For electronic music duo Den Sorte Skole, Danish artist collective Vertigo creates a hypnotic light and stage design installation. A custom-made LED system controls each ‘pixel’ of light.

DJs, bands, musicians, and performers are all examples of this. They can shape and steer our emotions, particularly in live performances where the act of creation is watched and participated in by the audience, resulting in a shared, multiplied, major sensation.

From a business-marketing standpoint, the majority of DJs and electronic artists lack a strong brand image and a distinct visual signature: musicians are ear-nerds, and they frequently overlook four of our five senses.

Den Sorte Skole, a Danish electronic music duo, took a different approach, collaborating with Vertigo to create a unique visual presence that intertwined with their live show, expanding their image beyond just music and providing their audience with a further expression of their essence within the sigh-realm.

The result is a complete show, a superb illustration of a brand adapting to a field outside of its original scope.

Who are you, Vertigo, and what are your intentions?

Vibeke Bertelsen: We take pride in the fact that we are a ‘artist commune.’ Frederik Hilmer Svanholm, Vibeke Bertelsen, and Mikkel Meyer make up our team.

We’ve been creating digital scenography for exhibitions and cultural events since 2011. That is, we use light objects and video projectors to generate visual experiences.

What was the idea for the installation at Hamburg’s Den Sorte Skole?

Vibeke Bertelsen: We’ve worked closely with Den Sorte Skole, a Danish music duo, for a long time when they perform live; generating a unique experience each time based on the venue.

The musical cosmos of Den Sorte Skole served as inspiration. Moreover, Den Sorte Skole uses hundreds of distinct music samples to create layered soundscapes. We’re inspired by their method of combining snippets from many situations to create a cohesive musical and visual experience.

What kind of materials and technologies did they use?

We employed LED-lighting rods on stage and its back wall for this concert, which differed from venue to venue. We’ve used projections and lasers before at other shows.

What distinguishes this installation from others?

The thing that sets Vertigo apart is that we are in every step of the creative and technical process. Furthermore, we designed and manufactured the LED lighting ourselves; giving us a one-of-a-kind ability to control every single LED ‘pixel’ of every lighting rod. As a result, we’re able to generate a wide range of light textures that merge in well with the music.