Insect, spacecraft and cathedral: graphic reconstitution and analysis of the set design for the U2 360° Tour

Abstract

British architect Mark Fisher was a key figure in the development and professionalization of the set design for rock concert industry. His design for the U2 360° Tour (2009-2011) consisted of a huge arachnid structure over 50 meters high, nicknamed ‘The Claw’, which broke with the usual one-way configuration and allowed the audience to position themselves around the musicians. Despite the popularity of the design, there are no publicly available plans or documentation to provide an in-depth understanding of the project. This article arises from these shortcomings, and its main objective and fundamental contribution consists of carrying out a complete graphic reconstitution of this scenography, which is used as the basis for a series of analytical diagrams of different parameters related to its operation in the service of a multitudinous and nomadic rock concert. The methodology employed and the contents generated derive from the predominantly graphic approach of the research presented. Beyond this technical and planimetric content, the article also vindicates the consideration of scenographies as an architectural type in itself that is subordinated by its ephemeral and itinerant condition.