Gesaffelstein Used The Blackest Material in the World For 2019 Coachella Performance

Gesaffelstein’s 2019 Coachella performance was one of the most visually stunning sets we saw all weekend, and a quick look into the actual stage design proves how above and beyond the French producer’s team went in creating such a unique experience. Surrounding Gesaffelstein during his set was an expensive material called Vantablack, a material made by Surrey NanoSystems which is – literally – the world’s blackest black.

By absorbing an abnormal amount of light, the material is confusing for the brain to register as Ben Jensen, the CTO of Surrey NanoSystems explains: “You’re used to standing in a completely dark room in the middle of the night, but you’re not used to seeing absolute blackness with a lot of light around it. 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.”

On top of the stage design tripping out festival goers, Gesaffelstein’s reflective black outfit was also a point of emphasis during his performance. In collaboration with Balmain, the costume was constructed using a variety of materials (velvets, metals, leather, sequins) meant to contrast with the black backdrop.

For a more in-depth look into Gesaffelstein’s Coachella performance, read The Verge’s original reporting of the piece here.

Gesaffelstein Used The Blackest Material in the World For 2019 Coachella Performance