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THE FLUFFY CLOUD TPi’s Jacob Waite chats to Jorge Perdomo – the US-based artist behind The Fluffy Cloud: a 30ft-tall steel cocoon-like structure dubbed the world’s first touring venue in the time of social distancing…
While the live event experience we are accustomed to is rapidly innovating, US-based inventor and artist, Jorge Perdomo has unveiled his latest project – The Fluffy Cloud, dubbed the world’s first touring venue and a uniquely COVID-19 friendly live experience, which may offer a model for live entertainment to bounce back sooner than expected. Perdomo made his artistic debut at the 2019 Burning Man with The Fluffy Cloud. Part art installation, performance platform and light show, the 30ft-tall and equally wide cocoon-like structure – think Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds’ Martian Fighting Machine meets Arcadia’s Pangea – was designed to provide outdoor concertgoers with an unprecedented 360° visual and aural experience. The installation quickly became the talk of the 2019 Burn, drawing throngs of attendees to nightly performances by a wide variety of worldclass DJs such as Adana Twins, Diplo, Flume and more. The Fluffy Cloud reappeared by invitation at the prestigious Art Basel show in Miami. The
Fluffy Cloud’s 2020 tour saw the structure circumnavigate the globe in seven different cities before COVID-19 hit. The challenging time ahead allowed the creative freedom for Perdomo to re-imagine his business plan in the time of lockdown: looking towards innovation in live production and what the entertainment business may breed once the world re-opens. “The circular format of The Fluffy Cloud enables social distancing, added on top of the fact that it is an outdoor, open-air experience that make The Fluffy Cloud safe,” Perdomo explained. “It represents a setup with seating for up to 600 people within The Fluffy Cloud’s 100ft diameter performance space while still maintaining social distancing.” Granted, this is 600 attendees instead of the 2,000-plus before the onset of the global pandemic, but it is a great example of the innovation that the entertainment world will need to adopt in order to survive and thrive in the future. “The Fluffy Cloud can also be easily modified into a dance venue 20
