Coachella 2024: Quasar Stage designer created a 'scenic playground'

Move over, Yuma tent and Do Lab. There's a new hot spot to listen to EDM at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and it's the Quasar Stage.

The new venue made its debut on the first day of Weekend 1, April 12, with an opening set by the Berlin-based techno and house DJ Patrick Mason. The crowd was modest, but the new stage was still getting its footing. By the first day of Weekend 2, those brave enough to wander over to where the Sahara tent used to stand were greeted by a much larger group of electronic music fans.

One thing many of those fans might not even realize is that the design of Quasar includes many groundbreaking features that its performers have utilized to deliver dynamic and specialized sets during the festival.

Coachella's new Quasar Stage is a 'scenic playground' for artists

Heather Shaw, the CEO and founder of Vita Motus Design Studio, a Los Angeles-based company that designed the 100-foot-wide stage with monolithic walls and LED screens, pointed out the stage walls' angle. The walls are separated by a triangular DJ stage in the center, which Shaw describes as "digital scenic.”

“It’s a seed of what the future festival stage could look (like), and it’s a technology and scenic playground for artists at Coachella,” Shaw said.

Located on the southern end of the festival between the recently renovated Sahara tent and the Do Lab, DJs start in the early evening playing longer, back-to-back sets.

Honey Dijon, Green Velvet, Jamie XX, Floating Points and more performed on Quasar during Weekend 1. Shaw said the engineering team was faced with several challenges due to high winds and cooler temperatures on Friday and Saturday. These challenges raised concerns about the structure's stability and the servers' functionality. Nevertheless, the team managed to demonstrate to festivalgoers what Quasar was capable of.

This weekend features a different lineup of Eric Prydz, Diplo, Mau P and more.

During a Friday night DJ set by RÜFÜS DU SOL, the screens on both sides showed shifting white clouds and a blue sky that were synched with the melodic intro song and continued through the set, intermittently making it feel like the clouds and sky were a reflection on a still body of water with occasional ripples.

Coachella's new Quasar Stage was built at a rapid pace

The timeline of Quasar’s stage design and technology was only five weeks. Shaw said Vita Motus Design Studio collaborated with the Coachella production team, vendors and music artists, which enabled them to accomplish the project within the set timeline. Shaw said the success of the project is a testament to the team's ability to work cohesively and diligently under a tight schedule.

“The entertainment industry works fast, and a lot of great people came together to work quickly and diligently to get it done first while making some concessions along the way,” Shaw said.

Shaw, who is now a renowned stage designer for big names such as Kendrick Lamar, Shakira, and Pharrell, started her career designing cars for Volkswagen and Audi. In 2006, she entered the entertainment industry to work with the crew of the Do Lab at Coachella, which is an electronic dance music stage located not far from Quasar. Her work has been so impressive that she became the first female lead production designer for the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.

“It’s interesting because when you design something in the automotive industry, it takes a long time to come to fruition. Here at Coachella, it’s design it, use it, enjoy it with people and then take it down. We keep getting asked to work on things that are crazier, more innovative and exciting,” Shaw said.

Shaw, while looking forward to the future of Quasar, hopes to capitalize on the first-year success of the stage and described the earlier designs as “tenfold.”

“We had a lot more (planned), and I’m glad we only built a piece of it because the time crunch was really short. Hopefully, we can keep building on what was originally drawn up,” Shaw said.

Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella 2024: Quasar Stage designer created a 'scenic playground'