First look: Sphere’s new exterior artwork draws on a need for human connection

Hingston Studio has been announced as the next XO/Art series artist to be featured at the Exosphere, the LED exterior of entertainment orb Sphere, in Las Vegas (the venue inaugurated by U2 in 2023). The London-based creative studio has designed a bespoke digital art piece titled Exhale, which explores the notion of connectivity through a visualisation of kinetic touch points.

Founded by the visionary Tom Hingston, Hingston Studio is renowned for work that seamlessly blends art and technology. With a cultural portfolio that has been exhibited worldwide – including designing album covers for Massive Attack, moulding Grace Jones' body parts from chocolate and making music videos with the late David Bowie – Hingston Studio's newest challenge is designing for the world's largest LED screen.

Exhale delves into the intricate concept of connectivity and the dynamic nature of kinetic touch points. Resembling a giant plasma globe, this innovative artwork transcends traditional boundaries, exploring the profound essence of human connection on a one-of-a-kind digital canvas.

The Exosphere is covered with nearly 580,000 sq ft of fully programmable LED panelling. It consists of approximately 1.2 million LED pucks, spaced eight inches apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes – creating a vivid new landmark on the Las Vegas skyline, that is visible from space.

Wallpaper* asked Tom Hingston, founder of Hingston Studio, about how a project like this comes together.

Wallpaper*: You've sculpted Grace Jones out of a chocolate, made music videos for David Bowie – how does designing art for a giant desert orb compare?

Tom Hingston: We’ve always embraced projects that present new challenges and problem-solving – quite often the learnings and experience gained in those instances can be applied in other areas of our practice.

Whether working for an artist, a brand or a cultural organisation, we have always enjoyed projects that push us creatively and this certainly presented that challenge.

W*: What are some of the technical challenges of designing at this scale?

TH: To some extent, this project was a learning curve for all involved, both us and the team at Sphere. Of course, the technology is tried and tested; however, the Sphere is still in its infancy, so how certain visuals behave at that scale is different each time. In that sense each new piece of visual content brings its own individual challenges which need to be worked through collaboratively with the team. Designing for this canvas is entirely unique because essentially you’re building a simulation for a spherical screen, so it needs to feel seamless, regardless of the angle you’re viewing it from. That’s why we were excited about the possibility of creating something that could wrap itself around the physical form – a dynamic expression that extends across the surface area and envelops the Sphere.

W*: The piece explores themes of connectivity and kinetic touch – why was that front of mind?

TH: Above all, we wanted to use the Exosphere’s scale and location to create something really beautiful that could connect with people globally – a universal gesture that would be experienced at different levels, depending on the viewers’ proximity to the piece.

Exhale will be displayed on Sphere until the end of August 2024 as an initial launch, but will remain part of its programming for the next two years.

The XO/Art series at Sphere in Las Vegas is a programme designed to integrate art and technology in a unique and engaging way. Previous featured artists include GRAMMY Award-winning percussionist Mickey Hart, new media artist Refik Anadol, and filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg.