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The 2011 Coachella Music Festival, held in Indio, California, was a musical event not to be missed. During the weekend of April 15-17th, talented artists from around the world graced the five stages of the sprawling Empire Polo field, home to the festival since 1999. Headlining artists included The Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, The Strokes and Kanye West, while other musicians, such as Lauren Hill, The Black Keys, Animal Collective, Duran Duran, Mumford and Sons, A-Trak, Boys Noize, Sleigh Bells, Cee Lo Green, Tame Impala, and Cold War Kids (to name a few), also made stellar appearances.
Coachella has always been known for its jaw-dropping, envy-stirring line up, and this year was no less exciting. The Black Keys wowed crowds with their throwbacks to good ol’ rock n roll sounds, Caleb Followill of the Kings of Leon growled through his vocals for the most raunchy of performances, Arcade Fire set the crowd aflame, proving to everyone that they did indeed deserve that Grammy, Duran Duran pleased an older crowd with classics, The Strokes gave their best performance yet (Julian is definitely awarded biggest rock star of the festival), and Kanye had fireworks, dancers, and a billowingly extravagant set and performance, to say the least. But aside from the cosmologically amazing shows that took place, this year there was also something different – something that made the festival a little bit more awing than previous years, and more exceptional than its counterparts like Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and SXSW.
This year, Coachella partnered with The Creator’s Project, a collaboration of Vice and Intel, to bring an astounding mix of art and science to the festival. Though the concept of the Creator’s Project is not new, (art is often present at festivals, pleasing passerbyers as they move from set to set), the Creator’s Project infiltrated every corner of the weekend. This year, art and technology pushed the boundaries: the forces behind the Creator’s Project collaborated with acts like Arcade Fire, Animal Collective, and Interpol to enhance their shows with, for example, luminescent orbs that changed colors to the music, falling from the sky at the end of Arcade Fire’s set. Artist UVA, took over the main stage installing a 3-D cage of LED lights. Muti Randolph adorned the Sahara Tent with a light fixture that hung from the ceiling, and the Creator’s Project tent hosted projects by artists such as Feng Mengbo, Mark Essen, Johun Song, and Lumpens for the crowds to appreciate (in air conditioning no less).
The Creatory’s Project has definitely set the bar for future festivals and has given new meaning to the collaboration of art, music, and technology, making nothing more than a fiery bang of a debut at this year’s Coachella.
Check out more of the Creator’s Project at Coachella on their website: http://thecreatorsproject.com/coachella
Tags: A-Trak, Animal Collective, Arcade Fire, Boys Noize, Coachella, Cold War Kids, Duran Duran, Juliette Eisner, Kanye West, Lauren Hill, The Black Keys, The Creator's Project, The Kings of Leon, The Strokes
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