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LIGHTING UP THE RIYADH DESERT: SOUNDSTORM FESTIVAL STAGE SETS LED SCREEN RECORD

“Pollstar reached out to Shaw, to find out whether artists designed visuals specially for their Soundstorm show. She said, “The LED wall was designed with a defined pixel map but offered a high level of flexibility to accommodate artists’ unique visions. The screen could display one large cohesive image, divide into various sections, or even feature overlays of visuals with intricate effects. It was also capable of supporting large [image magnification], enabling the audience to have a clear view of the artists on the expansive stage.”

“Some artists chose to repurpose existing visuals from their tours, while others created custom frames and visuals tailored specifically for this screen. This adaptability allowed each performance to feel distinct and immersive, ensuring the artists’ creative vision was brought to life on a monumental scale”

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VITA MOTUS DEFIES GRAVITY WITH A STAGE THAT RISES FROM THE RIYADH DESERT AT SOUNDSTORM 2024

“Vita Motus founder Heather Shaw has made history as the first female production designer for Soundstorm, highlighting the festival’s commitment to female representation and fostering inclusivity. Her groundbreaking achievement sets a bold new standard for creativity and innovation in the region’s cultural scene.”

“The Big Beast Stage symbolises the innovation and visionary spirit of Saudi Arabia. More than just a performance space, it is a living spectacle, merging visuals, sound, and effects in perfect harmony. Towering above the desert, it challenges traditional stage architecture, cementing its place as a defining symbol of Soundstorm 2024 and a benchmark for the future of live entertainment.”

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THE BEST ELECTRONIC MUSIC INDUSTRY LEADERS OF 2024

“Led by its ambitious founder and CEO, Heather Shaw, Vita Motus has executed phantasmagoric stages for EDC, Electric Forest and Lightning in a Bottle, among other major festivals. But she found herself in a three-month pressure cooker ahead of Coachella, where the studio was tasked with building a universe unto itself.”

“For the idealistic minds behind the producers of music festivals, one question often gnaws like a spider in the brain: can a stage be more than just a platform? For Vita Motus, the design studio behind Coachella’s groundbreaking Quasar stage, it’s a resounding “yes.”

SEE HOW TECH TOOK OVER THIS NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL MODEL

“Technology has been infiltrating music festivals for quite a while now—from Snapchat filters to map apps. The organizers of the inaugural Worlds Away festival, sponsored by NEFT Vodka, are setting out to create more of an experience instead of following the usual model.

Attendees were greeted by the Lumina Gardens, which Sahebi said  set the tone on how we wanted to infuse a narrative across the whole fairgrounds. Think immersive experiences like an AR scavenger hunt, a digital graffiti wall, and virtual merchandise try-ons.”

The Main Stage and Installations were created by Vita Motus, known for its work with Coachella and Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC). Their influence is obvious; EDC-esque vibes are found throughout the festival.

WORLDS AWAY MERGES ART, MUSIC AND TECHNOLOGY FOR IMMERSIVE FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE

“Not just another dance music festival, what makes Worlds Away truly special is its commitment and mission to drive forward art and tech innovation. The festival is making waves with its cutting-edge immersive experiences, thanks to partnerships with tech giants like Augmento, Normal Studio, Endstate, and Vita Motus.

The team behind World’s Away plans to transform the fairgrounds into a unique universe called “Nexus,” featuring cutting-edge technological innovations, immersive art installations, and spectacular light shows, all creative-directed by Vita Motus, known for their work at major events like Coachella and the Super Bowl Halftime Show.”

WORLDS AWAY ANNOUNCES EXCITING TECH ELEMENTS TO ENHANCE TRAVELER EXPERIENCE

“Today, event organizers announced that they are partnering with AR platform Augmento as the key Title Tech Sponsor, as well as with Normal Studio, Endstate, and Vita Motus. Together, they will create groundbreaking and interactive activations designed to transform how technology is used at festivals, and how crowds interact with it.

Vita Motus, renowned for its work with Coachella and EDC Las Vegas, has also designed thematic landscapes for travelers to enhance their experiences on the festival grounds.”

FRAMEWORK TO BUILD “POWER PLANT” STAGE FOR SOLOMUN SHOW IN LA

“Framework gave fans a sneak peek of the unique production package they have planned for this weekend, including a towering stage modeled after the real power plant in Oxnard. The event originally destined for the Mandalay Generating Station—an abandoned power plant in Oxnard, California—will now take place at Downtown LA’s Exposition Park this Saturday, June 1, 2024.

STARDUST AND SWEAT: INSIDE THE KNIFE-EDGE DEVELOPMENT OF COACHELLA’S QUASAR STAGE WITH ITS DESIGNER

“For the idealistic minds behind the producers of music festivals, one question often gnaws like a spider in the brain: can a stage be more than just a platform?For Heather Shaw, it’s a resounding “yes.” Shaw is the designer of Coachella’s brand-new Quasar stage, which propelled electronic dance music as one of the iconic festival’s biggest draws in a year teeming with unforgettable rave moments. As the founder and CEO of Vita Motus Design Studio, Shaw has executed phantasmagoric stages for EDC, Electric Forest and Lightning in a Bottle, among other major festivals. She also made history in 2022 as the first female lead production designer for the MTV Video Music Awards.

Reimagining the concert stage as a living, breathing organism, Quasar, Shaw tells us, was designed “to push the boundaries of what’s possible at music festivals.” She paints a picture of a bastion of iconoclastic design that transcends the typical festival stage’s proscribed role as inert backdrop.”

COACHELLA 2024: QUASAR STAGE DESIGNER CREATED A SCENIC PLAYGROUND

“Heather Shaw, the CEO and founder of Vita Motus Design Studio, a Los Angeles-based company that designed the stage with monolithic walls and LED screens, pointed out the stage walls’ angle. The walls are separated by a triangular DJ stage in the center, which Shaw describes as ‘digital scenic.’ ‘It’s a seed of what the future festival stage could look (like), and it’s a technology and scenic playground for artists at Coachella,’ Shaw said.”

COACHELLA 2024: MUSIC, ART, & COMMUNITY

“This year also brings a new stage to the Coachella lineup: Quasar. Quasar, designed by Vita Motus, is an ambitious experiential stage designed to host extended, three-to-four-hour DJ sets. The stage includes two LED walls designed to use augmented reality against the iconic Coachella backdrop, creating an immersive experience not seen at Coachella before.”

COACHELLA 2024: DOJA CAT BRINGS US DANCING YETIS AND MUD WRESTLING ON A STRANGELY SATISFYING DAY 3 FINALE

“In 2023, Heather Shaw spoke on a panel at South by Southwest about augmented reality and the future of stage design and production. The founder and CEO of L.A.-based Vita Motus Design Studio was so inspired by the conversation she created a presentation for a future stage at Coachella. Shaw, whose many credits include working on the design of the Do Lab going back to 2006, ultimately didn’t present the deck to the festival’s team but it came to pass anyway, as Coachella sought out a new stage.”

COACHELLA ADDS NEW DANCE STAGE FOR 2024

“The stage, which has been designed by longtime Coachella collaborator Vita Motus, will be assembled from two massive LED walls with the artists performing in the middle.It will occupy a space on the festival site formerly occupied by the Sahara tent, with that tent moving elsewhere.The introduction of Quasar marks the first time that Coachella has debuted a new stage dedicated to dance music since Yuma launched at the event in 2013.”

QUASAR: COACHELLA’S NEWEST STAGE WITH ERIC PRYDZ B2B ANYMA

“We have two monolithic LED walls. They have dimension to it that will be scenic thanks to the mirror so that it feels like it’s also part of the environment. So we’ll be looking to create innovative 3d worlds and then we’re using real-time content playback in the media laws. There are things I haven’t told you we’ve been looking at different unique ideas for Coachella and have wanted to push the limits with real-time content and what this will open up is pretty wild and amazing – Heather Shaw.”

CHECK OUT THE DESIGN FOR THE BRAND NEW QUASAR STAGE AT COACHELLA

“Heather Shaw from Vita Motus Design Studio gave a glimpse at the incredible new structure which features two massive LED walls that will provide dimension while also appearing scenic when viewed. Sitting on opposites of the stage where the artists will perform, the production team will be able to trigger real-time designs throughout the marathon 3+ hours sets.”

COACHELLA’S QUASAR STAGE TO PRESENT 3+ HOUR SETS BY MICHAEL BIBI, RÜFÜS DU SOL AND MORE

“As previewed by Heather Shaw from Vita Motus Design Studio, the new structure is designed with immersion in mind, boasting two “monolithic” LED walls offering dynamic visuals synchronised with the music from the extended sets that are said to go over three hours.”

COACHELLA 2024 ADDS NEW DANCE STAGE WITH MAJOR LINEUP ADDITIONS INCLUDING DIPLO & RüFüS DU SOL

“Designed by VITA MOTUS, a longtime Coachella stage designer, Quasar will be assembled from two massive LED walls with the artists in the middle.”

HOW COACHELLA’S NEWEST AND MOST AMBITIOUS STAGE CAME TOGETHER IN LESS THAN 4 MONTHS

“After Goldenvoice approached Shaw and her Vita Motus team with the idea of Quasar, they had many conversations about how the design could best suit the longer sets.”

PRODUCING VARIETY’S POWER OF WOMEN EVENT CULTIVATES CREATIVE COMMUNITY

With collaboration at the forefront, Shaw and the Vita Motus team created a “clean, sophisticated stage” in order to “compliment the lofty purpose driving the event,” utilizing a minimalistic, bright white proscenium to frame the ceremony. Additionally, they created a wide upstage LED wall and extended the set as “digital scenery,” allowing for visual cohesion throughout the different design elements.

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FX NETWORKS PROMOTES HULU SHOWS WITH MULTISENSORY ART INSTALLATIONS IN NEW YORK, CHICAGO, AND L.A.

In Los Angeles’ Grand Park, the women-owned design firm Vita Motus created a huge set of 3D printed, industrial wings to represent sci-fi and horror. “The viewer is inserted and engulfed into a chaotic hive of audio, before moving into a relative aural sanctuary, vacillating between dissonance and harmony. A subversion of the ubiquitous angel wings of LA, the installation calls to a darker contingency, hoping to inspire new possibilities.” 

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SOUND ON: INSIDE FX’S SERIES OF SENSORY ACTIVATIONS THAT PROMOTED ITS POPULAR SHOWS

The tour wrapped up at Grand Park in Los Angeles from Sept. 23-27, with an eye-catching installation from multidisciplinary production design firm Vita Motus. The display blended 3D printing technology with avant-garde industrial materials, with wings nodding to the horror and sci-fi themes. Inside the experience, attendees were first surrounded by a chaotic mix of audio before moving into what organizers called an “aural sanctuary,” intended to mix the ideas of dissonance and harmony.

INTERVIEW

KINGDOM OF MIND: EPISODE 5 – DESIGNING NEW WORLDS

As the CEO and Creative Director of LA-based design studio, Vita Motus, Heather Shaw has been redefining production design since founding the firm in 2006. Over the past fifteen years, Heather has led the Vita Motus team in designing and actualizing groundbreaking festival structures, art installations, TV sets,  tour stages, and products. Vita Motus’ clients include Cirque Du Soleil, Shakira, Kendrick Lamar, Mariah Carey, and Adidas.

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MOBY, ALUNA, SOFI TUKKER, MORE ANNOUNCED FOR VIRTUAL DGTL LIB 2: 24 HOUR BRUNCHY-Q-PARTYTHON

The festival made its digital debut in 2020, but the 2021 iteration will recreate original Lighting in a Bottle stages as virtual environments by Vita Motus Design Studio. The fully immersive experience will utilize Unreal Engine technology to bring the broadcast to life from various remote locations, including set design, lighting design, video mapped content, embedded performances, camera capture, and more. In addition to the musical programming, workshops curated by The Compass will include exercise, cooking, and educational programming throughout the weekend.

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DO LAB ANNOUNCES DGTL LIB 2: 24 HOUR BRUNCHY-Q-PARTYTHON TO TAKE PLACE OF 2021 FLAGSHIP LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE FESTIVAL

Not only will performers curate one-of-a-kind sets for guests to enjoy, but artists like MOBY,Desert Dwellers, Megan Hamilton and Mikey Lionwill perform in favorite LIB stages, recreated as digital environments by Vita Motus Design Studio to create a full immersive experience. From the colourful tendrils of the Woogie to the striking bass-heavy temple of The Stacks, there’ll be a musical home for everyone. By utilizing Unreal Engine technology and leveraging live production expertise, all elements of a real production are able to seamlessly integrate and bring an engaging broadcast to life from various remote locations, including set design, lighting design, video mapped content, embedded performances, camera capture, and more.

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DO LAB ANNOUNCES DGTL LIB 2: 24 HOUR BRUNCHY-Q-PARTYTHON

Not only will performers curate one-of-a-kind sets for guests to enjoy, but artists such as MOBY, Desert Dwellers, Megan Hamilton, and Mikey Lion will perform in favorite LIB stages that Vita Motus Design Studio has recreated as digital environments to create a fully immersive experience. There will be something for everyone, from the colorful tendrils of the Woogie to the striking bass-heavy temple of The Stacks. All elements of a real production, including set design, lighting design, and video mapped content, are able to seamlessly integrate and bring an engaging broadcast to life from various remote locations using Unreal Engine technology and leveraging live production expertise.

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EPROM AND G JONES ARE GOING B2B AT UPCOMING LIGHTING IN A BOTTLE STREAM: SEE THE FULL LINEUP

The 24-hour streaming spectacular will also feature performances by Moby, SOFI TUKKER, Aluna, Purple Disco Machine, and TSHA, among other major dance music artists. They will perform in digitally-rendered fan-favorite LIB stages, which were developed by Vita Motus Design Studio using cutting-edge Unreal Engine technology. Fans can also partake in a unique slate of immersive virtual workshops curated by The Compass.

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BRANDS, EDM, AND THE FUTURE OF LIVE EVENTS

INTERVIEW

HEATHER SHAW – LIBERATING VISION

INTERVIEW

MEET HEATHER SHAW OF VITA MOTUS DESIGN STUDIO IN EAGLE ROCK

HOW VIDEO GAMES AND VR COULD CHANGE FESTIVALS FOREVER

LENA WAITHE AND COMMON’S VIRTUAL CONCERT, THE CHI WITH LOVE WILL STREAM ON FATHER’S DAY

The program gets its name from the Showtime series, The Chi, created by Waithe. The goal, they said in a statement, is to raise funds and awareness for EJI, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to providing legal representation for prisoners who were wrongfully convicted. The nonprofit, featured in the book and movie Just Mercy, works to end racial inequities and mass incarceration.

WITH FESTIVALS ON HOLD, HEATHER SHAW AND VITA MOTUS ARE DESIGNING A NEW FUTURE FOR LIVE EVENTS

As mass gatherings continue to wait their place at the very back of the re-opening line, companies like Vita Motus are innovating, trying to crack the code of what’s next for the live music industry. The first fruits of that labor were on full display this past Memorial Day weekend as LIB went virtual, hosting “DGTL LIB” online via livestreaming platform Twitch. For the event, Vita Motus created a fully rendered festival landscape complete with two unique stages for performances by TOKiMONSTA and Shiba San.

COMMON, LENA WAITHE AND MORE SET FOR ‘THE CHI WITH LOVE’ VIRTUAL BENEFIT CONCERT

Showtime has set a virtual concert that will feature headliners Lena Waithe and Common — creative collaborators on the network’s Chicago-set series he Chi T— and a focus on the Equal Justice Initiative. On behalf of the drama series, Showtime and parent company ViacomCBS will kick off the fundraising effort with a $500,000 donation.

‘THE CHI’S LENA WAITHE & COMMON TO HEADLINE VIRTUAL CONCERT FUNDRAISER FOR EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE

‘THE CHI’ COLLABORATORS LENA WAITHE AND COMMON SET TO HEADLINE VIRTUAL BENEFIT CONCERT

IS THIS WHAT FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVALS WILL LOOK LIKE?

This psychedelic alternate universe was created by Los Angeles-based Vita Motus Design Studio, which used Unreal Engine, a real-time 3-D creation platform for video games, to fully render the landscape and stages. “Our goal is to elevate the living room livestream into an unforgettable creative and interactive experience,” explained Heather Shaw, CEO of Vita Motus.

WATCH SETS BY FOUR TET, TOKIMONSTA & MORE FROM LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE’S LIVESTREAM: EXCLUSIVE

In the transformational spirit of the longstanding California event, the three-day DGTL LiB livestream featured music, meditation, educational talks and surreal, psychedelic puppet shows, among other special programming. Many of the DJ sets – including those by Kaytranada, Justin Jay, Clozee, Tycho and more — went down in online environments created to simulate various Lightning In a Bottle stages, with the creators of these digital areas, Vita Motus Design Studio, adding fantastical digital flourishes that could only exist online.

LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE FESTIVAL GOES VIRTUAL

As producers of some of the most recognizable stage environments on the planet, fans had to know Do LaB wouldn’t settle for any run of the mill backdrop. For a fully immersive stage environment, the upcoming virtual event draws on the digital wizardry of Vita Motus Design Studio — a top shelf Los Angeles firm that has collaborated with Do LaB on a multitude of stage designs in the past, including backdrops for the Electric Daisy Carnival, American Idol, and Coachella. They’ve also created custom stage designs on tour for the likes of Shakira, Kendrick Lamar, Amon Tobin, and Mariah Carey.

VITA MOTUS TO PUSH THE LIMITS OF LIVESTREAMING WITH VIRTUAL STAGES DURING DGTL LIB

How? By utilizing the Unreal Engine, Vita Motus has rendered the entire iconic Lightning in a Bottle festival landscape into a magical virtual reality world. Attendees can now explore the beautiful landscape of LIB and artists can perform on virtual fan-favorite stages. Right as we were beginning to feel the depression of missing Lightning in a Bottle, Vita Motus gives us something incredible to be excited about. With intricate design and crystal clear visuals, it’s truly the next best thing to being there in person.

LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE TO HOST DGTL LIB FEST FEATURING TOKIMONSTA, KAYTRANDA, FOUR TET, TYCHO & MORE

House, techno and bass music favorites Luttrell, Autograf, Glitch Mob, Mr. Carmack, Eli & Fur, Sacha Robotti, Random Rab and others will also bring the beats during the long weekend. The event is created in partnership with female-run boutique design firm Vita Motus, who has created immersive digital stage experiences that select artists will use during the sets to add some visual pizazz to spice up the livestream flurry. Their Unreal Engine technology allows for “set design, lighting design, video mapped content, embedded performances, camera capture and more” to be shared via the Twitch stream.

DO LAB ANNOUNCES THE DGTL LIB VIRTUAL FESTIVAL WITH KAYTRANADA, THE GLITCH MOB, TOKIMONSTA AND MORE – EDM.COM

As if it were not enough to bring together a cavalcade of music titans, many LIB artists will perform on some of the flagship stages of Lightning in a Bottle, which have become the hallmark of the festival. The virtuosos of Vita Motus Design Studio will render them in real time for live performances, effectively innovating in streaming and live.

LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE CONTINUES TO BUILD COMMUNITY WITH LIB DGTL LIVESTREAM

Select artists will perform in favorite LIB stages, recreated as digital environments by Vita Motus Design Studio to create a full immersive experience. From the colorful tendrils of the Woogie to the striking bass-heavy temple of Thunder Stage, there’ll be a musical home for everyone. By utilizing Unreal Engine technology and leveraging live production expertise, all elements of a real production are able to seamlessly integrate and bring an engaging broadcast to life from various remote locations, including set design, lighting design, video mapped content, embedded performances, camera capture, and more.

LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE UNVEILS KAYTRANADA, GLITCH MOB, AND MORE FOR MDW DIGITAL EVENT

The virtual festival sets out to recreate the Lightning in a Bottle experience through a strong curation of musical talent, detailed focus on visual immersion, and adjacent arts and wellness offerings. DGTL LIB will welcome Kaytranada for his first-ever live streamed performance alongside beloved electronic aficionados including The Glitch Mob, TOKiMONSTA, CloZee, Shiba San, Mr. Carmack, Rinzen, and several more. Attendees will enjoy select artists perform in digitally-recreated LIB stages, courtesy of the woman-owned Vita Motus Design Studio.

LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE ANNOUNCES NEW DGTL LIB FESTIVAL FT. KAYTRANADA, FOUR TET, MR. CARMACK

Among the artist participating in the event are some of our favorites that were on the original lineup such as KAYTRANADA, Glitch Mob, Mr. Carmack, CloZee, Opiuo, Justin Jay, and many, many more. Not only will these artists be throwing down sets for us all weekend, but they’ll be performing in digital renditions of the favorite LIB stages such as the Woogie and Thunder stage.

These digital versions of the stages have been created using the Unreal gaming engine by Via Motus Design Studio. This has never been done before and we can’t wait to see how it plays out.

LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE FESTIVAL TO CREATE VIRTUAL WORLD FOR THIS YEAR’S CONCERT

Vita Motus has fully rendered the Lightning in a Bottle festival landscape into an immersive virtual world where select artists including Kaytranada, CloZee, and Opiuo will be performing from virtual stages. You can also experience two special performances from Shiba San and TOKiMONSTA which will unveil a new lake stage design.

DGTL LIB ANNOUNCES LINEUP FEATURING KAYTRANADA, GLITCH MOB, CLOZEE & MORE

Not only will performers curate one-of-a-kind sets for guests to enjoy, but select artists will perform in favorite LIB stages, redesigned as digital environments by Vita Motus Design Studio to create a full immersive experience. More than jus music, fans can also expect yoga + movement programming, educational classes, awe-inspiring art, and workshops.

Jesse Flemming, President of Do LaB, Inc., said of the experience: Here at Do LaB, we’ve always been forward thinking and our longtime partnership with Vita Motus has helped us bring our insane visions to life. We are excited to be pushing the envelope with them again, but this time in the digital world.

THE DO LAB ANNOUNCE LINEUP FOR LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE VIRTUAL LIVESTREAM FESTIVAL GOING DOWN THIS WEEKEND

Not only will performers curate one-of-a-kind sets for guests to enjoy, but select artists will perform in favorite LIB stages, recreated as digital environments by Vita Motus Design Studio to create a full immersive experience. From the colourful tendrils of the Woogie to the striking bass-heavy temple of Thunder Stage, there’ll be a musical home for everyone. By utilizing Unreal Engine technology and leveraging live production expertise, all elements of a real production are able to seamlessly integrate and bring an engaging broadcast to life from various remote locations, including set design, lighting design, video mapped content, embedded performances, camera capture, and more.

DIGITAL LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE FESTIVAL TO FEATURE KAYTRANADA, GLITCH MOB, TOKIMONSTA — WITH VISUALS POWERED BY VIDEO GAME ENGINE

“For the first time ever, a branded festival environment has been recreated in a gaming engine to be used for live broadcast,” said Heather Shaw, CEO of Vita Motus Design Studio. “We at Vita Motus think that Lightning in a Bottle is an ideal environment to showcase our realtime rendering capabilities because of its completely unique architecture, iconic design, and immersive content.”

AMSTERDAM DANCE EVENT (ADE) ARTIST & SPEAKER PROGRAM

Heather Shaw, founder of Vita Motus Design Studio, boasts a multi-dimensional career in environmental, industrial, transportation and production design with a conscious emphasis on functional purpose and designing the future.

INTERVIEW

THE PROS BEHIND THE SHOWS: HEATHER SHAW

11 Question with a multimedia festival stage designer.

INFOCOMM 2019: TEN THINGS NOT TO MISS

Center Stage will welcome representatives from big firms and brands, such as Gensler and Google, and creative studios, such as Vita Motus and Quince Imaging.

INFOCOMM 2019: CENTER STAGE IS BACK TO PROMOTE EXPERIENCE DESIGN

Joining the Center Stage lineup is Heather Shaw, CEO of design studio Vita Motus, who will chat with Center Stage program director Kirsten Nelson about how Shaw’s team creates visual and physical productions for artists, festivals, and brands, such as Pharrell Williams and Red Bull.

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AMAS 2018: SEE MARIAH CAREY DELIVER WORLD TV DEBUT OF NEW SONG ‘WITH YOU’

Singer created alluring visual effect with fabric, dancers for live performance

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INSIDE HEATHER SHAW AND VITA MOTUS’ MIND-MELTING WORLD OF STAGE DESIGN

The woman responsible for these electrifying realities is Heather Shaw, the founder and CEO of Vita Motus, a multi-disciplinary design studio that specializes in futuristic, high-tech productions that are quite literally out of this world.

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A$AP FERG REUNITES WITH A$AP ROCKY AS MAD MAN TOUR RUMBLES THROUGH NYC

The 29-year-old exercised his deep industry ties to bless fans in attendance with a triumvirate of consecutive guest appearances.

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KENDRICK LAMAR AND SZA SHINE AT TDE CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR KICKOFF IN VANCOUVER

The Top Dawg’s package tour, also featuring SZA, Jay Rock and SiR, is a victory lap and a way for Kendrick Lamar’s star power to boost his labelmates.

INTERVIEW

GIRLSCHOOL X SMARTIST: HEATHER SHAW

Meet Smartist Heather Shaw, CEO and Chief Designer of Vita Motus, a team of visionaries who design and curate that experience.

ADIDAS DEERUPT EXPERIENCE IN LA

The Deerupt Experience was a pop-up art and culture installation held in Downtown Los Angeles that aimed to challenge the perception of reality, as well as celebrate the launch of the new adidas Deerupt sneaker.

INTERVIEW

THE BOLD VISUAL WORLD CREATED BY HEATHER SHAW

If Heather Shaw had a private planet of her own making, it would be called Vita Motus, a dynamo spinning in orbit around the largest of large-scale events with the denizens dropping down to earth to deliver visually compelling experiences.

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FROM DAFT PUNK TO SKRILLEX, HERE’S 7 OF THE COOLEST LIVE SETUPS OF ALL-TIME

Provoked by the mainstreaming of North American music festivals in the early 2000s—and the big budget EDM boom shortly thereafter—the last decade of live electronic music has been something of an arms race. No longer was it simply enough to just show up and play a few songs, fans demanded lasers, confetti cannons, colossal smoke machines, and cakes to the face.

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DOLAB DEBUTS THE BEACON AT COACHELLA FOR A TASTE OF LIB’S FUTURE

Like the Dance Temple at Boom 2016, the Beacon is another collaboration with Heather Shaw of Vita Motus and Do LaB’s own Josh Flemming.

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HOW THE DOLAB STAGE BECAME COACHELLA’S FESTIVAL-WITHIN-A-FESTIVAL

Walk through the section of Coachella called the Terrace, past the Beer Barn and a series of towering white lamps out of some giant’s IKEA catalog, and you’ll see a graceful spire rising in the distance, covered in interlocking panels like the scales of a fishtail. Walk closer and the structure reveals itself to be even larger and prettier than it first appears, a sprawling, origami-like tent that houses one of Coachella’s most popular attractions, the Do LaB Stage.

INTERVIEW

THE MAKING OF THE BASSPOD

If you’ve made the annual pilgrimage to EDC Las Vegas each year, we don’t even have to tell you that the bassPOD is life. You feel it in your bones, it has become part of your DNA.

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COACHELLA 2016: HOW A LOS ANGELES DESIGN FIRM PULLED OFF HALSEY’S EXPLOSIVE SET

The crew had less than 30 minutes to set up for pop star Halsey’s performance on Coachella’s Outdoor Stage.

INTERVIEW

THE CHAINSMOKERS’ STAGE DESIGNERS EXPLAIN THE NEXT GEN OF PRODUCTION

Billboard’s Joe Lynch took a moment to interview Vita Motus founder Heather Shaw and executive producer Elliott Dunwody, two minds behind Coachella 2016’s biggest acts.

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PRODUCTION DESIGNERS FOR HALSEY, CHAINSMOKERS & MORE EXPLAIN ‘SCULPTURAL’ LIGHTING & THEIR FIELD’S FUTURE AS FEST CULTURE SHIFTS

Production designers have always been an essential force in putting on live concerts, but in the past five years or so, their behind-the-scenes work has taken on a more visible role in the public sphere.

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DESIGNING COACHELLA: INTERACTION AND STAGE DESIGN BY VITA MOTUS

After this past Coachella, we looked into the stage artists who deliver the interactive experiences that energize the festival’s atmosphere. We were lucky enough to talk to Heather Shaw, CEO of Vita Motus, who has designed stages and interactive experiences at Coachella for the past decade.

PORTRAIT OF HEATHER SHAW, DESIGNER OF CONCERT STAGES

Her disparity became her distinction. “Being a woman gave me a different point of view. Most of the male car designers were living in a different reality, engineers not extending out into the world in ways that I was.”

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THE DESIGN PROCESS: VITA MOTUS

It’s too bad the name Industrial Light & Magic had already been taken by some obscure film producer named George Lucas. Otherwise, the terms would perfectly capture the work of Heather Shaw and her firm Vita Motus Design Studio.

ELECTRIC FOREST FESTIVAL STAGE EXPERIENCES ELATION LED COLOUR

Stage design for this year’s Tripolee Stage was by Heather Shaw and her team at multi-disciplinary design firm Vita Motus Design Studio, which has created innumerable ground-breaking touring stages in the past and did it again at this year’s Electric Forest.

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VITA MOTUS’ STAGE DESIGN OF BASSPOD AT EDCLV

A fleet of sci-fi dirty robots landed at the Basspod Stage at EDC Las Vegas 2015. Basspod, also known as Bassrush Stage, featured stage design by Heather Shaw and her team at Vita Motus and lighting design by VT Pro Design.

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THE BEST (AND WORST) OF EDC VEGAS 2015

Electric Daisy Carnival is such a massive assault on the senses that, after the dust has settled (mostly in one’s lungs), it can be hard to pick out the highlights and lowlights. We’re still processing everything we heard and saw out there on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but here a few things that really stood out in our adventures under what EDC likes to call its “Electric Sky.”

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WHY A RED BULL STUNT REQUIRED 60-FOOT CEILINGS AND A HELIPAD

Dubbed “The Circuitry of Life: A Journey Through the Evolution of Technology,” the evening’s centerpiece was a multimedia experience created by Heather Shaw, C.E.O. of the multidisciplinary design firm Vita Motus.

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RED BULL INSTALLATION CHARTS THE HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY

The project, The Circuitry of Life, was commissioned by Red Bull and ran for two nights only. Vita Motus CEO and chief designer Heather Shaw, whose work often enhances musical performances by the likes of MIA and Taylor Swift, drew inspiration from the long-term thinking of futurists such as Ray Kurzweil.

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FOUR-STORY CUBE OF LIGHT TAKES OVER LA ROOFTOP

We stepped inside futurist designer Heather Shaw’s two-night multidimensional AV installation in Los Angeles. Is the evolution of technology cyclical rather than linear? Is it just bringing us back to the same mindset humans had for thousands of years?

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THE OTHERWORLDLY SET DESIGN OF VITA MOTUS

Meet Heather Shaw, CEO and Founder of Vita Motus, one of the entertainment world’s most in-demand, multidisciplinary design firms, and the go-to choice for electronic-music artists looking to develop groundbreaking live experiences for their fans. Since forming the company in 2006, Shaw has done set design for the likes of Amon Tobin, Infected Mushroom, Pharrell Williams, Audion (Matthew Dear), and A$AP ROCKY, and in conjunction with L.A.-based experience creators The Do LaB, has built 360-degree, fully immersive art installations that have appeared at music festivals such as Coachella, Lightning in a Bottle, and the Boom Festival in Portugal.

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DECONSTRUCTING VITA MOTUS DESIGN STUDIO

The words Vita Motus tend to conjure up some sort of dystopian, cubed age. One where each and every worldly element can be boxed, cross-interrogated and mapped to the utmost precision. Where artists and performers are elevated to godlike statuses on elevated stages and a compressed atmospheric that makes sure nothing is as it seems.

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VITA MOTUS TRANSFORMS THE NIGHT

Since the inception Vita Motus in 2006, Heather Shaw and her dedicated team have been using unorthodox means and expertise to change the way people think about live performance and set design. Before starting the company, Heather worked with car companies designing concept cars, and that eye towards the transformative future clearly informs the companies work to this day.

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RAGE KNOWS NO AGE: EDM GRANDMA PARTIES AT SURPRISE ZEDD CONCERT

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Zedd sneaked into a large freight container, the type you see piled onto cargo trains, Friday night at Pier 9 for a secret concert. Once inside, the Grammy-winning “Clarity” DJ felt it being lifted to an elevated stage, where the container’s doors dramatically opened to reveal his surprise appearance.

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MAGNETIC CHATS BACKSTAGE OF AVALON WITH INFECTED MUSHROOM

Happy Tuesday everyone, I hope you made your weekends vast and epic as you should. I just wanted to touch base with everyone, catch up, and recap some time I spent last weekend with Infected Mushroom.

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HEATHER SHAW: THE FUTURIST DESIGNER

Here’s how Heather Shaw spent 2012: She was production designer on her first TV show, a little singing competition called American Idol. She had three installations on various stages at Coachella.

NINJANEERING: WHERE FINE ART MEETS HIGH TECH

Consisting of a mix of artists and engineers, the panel will explore the various technologies involved, how they are interconnected, and provide general commentary on the merging of these disciplines.

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A FANTASTIC VOYAGE: BEHIND INFECTED MUSHROOM’S PSYCHEDELIC SHOW

When Vello Virkhaus of L.A.-based visual arts studio V Squared Labs signed on to create a show for the psychedelic trance duo Infected Mushroom, the concept of 3-D mapping a visual journey onto two giant spheres in which the band was expected to play naturally elicited lighthearted, ribald banter.

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INFECTED MUSHROOM – THE UNVEILING TEASER TWO

Infected Mushroom has released a new teaser for their live show, featuring fantasy land/ orbiting spacial dream lights. The stage production is an incredible 3 dimensional landscape, designed by Heather Shaw of Vita Motus Design Studio.

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HIGH-TECH EXPERIMENT FROM INSIDE THE BOX

The electronic musician Amon Tobin performed inside a white cube at the Masonic Temple in Brooklyn on Tuesday, the first of three sold-out nights. The cube was centrally attached to other cubes, and they were all stacked in a geometrical pattern across the stage.

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“ISAM” LIVE TOUR COMBINES 3D SETS, CG VISUALS, AND CRAZY MATH

After a stint around Europe, Amon Tobin’s audio-visual tour de force, ISAM, has returned to North America after its debut at Mutek in Montreal back in June.

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AMON TOBIN – THE MUSIC BOX – 10/16/11

For trogedytes and other uninitiated, Amon Tobin is a Brazilian electronic composer and producer now in the middle of a mad project to radically alter how club patrons experience live music. This is all very fascinating – and more than a little mindblowing – but first there was an undercard to get through.

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AMON TOBIN PUSHES ENVELOPE WITH SHAPE-SHIFTING DJ EXPERIENCE

Nightclub lasers and lights are one thing. These days, electronic music visuals are on a whole other level. Inspired by Daft Punk’s now-iconic cube, artists have upped the production ante on their live shows, taking the DJ set out of the club and into the venue.

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AMON TOBIN’S 3-D STAGE SHOW TOUCHES DOWN IN L.A.

It’s not often that a performance by a world-renowned DJ leaves fans speechless instead of sweaty. But that seemed to be the goal of experimental producer-DJ AmonTobin the moment he decided to take the live show for his latest album, “ISAM” (released April 19 on Ninja Tune) into the visual realm.

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THE CONCERT OF THE FUTURE, TODAY

For decades, Amon Tobin has constantly pioneered new sounds in the world of electronic music. So it makes sense that he’d want a visual stage show as advanced and experimental as his sounds. I think he nailed it this time.

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AMON’S ISAM MERGES, MEAT, MACHINES IN 3-D SHOW, CREEPY HARDCOVER

Electronic musician Amon Tobin launches a formidable one-two punch with his new full-length work, ISAM, and a visually ambitious tour that pairs the record’s sonically challenging music with shape-shifting 3-D animation.

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AMON TOBIN’S ISAM STAGE DESIGN

Get an incredible behind-the-scenes look at the development and production of the stage set for Brazilian electronic musician Amon Tobin’s current 6-city international tour. Meet the fabricator, set designer, interactive video director, scientists, engineers and their teams.

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THE DR. MOREAU OF MUSIC

On ISAM, his eighth and latest album (released today via indie British label Ninja Tune), he’s evolved once again. This time he’s built a virtual orchestra of out digitally rendered instruments, nearly all of them more or less synthesized from found objects.