Photo: Courtesy of Coachella
After a two-year hiatus, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was back for two weekends in the desert of southern California. Known for its headline-grabbing performances, the festival also includes incredible art installations that add to the magic of the event. Coachella 2022 was no exception and featured immersive pieces by 11 artists, architects, and designers from around the world. The monumental works were often interactive and the creators used their massive platform to explore a variety of themes, but the connecting thread is that they each considered sustainability in some way.
Art enhances the overall experience of Coachella, and it provides another avenue in which the organizers can make an impact on attendees. “Building on our art program with designers, architects, and visual artists from around the world and from the Coachella Valley allows festival-goers to explore shared global interests and perspectives through the experience of ambitious and one-of-a-kind, large-scale installations,” Paul Clemente, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Art program manager explains. “In the same way music is a universal language, the experience of these new spaces invites connectedness and adds an iconic sense of place in the spirit of the Festival.”
Scroll down to get a better look at some of the art included in 2022 and learn what inspired the creatives to craft it.
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was back after a two-year hiatus. Here are some of the incredible artworks that were at the event.
Buoyed by Kiki van Eijk
Photo: Julian Bajsel, Courtesy of Coachella
Kiki van Eijk’s Buoyed featured three 36-feet-tall buoys in white, blue, and green. Each was a different shape and had its own idiosyncrasies. “To me, it’s all about the idea that all the different cultures and people, regardless of age or background, come together at the festival,” van Eijk said of her installation. “In the end, we feel and make things better. What’s so special about the festival is you’re making this journey together, you’re in this bubble for three days, everybody is one and that’s an added value. I want to bring that out with my pieces.”
Photo: Julian Bajsel, Courtesy of Coachella
Cocoon (B.K.F.+H300) by Estudio Normal
Photo: Julian Bajsel, Courtesy of Coachella
Inspired by the iconic B.K.F. chair—aka the “butterfly” chair—this nine-story sculpture comprised 300 reproductions of the furniture arranged in a totally new way. The result is an abstract cocoon-like shape that offered shade during the day and lit up at night.
Photo: Lance Gerber, Courtesy of Coachella
Photo: Kirby Gladstein, Courtesy of Coachella
The Playground by Architensions
Photo: Lance Gerber, Courtesy of Coachella
The aptly titled Playground featured bold, bright forms with some iridescent paneling that had an otherworldly glow at night. The four towers ranged from 42 to 56 feet in height and were connected by monkey bar-esque bridges. Beyond its playful exterior is a comment (and reaction to) the single-story suburban sprawl homes often seen throughout the U.S.
Photo: Courtesy of Coachella
Mutts by Oana Stănescu
Photo: Lance Gerber, Courtesy of Coachella
There is a lot we can learn from dogs, from their unbridled joy to their capacity to love. Crafted by Oana Stănescu, the monumental Mutts sculpture series featured dogs filled with a variety of plants. Although there were no puppy-dog eyes here, the gestures of the forms spoke to the quality of canines.
Photo: Lance Gerber, Courtesy of Coachella
Circular Dimensions x Microscape by Cristopher Cichocki
Photo: Lance Gerber, Courtesy of Coachella
Comprising 25,000 feet of PVC tubes, Circular Dimensions was a five-story tall sculpture that was an “exploration” into water’s significance in the desert as well as the planet. The setup played experimental music while also displaying animations of nature-inspired imagery, from magnified images of water, salt, and algae.
Photo: Lance Gerber, Courtesy of Coachella
Photo: Lance Gerber, Courtesy of Coachella
Photo: Lance Gerber, Courtesy of Coachella
La Guardiana by LosDos
Photo: Courtesy of Coachella
The sculpture La Guardiana is full of symbolism. Standing as a protector to immigrants from Mexico and around the world, she wears a skirt that features an illustration of people traveling towards a border wall. The figure also dons horns to show strength and a mask to conceal her identity, highlighting how the journey to a new place can be dangerous but also essential for survival.
Photo: Rachael Polack, Courtesy of Coachella
With such amazing art and music, it’s no wonder that Coachella has become the festival in spring.
Photo: Courtesy of Coachella
Photo: Courtesy of Coachella