The Coachella Valley music and Arts festival is one of the
most awaited events of the year in Southern California. Popular artists from a
variety of genres including rock, electronic dance music, hip hop, indie etc.
perform in the desert in the California desert in a spectacle that is a true
oasis for music fans. In addition to the performances the entire valley has
several modern art sculptures and installations that truly are a wonder.
The festival is truly a reflection of modern art in terms of
the music, the art of performing live, and the spectacularly designed
sculptures. While most artists good performers some were clearly better than
others. I learned that there is so much more to performing live than getting
the music right. The more experienced artists were engaging, they interacted
with the crowd a lot more, the lights complimented the music very well, and
most importantly they had a surprise element. Great performers often played a mix
of their most popular songs that had never been played before.
The festival illustrated how science can be applied to
enhance art. Light and screen displays for some performances were truly
spectacular. Even the art installations were enrapturing. My favorite one was
the balloon chain. It really looks like a string of stars that have gravitated
around the festival. It must have been challenging to align the balloons in
such a manner without any support base on the ground. Occasionally, parts of
the string would be released and design would be altered. Looking at it from
down under, really makes you feel like you are in paradise.
It was also really amazing to see how diverse and subjective
art can be. I often heard people talk about their favorite artists, and range
in selection was very interesting. Even within the same genre people just
preferred different artists. When somebody in the restroom line asked me which
artists I was going to see that night, he was quite surprised. His list was
completely different, yet he was just as excited.
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