ArtIsInFormation at Coachella with the talented production design experts RabCup and the Poetic Kinetics team! I’m inspired and amazed by the artists and operators that were supporting the Astronaut, this year dubbed “Overview Effect.” The Astronaut appeared originally at Coachella 2014, and was recreated to once again roam the grassy polo fields, towering above selfie-takers. I was equally impressed by the delightfully entertaining H.I.PO rocketry experimentation, or “Hazardus Interstellar Perfessional Operations.” Words can only fall short of describing the true enormity of the Sisyphean effort that was involved.
The Story of the Coachella Astronaut
“After soaking up the ecstatic energy at Coachella 2014, the Astronaut looked to the starry desert sky, feeling the pull of the next adventure. Inspired to connect with the best and brightest, the white titan blasted off into the cosmos at escape velocity, on an intergalactic quest to find experiences as gratifying as Coachella. The Astronaut took one last look back at the blue planet receding away, as oceans, continents and clouds blurred together into a smaller and smaller dot with nothing visible around it. So tiny and fragile against infinity…
It’s 2019. The Astronaut, having traveled the universe far and wide, has made a stunning re-entry, with a new perspective. Having been at the greatest gatherings in this galaxy and beyond, our beloved explorer is touching down to call Coachella forever home. All systems are a go for an auspicious event.”
– “Overview Effect” | Coachella Art Exhibit, 2019
H.I.P.O – Rocket Launching? Hippos
“The hippos are determined to launch a rocket. Despite having no experience in rocketry, they have constructed a space-faring vehicle unlike any other. Standing 75 feet tall, it sits atop an advanced launch platform and mission control center filled with animatronics and interactive special effects. The entire structure consists of eight performance spaces, where a team of dedicated hippos utilizes the facility’s capabilities for deep-space communications, experimentation, trajectory monitoring, and calculation of launch coordinates. The artist duo Dedo Vabo (Derek Doublin and Vanessa Bonet) creates in the realm of absurdity, combing visual art, technology and performance elements. With a cast and crew of about 180 artists, makers, engineers, fabricators, special effects and animatronics experts, they aim to entertain while highlighting the absurd, mundane and sometimes sinister undertones of society.”
– H.I.P.O | Coachella Art Exhibit, 2019
Marco…
Polo complex – on lockdown somewhere “near” Palm Springs CA.
Polo complex – on lockdown somewhere “near” Palm Springs CA.#PoeticKinetics #RabCup #CoachellaAstronaut #OverviewEffect #scanpoint #PoliceState #ArtIsInFormation #gomakesomeart #areyoustillhere?
