INDUSTRY ICONS
56
Constellation harks back to the style of Schardt’s earlier art installations
about how I could build on this concept in the future. What else are you doing when you’re not taking your work to Burning Man? In 2016, I became a professional and had various events calling me up, mostly big raves like Electric Daisy Carnival. It has been a great ride. Now I’m here at the Charlotte International Arts Festival where I’m showcasing three major pieces: Mariposa , Constellation – a 26ft star-shaped panel – and Mind Wash , a 26ft half-dome installation. I’ve had some crazy gigs – the Tesla Gigafactory Texas, for example. I had a similar situation in 2020, when an event company in Australia asked, “What pieces can you ship to Dubai for the last three months of the World’s Fair?” Right now there’s a lot of interest in Mariposa . I’ll be employing that at a travelling show called the Balloon Museum over in Los Angeles for November, so it’ll be there for four months. Another thing I’m working on is having a crew knowledgeable enough that, if I get a scheduling conflict, other people can go in my place. It’s still mostly me at the moment – I have to be there. There have been a couple of gigs where I’ve sent other people to handle things, but that’s rare. That’s a growth challenge for me; I need to grow my business so that I have other employees.
I’m very grateful – I feel I’ve been fantastically lucky to get into LED art at the right time” I’ve also made lots of little pieces throughout all this – ones that can fit in a living room. I’ve made a good living off renting them out to conferences and weddings. But the bread and butter of my business is renting out the large, immersive pieces. Any of my existing pieces are available for rental and I take commissions as well. What are your biggest reflections as you look back on your career thus far? I’m very grateful. I feel I’ve been fantastically lucky to get into LED art at the right time; in other words, I got into it before it got popular. It gave me time to develop all this technology, and now I can just reap the fruits. People turn to me for collaboration, they look at me as someone who knows what he’s doing and I’ve worked hard. That combination of luck and diligence has landed me in a pretty good place. Find his work on Instagram @christopher.schardt or at ledlabs.co
Mind Wash was showcased at the Charlotte Arts Festival, North Carolina
Powered by FlippingBook