Popular artist group returns for 2019 Coachella Fest
The songs may take center stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival but just as memorable is the art.
One mega-popular artist group is back again for the festival’s 20th anniversary, and KESQ had the chance to take a sneak peek into the group’s studio ahead of the first weekend.
Poetic Kinetics, a group that specializes in massive art installations, is based in downtown Los Angeles.
At its head is Patrick Shearn, a former Hollywood creature effects mechanic whose resume includes Jurassic Park.
“We’re known for being high-concept and iconic and kind of pushing that envelope a little bit,” said Patrick Shearn, the creative director and president of Poetic Kinetics.
His installations are meant to inspire wonder.
“I’m looking for spectacle. It’s got to be something just jaw-dropping and interactive and whimsical and playful and iconic,” said Shearn.
The group, which saw its start during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has thrilled Coachella crowds for years. In its 2013 showing, the group launched a snail with wanderlust. In 2014, an astronaut descended on the desert, examining festival-goers.
This year, Poetic Kinetics is under a strict secrecy policy, but the group told KESQ that a 30-person crew is working on a behemoth surprise for April.
The 2019 festival will come on the 20th anniversary of Coachella.
“They’re up for a pleasant surprise, I think, if they want to engage, they have a lot of depth with which they can engage with,” said Shearn. “They can go far with it in this installation. There’s a story to it that’s pretty compelliing.”
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival begins on April 12.
