BIG unveils immersive stage design with inflatable sphere for whomadewho's global tour

BIG designs immersive stage for WhoMadeWho’s world tour

Renowned architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has collaborated with Danish electronic music trio WhoMadeWho to craft an innovative stage design, elevating the live concert experience. The teams have unveiled an inflatable sphere, reminiscent of BIG’s viral Burning Man ORB, that doubles as a canvas for 3D video projections. The striking design accompanies WhoMadeWho throughout their global tour, which commenced in November 2023 in Istanbul and concludes with a final concert in the band’s hometown, Copenhagen, in April 2024.

‘For this live experience, we needed something to help this inner journey of the listener to unfold. To remind the spectators that we are all part of something bigger,’ the band tells designboom. ‘The collaboration with BIG was meant to enhance that feeling. We humbly feel that it has successfully elevated our live show visually, making it more than just a musical experience. A proper artistic statement for the world to enjoy.’

BIG’s innovative stage design promises to elevate the live concert experience | all images courtesy of Michael Poselski – offbrandproject

an inflatable sphere for 3D projections

For their global tour, WhoMadeWho (find more here) sought to blend their avant-garde sounds and visuals with an immersive stage setup, creating a new audiovisual experience that pushes the boundaries of live performances. To bring this vision to life, the group decided to partner with the team at BIG (find more here).‘We met Jakob Lange from BIG Architects at Burning Man 2018 randomly because we had to seek shelter from a dust storm in a random camp. He came to us and said ‘I’m also Danish’ – that was the beginning of a strong friendship,’ the Copenhagen-based band tells designboom. ‘We have the deepest mutual respect and it felt very natural for us to involve Jakob and BIG in our blurry visions for the WhoMadeWho world live tour, trying to reach out to a world beyond our normal musical circles. And we were extremely grateful and honored that they wanted to play along.’

BIG’s participation ensures a concert experience that goes beyond conventional limits. Their portfolio frequently intersects with the electronic music domain, highlighted by their iconic contribution to Burning Man—The ORB, an 85-foot-diameter inflatable mirrored sphere that gracefully hovered over Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. ‘Our design for WhoMadeWho’s stage draws from our previous ventures into inflatable creations like SKUM and THE ORB,’ Jakob Lange, Partner and Head of BIG Products, says. ‘With maximum visual impact, the inflatable sphere serves as a canvas for captivating three-dimensional video projections, elevating the concert experience to a new level.’

Moving beyond technicalities and rigid design terminology, WhoMadeWho paints a vivid picture of their stage as an otherworldly spectacle. They liken it to the arrival of three small spacecraft in front of a massive LED screen. ‘At the top of the stage there is this gigantic silver sphere that is integrated with the lights and the visuals, but also at the same time doing its own thing visually,’ the band describes.‘The scenography and visuals add another level to the concert experience. Enhancing deeper and fundamental emotions. That is what people tell us at least,’ they add.

the inflatable sphere doubles as a canvas for 3D video projections