Sphere Las Vegas provided the massive canvas for a special Exosphere content show in celebration of Earth Day on April 22, 20-24. The show featured work from multi-GRAMMY Award-winning Grateful Dead and Dead & Company percussionist Mickey Hart, and renowned filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg, whose artwork was combined into an 11-minute content show that will ran three times on Earth Day. Their art also individually at various times throughout the day as well. Hart and Schwartzberg are the latest artists to design for the Exosphere as part of Sphere’s XO/Art program, which features renowned artists’ work on Sphere’s immersive exterior, while bands such as U2 and Phish have performed inside Sphere, and Dead & Company are gearing up for their Sphere residency, Dead Forever — Live At Sphere, with on May 16-June 13, 2024.
“Our XO/Art program continues to make art available and accessible to the public in a highly innovative and unique way, both in Las Vegas and around the world,” said Jennifer Koester, President, Sphere Business Operations at Sphere Entertainment. “Mickey Hart and Louie Schwartzberg are artists who utilize novel techniques to not only create impactful visuals, but also tell important stories, and we are proud to feature their immersive work in a first-of-its-kind show on the Exosphere to celebrate Earth Day.”
“I've always felt that music has the power to connect us to the rhythms of the Earth and the universe,” said Mickey Hart. “The Sphere project is my attempt to harness those rhythms and create something that speaks to the interconnectedness of all life. It's a visual representation of the rhythms and energies that inspire me. It is like a beat in a song, creating layers of texture and emotion on the canvas. Earth Day should remind us that we are all part of a vast, cosmic symphony, and that it is our responsibility to care for this planet and all its inhabitants.”
“I am excited to share nature’s wonders on the largest canvas on Earth,” said Louie Schwartzberg. “These sequences make the invisible visible by exploring the foundations of Life. We start with Earth’s majestic landscapes, to soil making fungi, to flowers and their pollinators, all of which propels life to flourish. When assembled together, they tell the magical story of unseen worlds that sustain Life on Earth. This is the greatest story to tell on Earth Day. Let’s celebrate Life.”
Hart’s piece, entitled “Rhythms of the Universe,” is a 90-second visual symphony consisting of four phases, each characterized by unique movements and color patterns. From gentle undulations and ripples to vibrant color shifts and morphing shapes, the progression of phases is an exploration of a psychedelic cosmos. Hart, an expert in sound vibrations from his experience as a drummer, uses sound waves and their vibrations to move paint around on his canvases. To create the details and intricate patterns in his Exosphere piece, a Pythagorean monochord was played through a subwoofer whose ultra-low frequencies induce vibrations that bring the artwork to life. Through this artistic method, the paints undergo a metamorphosis, allowing the flow of colors to manifest in a myriad of ways.
For his six, 90-second Exosphere pieces, Schwartzberg went back to his documentarian roots, drawing from nature footage and utilizing his renowned time-lapse photography technique. The first piece, titled “Earth Masterpieces” features coral reefs, ocean views, waterfalls, and desert canyons. This is followed by a segment on mushrooms, featuring never-before-seen footage of lion’s mane and other species captured during the making of his 2019 documentary film, “Fantastic Fungi.” Next, “Seductive Flowers” captures the graceful movement of various blooms up-close, followed by “Master Pollinators,” which highlights the crucial role birds and bees play in the ecosystem. In the final two segments, “Organic Mandalas,” transforms nature imagery into intricate circles that represent the cycle of life, and “Nature Reimagined,” takes viewers on a transcendent journey through time and space.
Multi-GRAMMY Award-winner Mickey Hart is best known as a drummer/percussionist for the Grateful Dead, and more recently as a member of Dead & Company which will play 24 shows at Sphere this spring and summer. Hart is also an accomplished writer, painter, explorer, and expert on the history and methodology of drums. Over the years, Hart’s work has extended beyond playing music to ventures including advocating for music and rhythm as therapy, and actively participating in environmental advocacy. Hart’s groundbreaking painting technique – vibrational expressionism – merges art and music by using sound waves to manipulate paint.
Schwartzberg is an award-winning cinematographer, director, and producer renowned for his ability to capture the beauty of the natural world. He has earned acclaim for his expertise in time-lapse photography, showcasing the intricate details and wonders of nature in his films. Through his work, Schwartzberg explores themes of environmental conservation and the interconnectedness of life, aiming to inspire audiences with the diversity of the Earth. His portfolio includes a range of projects, from documentaries to commercial ventures, each infused with his unique visual style and passion for storytelling. Schwartzberg's dedication to his craft has garnered him numerous awards and accolades from the filmmaking community.
Since the Exosphere was first illuminated on July 4, 2023, it has captured worldwide attention for its impactful visuals. The largest LED screen on Earth, the Exosphere consists of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks, spaced eight inches apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes, with each diode capable of displaying more than 1 billion different colors – creating a vivid landmark on the Las Vegas skyline.
About Sphere
Sphere is a next-generation entertainment medium that is redefining the future of live entertainment. A venue where the foremost artists, creators, and technologists create extraordinary experiences that take storytelling to a new level and transport audiences to places both real and imagined. The venue hosts original Sphere Experiences from leading Hollywood directors; concerts and residencies from the world’s biggest artists; and premier marquee events. The first Sphere venue opened in Las Vegas in September 2023, and is a new Las Vegas landmark, powered by cutting-edge technologies that ignite the senses and enable audiences to share experiences at a never-before-seen scale. More information is available at thesphere.com. https://www.thespherevegas.com/.
About Sphere Entertainment
Sphere Entertainment Co. is a premier live entertainment and media company. The Company includes Sphere, a next-generation entertainment medium powered by cutting-edge technologies to redefine the future of entertainment. The first Sphere venue opened in Las Vegas in September 2023. In addition, the Company includes MSG Networks, which operates two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG Network and MSG Sportsnet, as well as a direct-to-consumer and authenticated streaming product, MSG+, delivering a wide range of live sports content and other programming. More information is available at sphereentertainmentco.com