- Earlier this year I became part
of the Indio Public Arts Commission.
And today we got some backstage VIP purple wrist bands
to go see the art exhibits
at the Coachella Valley Art and Music Festival,
mainly just known as
Coachella. - Coachella.
- So we're gonna go inside and check out
all of the crazy art that you've probably seen
all over Instagram over the past weeks and years.
Yay.
So before more than a hundred thousand people
descend on the Empire Polo Fields in Indio
for three days of music, art, food,
and who knows what else,
the finishing touches are being applied
to the festival's main art installations.
Believe it or not the art installations
aren't just designed to look cool on your Instagram feed.
They actually represent a collection of work
of artists from all over the world,
including right here in the Coachella Valley.
Like Sofia Enriquez, whose paisley sculptures
titled Mismo, represent different personalities
and expressions of individual style
that she has encountered throughout her life.
Right next door to that are these teepee-like structures
designed by architect Francis Kere
and based off of the baobab trees in Africa,
I had to learn how to pronounce that,
that provide shade and comfort from the harsh sun.
(upbeat music)
For years now, aside from the ferris wheel,
the giant floating astronaut
has become a symbol of Coachella.
Created by Poetic Kinetics out of Los Angeles,
the giant spaceman is meant to evoke
the overview effect experienced by astronauts
as they see the Earth from space.
I didn't know that the piece also included robotic elements
that can control the limbs and the fingers.
And even the helmet's visor can display
the faces of festivalgoers.
So that means that anybody can be
the giant person towering over the crowd.
One of the most bizarre, and fantastic, in my opinion,
installations is from the duo, Dedo VaBo
and features a team of hippos trying
to complete a space launch.
It's not quite SpaceX,
but as the artists explain the performance aspect
with actual actors dressed as hippopotamuses,
hippopotomis, hippopotami,
inside the labs and control center,
make it a totally different experience
for everyone who sees it.
(robot beeping)
(upbeat music)
And what journey through the California desert
would be complete without cactus?
The Colossal Cacti from Office Kovacs
offer a lot of much needed shade.
And instead of spikes and thorns,
each cactus is lined with road reflectors.
And finally there's the Spectra,
not named after the Kia SUV,
created by UK design-based studio, Newsubstance.
This one has actually been around since last year
and in the off-season I've seen it just sitting
in the fields as I've driven by the Polo grounds.
So I was really excited to get a chance to go inside.
And I was even more excited to find
out that it's air conditioned.
- It's nice and chilly in here.
I would stay in here the whole time.
- [Tom] Each glass panel is a slightly different color
which makes a dazzling and slightly dizzying effect.
So I can only imagine how some
of the less-than-sober festivalgoers must feel
when they go inside.
But from the top of the 70 foot structure
there's a 360 degree view of the entire Coachella Valley,
which was a pretty awesome way to end the tour.
I've never been to the actual Coachella Festival
and for today it was more fun
to imagine the place filled with thousands of people
than to actually deal with thousands of people.
But more importantly it gave me
a totally new appreciation for the artists
and the work that goes on behind the scenes
to make the festival happen.
So maybe it's worth more than just a quick scroll
on a social media feed.
(upbeat music)