh, an optical effect made of perspectives and dimensional relationships is generated by the passage through the three sculptures and measuring scales, which either amplifies or reduces the distance between man and sky he adds.

Image © Forbes

Image © Roberto Conte

As a temporary place, Coachella’s festival finds its embodiment in Etherea, an artwork designed around the idea of the highest expression of the transient, the clouds, and authors of passing architectures that transfer the majestic sky into ephemeral domes.

You can check the full list of art installations at Coachella 2018 here. 

Palm 3 World Station by Simón Vega. Image © Coachella 2018

Lodestar by Randy Polumbo. Image © Coachella 2018

Top image: Palm 3 World Station by Simón Vega. Image © Coachella 2018

> via Coachella