Babylon Festival 2019
The Gatekeeper
Gatekeeper was the primary stage environment for a large-scale psytrance festival, designed to hold and move a 10,000-person audience.
I led the creative direction, design, and delivery—developing an abstract, symbolic concept into a fully realised immersive environment spanning stage, shade structures, performance zones, and audience interaction.
At its centre stood a towering jaguar, conceived as a gateway between worlds. The performer was positioned inside its mouth, channelling energy directly into the crowd.
Overview
- Led creative direction, design, and delivery of a 10,000-capacity festival environment
- Designed the jaguar stage as a symbolic gateway and central narrative anchor
- Developed a cohesive spatial system across stage, shade, platforms, and performance zones
- Shaped audience movement and performer interaction through spatial design
- Integrated lighting, lasers, fire FX, and mist into a unified show experience
- Enabled aerial performance via rigging for silks and lyra
- Directed collaboration across fabrication, lighting, rigging, and show delivery teams
- Delivered using ~98% recycled materials, including a structure built from repurposed signage
Closing
Gatekeeper demonstrates my ability to translate abstract ideas into large-scale environments that operate seamlessly in live conditions.
It brought together narrative, structure, and performance into a cohesive world—delivered sustainably and at scale.
This is central to my practice: creating environments that don't just function, but transform the audience experience.
