I had the honor of creating an audio-reactive and time-reactive mirage flower for this year’s Coachella music festival. This is one of three mirage desert flowers that you can discover during the AR Scavenger Hunt, Gather Together. This is one piece of a larger collection of XR “mirage” experiences at this year’s festival. Since Coachella is a desert music festival, I knew that I wanted to create an audio-reactive piece that took inspiration from the desert landscape: the vast skies, the fascinating arid plant life, and the transformational power of water.
Interestingly, the abundance of water and the absence of water create very similar shapes (i.e. coral and cacti, sea urchins and succulents.) My mirage flower incorporates these arid/aquatic forms and gives them a shape-shifting spin. The undulating petals mimic the movement of flowing water. Their color mirrors water’s ability to reflect the changing sky. As the daylight transitions, the color and texture of the flower transform as well. At sunset, a special light show version of the flower celebrates the arrival of night.
Interestingly, the abundance of water and the absence of water create very similar shapes (i.e. coral and cacti, sea urchins and succulents.) My mirage flower incorporates these arid/aquatic forms and gives them a shape-shifting spin. The undulating petals mimic the movement of flowing water. Their color mirrors water’s ability to reflect the changing sky. As the daylight transitions, the color and texture of the flower transform as well. At sunset, a special light show version of the flower celebrates the arrival of night.
AR Twilight Desert Blossom (audio-reactive and time-reactive)
Sketches > Procreate
VR Sculptures > Gravity Sketch
2D Animation > After Effects
3D Models/ Materials/ Animation > Blender
AR Interactivity/ Particles > Meta Spark AR
If you'd like to take an even deeper dive behind the curtain, here is a tutorial I created which explains how to create audio-reactive AR in Meta Spark.
