This sculpture will get 'em all misty at Coachella
Culture Monster has received the designs for a large-scale sculpture that will make its debut next week at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.
The work, titled "Elastic Plastic Sponge," was designed by Ball-Nogues Studio in Echo Park in collaboration with students at the Southern California Institute of Architecture. News of the project was first reported on Culture Monster in February.
In an interview today, Benjamin Ball, the lead designer on the project, said the installation will be 250 feet long and 25 feet wide, and is made almost entirely of plastic tubing. The sculpture is expected to be finished by Thursday and will have taken about 12 weeks to create.
And no doubt, this festival-goers will find this to be one cool sculpture: It's designed to spray water on passers-by. The firm incorporated a misting system into the design that is intended to provide relief to people under the hot desert sun, Ball said. "It's all about drawing people together and creating a community within the festival."
Students at SCI-Arc studied rock fans at festivals around the world, including Woodstock and Glastonbury, in order to develop their design for "Elastic Plastic Sponge."
The installation will be between the Sahara and Gobi tents. Ball said the plan is to reconfigure the sponge-like sculpture into different shapes throughout the festival, which runs from April 17 to 19 in Indio.
-- David Ng
Photo: Rendering of "Elastic Plastic Sponge." Courtesy of SCI-Arc
I love it, what a amazing piece to experience at Coachella. Every time I turn around there is something new to fall in love with. Thank you all!!
Posted by: Kari Carver | April 08, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Exquisite.
Posted by: oni | April 08, 2009 at 12:04 PM
Can it shoot lasers?!?!
Posted by: Skittles | April 08, 2009 at 01:00 PM
The ultimate fusion of form and function! Love it.
Posted by: Aniko Hill | April 09, 2009 at 03:32 PM
The combination of beauty and functionality makes this a winner! I'd like to see the final designs at the festival and the students who built them.
Posted by: Dan Morrical | April 12, 2009 at 11:45 AM
Too bad they didn't have this last year when it was 106..this year will be in the 80's Still a great idea..Coachella rocks!!
Posted by: jimmalmo | April 17, 2009 at 06:24 AM
like to know if this installation happened. Why no one has posted the actual work pictures? Coachella was a week ago...
Posted by: tom hanks | April 24, 2009 at 04:31 PM
Here is the article after it was installed...
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/04/critics-notebook-from-coachella-tours-of-temporary-architecture-and-notes-on-camp.html
Posted by: TractionAve | May 08, 2009 at 05:36 PM