The MTV Music Award stage was a digital design, derived from nature, realised in lightweight fabric, using the latest digital fabrication and engineering techniques, to create more with less. It comprised of 108m3 of space enclosed within a minimal surface area of 568m2 and used only 113kgs of lightweight material. Graphic Designer TOKO and programmer/animator Robyn Pyon developed graphics, which were projected for each musical performance.
Tensile membrane company MakMax developed a unique workflow from digital design to digital fabrication. The installation was fast tracked (5 weeks, 3 hours to install on site) to meet the 2009 MTV Awards Ceremony that was televised to an audience of millions around the globe.
The design and fabrication procedure used state-of-the-art digital workflow; beginning with 3D computer modelling, that was engineered structurally before undergoing a process of computer controlled (CNC) material cutting and mechanical re-seaming. The computer-model fed directly into a production line of sail-making software and digital manufacturing enabling the generation of space out of a lightweight material requiring minimal adjustments onsite.
The set succeeded in its quest for optimum efficiency in material usage, construction weight, fabrication and installation time, and achieved maximum visual impact. The pavilion is easily transportable anywhere in the world and is fully reusable.
