Festivals have become a veritable goldmine of art and creative expression, where installations have pretty much taken up permanent residence. Every year, festivals like Burning Man, Coachella, Lightning in a Bottle, Afrikaburn and a number of others put up some absolutely brilliant art. Here are some of the most epic, awe-inspiring art installations seen at festivals this year.
1. “R-Evolution” byΒ Marco Cochrane
Where: Burning Man
R-Evolution was aΒ 48-foot-tall sculpture of a woman, named Deja Solis,Β and it was made of steel rods and balls covered in stainless steel mesh, and lined with LED effects. She stood straight, with both feet firmly on the ground, eyes closed, palms forward and a peaceful expression.
(Images via: fest300.com)
2. “Love” by Alexandr Milov
Where:Β Burning Man
This sculpture made quite a few waves at Black Rock City for the simplicity of the message it delivered. Representing an age-old conflict between the inner and outer self, where the inner self is depicted asΒ a child. The children sculpted inside glowed when it became dark.
(Images via: www.dusttoashes.com & fest300.com)
3. “Subterrafuge” byΒ Group X
Where: Afrikaburn
This crowdfunded installation is actually based on a social movement. The artists have said that it is “a sculptural statement resisting fracking and all profit driven destruction of our last vestiges of natural wonder”. The individual planks that made it were funded by people in 2014, and the structure was burnt in a spectacular display at Afrikaburn 2015.
(Images via: www.behance.net)
4.Β “The Clan” by the Afrikaburn team
Where: Afrikaburn
The Clan is usually the largest burn at the festival, and this year, it looked more spectacular than ever. Made entirely of wooden planks, just like Subterrafuge, The Clan was a dome placed in the middle of a circular wall of archways. On top of the dome was a sculpture that appeared to represent a man running, or in motion. Set against the backdrop of the desert, this is one of the most magnificent innstallations seen this year.
(Images via: www.behance.net)
5. “Papilio Merraculous” by Poetic Kinetics
Where: Coachella
Los Angeles art collective Poetic Kinetics did it again withΒ Papilio MerraculousΒ . On Friday, festival-goers saw a massive, shiny caterpillarΒ the size of a bus, cruising around the Coachella grounds. On Saturday, it looked like it was pupating. On Sunday, the caterpillar had morphed into a huge, gauzy butterfly. Poetic Kinetics has since said that it represented a mental transformation, both in themselves and Coachella attendees.
(Images via: www.coachella.com & www.rollingstone.com)
6. “Chrono-Chromatic” by Aphidoidea
Where: Coachella
A tribute to time and colour, Chrono-Chromatic is a mesmerising, slightly psychedelic sculture of what “celebrates the festival’s broad spectrum of music and artist, as they engrave their moment in time.” Pillars of different sizes and shapes formed two tangential circles that met to create a coloured tunnel effect. The whole sculpture gave you the feeling of being in motion.
(Images via: www.coachella.com &Β darkroom.baltimoresun.com)
7. “A Bullet From A Shooting Star” by Alex Chinneck
Where: London Design Festival, London
This 35-metre high, upside-down, leaning sculpture of what looks a lot like an electricity pylon that was shot to the ground at a precarious angle, was the highlight installation at LDF this year. Chinneck is knownΒ for elevating everyday objects and scenarios to surreal monuments, and this was a testament toΒ the incredible history of industry and power generation on the site.
(Image via:Β www.digitalartsonline.co.uk)
8.Β “Curiosity Cloud” by Mischer Traxler
Where: London Design Festival, London
The famous Victoria & Albert Museum became the venue for this hypnotic architectural installation. Delighting a wide range of audiences, including children, this installation was a “cloud” of 250 bulbs each with an insect inside. Each bulb and insect reacted to the presence of visitors: moving, lighting up and emitting sounds, tinkling musically or flying faster and slower.
(Images via:Β www.hellopeagreen.comΒ &Β www.dalziel-pow.com)
9. Disco Ball (World’s largest)Β by Rob da Bank
Where: Bestival
Awe-inspiring in its very size, this Disco Ball returned to Bestival in 2015 by popular demand. Last year, it was certified by Guinness World Records as being the largest disco ball in the world, and the stunning installation pushed 10.33 metres, with the height of a three-storey building. Covered in 2,500 mirror tiles that would stretch out for a kilometre if you laid them end to end, this gigantic beast formed a dazzlingΒ centerpiece for the festival venue.
(Images via: virtualfestivals.com & photos.bestival.net)
10. “Vertical Mayhem” by Krsna Mehta
Where: Kala Ghoda
Kala Ghoda is one of the few Indian arts festivals that presents a carefully curated set of brilliant installations every year, and 2015 was no less. Vertical Mayhem was a tall structure made of window panes, decorated with Mumbai-inspired graphic art, the combination of which was a reflection of the nature of the city – its beauty and its chaos.
(Images via:Β www.blouinartinfo.comΒ &Β Instagram/always_rj)
11. “Lost Tea Party” by Wreckage International
Where: Lightning in a Bottle
Only at a festival like Lightning in a Bottle would you find an installation as awesomely bizarre as this one. Lost Tea Party was probably the 2015 edition’s most popular work of art, which is saying something at a festival that sets an incredibly high standard for what it showcases. What these massive, steampunk-themed teacups mean is a whole other question though.
(Images via: www.pinterest.com & Aaron Glassman/dancemusicnw.com)
12. “Luz” by Les Mechantes
Where: Secret Garden Party
A beautiful work of art that also appeared at Burning Man later in the year, Luz is a giant fluorescent triangle, which is a gateway to a space mirrored on all three sides. Geometric patterns on a hand-screen printed floor, covered with mirrors, give the sense of being in a kaleidoscope. The infinite endlessness of the reflections on the inside is also the message the artwork means to convey.
(Images via: www.structuremode.com &Β www.lesmechants.co.uk)