XiteLabs helped the team at Live Nation create the SXSW experiential activation for Bud Light. The goal of this experiential project was to transform the 800 Congress venue into a vintage dive bar through period evocative design elements. The design catered to the SXSW message of artistic collaboration and friendship with a warm retro 90’s vibe.
Greg Russell creative directed the branded content package and produced the animation with the team at the XiteLabs headquarters in Calabasas. One of the signature parts of the design was a video mapped vintage TV set piece. The piece mounted to an 80″ sharp television and continued the creative exploration of light mapping onto semi opaque surfaces via LED surface emission. The tv set piece was fabricated out of wood, steel and plastics.
Vello Virkhaus using Touch Designer mapped the TV set piece and performed it live throughout all the musical performances, collaborating with lighting and artist managers. Our team delivered from animation through onsite installation and performance of live visuals.
This was Bud Light’s second time teaming up with Live Nation and the Roots to celebrate networking, friendship and collaboration across musical genres. These three key components embody what Austin’s annual interactive film and music festival is renowned for fostering. Our visual arts and experiential design helped make this event completely lit, along with some awesome live music performances.
The Roots featured a slew of new artists to the audience including Cloves (the Australian songbird who casually belted out a string of Mariah Carey-esque high notes to close her set), Nick Grant (the buzzy southern rapper intrigued fans with his subtle delivery), CyHi the Prynce (who brought the energy to a new high with a booming rendition of “Nu Africa”) and Shakey Graves (the Austin native who brought his blend of rock and blues for one of the more intimate moments of the night).
The Roots and Friends SXSW Jam
Deliverables: Experiential Design, Content Creation, Programming, Operation and Installation