Brought to you by Michael Christian, kinetic metal sculptor extraordinaire, these Candelaphytes sculptures were a subtle and beautiful addition to Coachella 2011’s festival grounds. Modeled after desert succulents or perhaps marine plant life, these 10 to 15-foot tall mechanical sculptures danced as if to the music, twisting and rotating as their metal “scales” opened and closed to reveal color-changing LED lights beneath. The LED lights faded on and off, changed colors and ran up and down the length of the figures. The effect was otherworldly—the pieces undulated gently, as if underwater, their surfaces glistening like iridescent fish.
