Babylon

Created by Nebbia, the London-based art and design studio of architects Brando Posocco and Madhav Kidao, Babylon is a study in contrasts, appearing both neolithic and futuristic. Its 64 semicircular modules appear balanced, as if they can be easily tipped over. The entire exterior appears to have a rocky surface, but it feels soft to the touch.

It’s a geometry the duo played with in previous projects — a moment of objects touching, just kissing each other. They’re interested in transcendence, the idea that a place can take you away, and how architecture relates to performance and can become the generator of it.

Occupying a 60-by-60–foot space and soaring another 60 feet in height, the monumental and exuberant Babylon was constructed with a steel frame, plywood, and a spray coating of a cellulose plant-based acoustic/thermal insulation, creating a deep texture — intricate detail — that contrasts in shade and sun and makes the individual pieces appear as a monolith.

Babylon was designed to be both observed and experienced. During the day, the exterior provides valuable shade and a stepped gateway towards the stars. Inside the central space, you can see up to Babylon’s peak, like a geometrically abstract cathedral.

In the evening, Babylon exudes an outer glow that beckons you to its dramatic light. The interior, with its nighttime lighting performance, transports you into a different world — a cinematic experience that provides a moment of escapism and a place to hang in the expanse of the festival grounds.

Babylon is an inhabitable place where you can escape from the vastness of the wide-open space for a brief time and immerse yourself in a completely different experience.