Studio Nomad’s mirror installation reflects fragments of forest at a Hungarian music festival

Simple materials and construction methods were chosen, as a reaction against the emerging high-tech visual projections and installations popular in European clubs and music festivals. Studio Nomad   produced the Mirage Pavilion for   Sziget Festival, a music festival on Hajógyári – a forested island in the middle of the   Danube   river in Budapest. The disorienting piece   was formed from over 1,200 pieces of reflective plastic, which were suspended at eye-level on transparent cords to form a 23-metre-long wall woven among the trees. The aim was   to create   «an almost invisible object» that would visually disintegrate into the surrounding environment. The ships featured multi-coloured   paintwork applied in clashing patterns that were intended to make it difficult for enemies to pick out a target. The designers took inspiration for the work from the dazzle camouflage used on battleships in the First and Second World Wars. Arranging pieces of diamond-shaped mirror in a strict pattern, the team created a chequered band that reflected fragments of the surrounding forest. «In the last years, more and more installations have appeared that use mapping, tracking and LED visual effects to interact and attract visitors on the festivals,» said Tarcali. A harlequin pattern of mirrors enveloped a patch of Hungarian woodland in this   installation created by Budapest-based Studio Nomad for   a summer music festival (+ slideshow). The alternating diamonds of mirror and window gave simultaneous views both through and of the work, allowing visitors to experience both the real and reflected forest.