●Festival stage · Tocumwal, VIC · 2019

Deep Jungle

A collaboration between ground and sky: irregular cubic forms rise and fall across the whole environment — a sculptural stage, four standing platforms and a shading structure which mirrors the ground. The stage is built from five increasing cubic volumes, each twisting and falling into the next, its mouth skewed off-centre to keep focus on the environment as much as the artist. Every panel is discarded formply reclaimed from a concreting warehouse, its surface still marked by cleaned concrete, with an LED blinder hung inside each cube. Designed and built by alterplace for Strawberry Fields Festival 2019.

Client: Strawberry Fields Festival
Scope: Concept DesignScenographyTechnical DesignBuild Management
Collaborators: Shade Structure — Aidan Beyer (Tetrik Structures)

DJs in an angular timber booth beneath a cantilevered roof, amber light and purple-lit cubic canopies above the night crowd — 01photo — William Hamilton-Coates

Cubic canopy volumes glowing purple and amber on timber poles above the night crowd — 02photo — Duncographic

The layered cubic shade canopies at dusk, the cantilevered stage glowing at their centre — 03photo — William Hamilton-Coates

Two DJs in the angular cantilevered booth at dusk beneath the cubic sails — 04photo — William Hamilton-Coates

One of the standing platforms rising to meet the cubic canopy in the afternoon sun — 05photo — William Hamilton-Coates

Daytime crowd under the cubic sails, the formply stage mouth skewed off-centre — 06photo — William Hamilton-Coates

Waving to the daytime crowd from inside the cantilevered booth — 07photo — William Hamilton-Coates

The stage glowing amber through haze at night, festoon lights strung through the gums — 08photo — William Hamilton-Coates

Pink, purple and teal canopy cubes stacked overhead, the stage hut beyond — 09photo — William Hamilton-Coates

Two DJs behind the footlit booth edge, the formply ceiling washed amber — 10photo — William Hamilton-Coates

Looking past the DJ to the daytime crowd from inside the stage — 11photo — William Hamilton-Coates

The angular stage mouth glowing gold at night, a jester staff silhouetted in the crowd — 12photo — William Hamilton-Coates

From the booth at night — the DJ overlooking the pink-lit crowd through the stage opening — 13photo — William Hamilton-Coates