The “Prince of Darkness” Gesaffelstein just took the title to a whole different level. With months of planning and a visit to Surrey NanoSystems, the prince basically created infinite darkness on stage. Using a material known as Vantablack, which is the darkest black in the world, his team was able to construct a set nobody was prepared for.
The monolith Gesaffelstein stood in front of was covered in the very rare, very expensive Vantablack. This design erases all visible features on a 3D surface, making objects very disorienting for the brain. Then, to truly boggle the viewer, the monolith would split into two, revealing a lighted surface. Seeing infinite darkness right next to light blows our minds even thinking about it.
As Ben Jensen, CTO of Surrey NanoSystems, explains: “When you see that nothingness with light around it, your mind can be quite confused, and your perception of things like depth is severely challenged.” Apparently, this was why Gesaffelstein’s set took place at twilight, which is when the contrast is the best for viewing.
Here is a scaled drawing of the monolith that was covered in the Vantablack:
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As fans pointed out, it was absolute madness trying to figure out what was going on. Here is what one Twitter user had to say about the performance:
This is exactly why we were sober and thought we were trippin balls lol amazing @sarahduffyyyy @naomi__noelle @magoooz21 https://t.co/bW7sbnPcho
— lil em🐇 (@emilyatks) April 17, 2019
Check out some of the Vantablack in action below at Coachella. If you want to learn more about the process surrounding the set design, check out the full article via The Verge right here.
h/t The Verge
