The Halo Group specialises in the design and build of temporary structures for festival installations and brand activations. This week’s blog looks at some of our favourite examples from around the world and closer to home.
Festival installations come in many shapes and sizes from art pieces to brand activations and few are more impressive than this temporary structure from Jägermeister by lead agency FRUKT and production company FIRECRACKER WORKS. Here, a multi-layered venue was created consisting of six individual connected spaces, each with its own design and aesthetic. The JägerHaus featured an enviable musical line up, multiple immersive moments across each day and night and of course Jägermeister shots. According to the FRUKT website this was a “place where memories were made and social currency was created”. This is a superb example of how to create amazing brand experiences.
Jagerhuas
IMAGE CREDIT FIRECRACKER WORKS
At the other end of the spectrum, HP appealed to tech fans at the New York City based Panorama Music Festival, The HP Lab featured 200 of the tech manufacturers products and accessories, exhibitions by specially selected local artists, a 360 degree projection mapping show and “The Ark”, a curved display surface featuring content created on HP workstations. In the HP Lounge guests were able to enjoy a multi-sensory show, kinetic art experiences, bullet-time photography, light artists and more. This is a great example of how cutting edge technology can be used to create truly engaging festival activations. (Agency: Infinity Marketing Team, Culver City, CA). –R.K.B. Watch the action here:
The Bunker at GlobalGathering is still one of our favourite in-house designed festival installations. This 300 capacity festival venue was created using our unique modular steel build system. To achieve the end result, we built the frame before cladding the exterior in ply-wood before finishing with weathered concrete scenic paint effects, planting, graffiti and other distressed features. Our modular steel frame system can be used to create temporary structures for experiential campaigns, festivals, exhibition stands, hospitality areas and viewing platforms. It can be built to many different sizes, configurations or layouts and can be quickly assembled over multiple levels if required without the need for heavy plant or machinery. Fully customisable, our frames can then be clad in virtually any material making it one of the most versatile temporary structures on the market. Our case study at GlobalGathering is still one of our favourite projects to date and brings back many fond memories.
The Bunker – Global Gathering
THE BUNKER
Palm-3 World Station is an incredible 150 foot long, 80 foot wide, and 50 foot tall sculptural piece made from 30 separate modules of mixed salvaged materials by artist Simón Vega Simon uses different materials found in the shanty towns of his native country El Salvador in a juxtaposition between the first and third worlds which parodies a Cold War space station. Featuring at Coachella Festival, the installation highlights economic inequality across global society. We love this highly creative temporary structure for its originality, craftsmanship and messaging.
Palm 3 World Station
IMAGE CREDIT by SIMON VEGA via Dezeen
We love this installation which previously featured at the 2014 Coachella Festival for its simplicity and beauty. Reflection Field is made up of five, mirror-clad free-standing temporary structures which reflect their surroundings. By day, the mountainous terrain of Indio, California set beneath clear blue skies create stunning natural reflections whilst at night the installation becomes a prism of vibrant colours. By harnessing the natural properties of light, this stunning festival installation delivers on so many levels.
Although not a new kid on the block, if you can excuse the pun, no blog on festival installations would be complete without a nod to the amazing work of Block 9. The Block9 field at Glastonbury is truly iconic. Here one of their temporary structures, entitled London Underground, stands 50 foot high and looms ominously over festival goers. Styled on a dilapidated tower block complete with a tube train smashing through its facia, this incredible piece of scenic work and engineering is a legendary feature at the worlds greatest festival.
Block 9 at Glastonbury
IMAGE CREDIT DJ MAG
Sticking with the Glastonbury theme, although arguably not in the temporary structures category, this feat of engineering, design and theatre is as deserving of a mention as any of the festival installations on our shortlist. One of the central features of the Arcadia Spectacular is a 50 tonne Spider which is perhaps the most abstract of all temporary structures – ever made! To quote Arcadia’s website “Arcadia create immersive worlds and monumental sensory experiences. Fusing groundbreaking spectacle, cutting-edge technology, sculpture, engineering and high octane circus, Arcadia’s shows bring people from around the globe together on a wave of celebration.” The Arcadia Spectacular is one of those festival experiences everyone needs to tick off their bucket list.
Back in 2014, The Halo Group created The Freight Depot at GlobalGathering Festival. As temporary structures go this was a straightforward project but it’s a great example of how even the simplest of materials, in this case shipping containers, can be used to create amazing results. We modified each container with additional load bearing points so we were able to stack them like bricks to create a bespoke dance arena at the event. Further modifications were made to the central unit to create a raised DJ booth. Our sound team fitted a first class sound and lighting system and immediately the Freight Depot became one of the most popular destinations on site. Featuring an incredible line up of some fo the biggest DJs, producers and artists – the end result was phenomenal.
The Freight Depot by The Halo Group
The Freight Depot by The Halo Group
Burning Man Festival features some of the most creative temporary structures and festival installations on the planet. Back in 2012, The Temple Crew created The Temple of Juno which featured a central temple set within a breathtaking walled courtyard. Each section was pre-fabricated from a selection of woods such as cedar and then reassembled over a 3 week build schedule in the desert. Projects like this are testament to design, construction, artisan craftsmanship and natural materials. The end result is truly jaw dropping!
Temple of Juno
Edoardo Tresoldi’s festival installations at the 2018 Coachella Festival were inspired by neoclassical and baroque architecture and made entirely from wire mesh. Measuring 36, 54, and 72 feet in height, these incredible temporary structures created an experience where visitors could immerse themselves amongst the towering buildings set against the backdrop of the Colorado Desert. As the sun moves across the sky, light is able to filter through the mesh creating a unique mesmerising effect.
Etherea by Edoardo Tresoldi
IMAGE CREDIT ROBERTO CONTE via Dezeen
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