The rainbow mystery stage that was discovered in the middle of the Apple Park campus thanks to a drone flyover, turns out to be a stage for a May 17 event.
The arch, which includes all the rainbow colors of the original Mac logo, will serve as the center of a May 17 employee event to celebrate the formal opening of the Apple Park headquarters and for a tribute to late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who thought up the main “spaceship” headquarters building on the campus.
Cult of Mac shared news of the event, along with an interview with Apple design chief Jony Ive, which they obtained from a copy of an internal communication about the project that was shared with Apple employees.
Ive’s design team created the Rainbow arch alongside a custom concert staging company. Conceptualizing the design took months. The arch is constructed of 30 unique machined components that allow it to be quickly setup and torn down as needed for special events. However, there are 25,000 parts total including the structure and the metal skeleton underneath.
Ive says the goal of the project was to “create a stage that would become immediately recognizable as the Apple Stage.” The rainbow color was chosen because it’s been part of Apple’s identity for many years.
Ive says it’s “hard to find someone that doesn’t love a rainbow.”
There is the resonance with the rainbow logo that’s been part of our identity for many years. The rainbow is also a positive and joyful expression of some of our inclusion values and I think that one of the primary reasons the idea resonated so immediately and so profoundly with us was the form — the connection from an aesthetic design point of view. A semi-circle relates so beautifully and naturally to the form of the ring.
The arch was created to be a three-dimensional object that can be appreciated from all sides.
If you look at a plan view of Apple Park, the rainbow occupies an almost insignificant area. But it has a relevance and impact that is disproportionate to the area it occupies.
My space in Apple Park is on the external part of the perimeter. But I can see the rainbow reflected in the ceiling all the way through to where I sit. That truly wasn’t planned but one of those lucky accidents.
We had planned the way in which the colors interplay between the discrete bands of the rainbow throughout the day making it more vital and fluid. There are some wonderful but subtle combinations and reflections.
While no details on the May 17 employee event weren’t included in the distribution to employees, a big name artist is said to be making an appearance at the event. As we mentioned in yesterday’s article, the Apple Park Visitor’s Center will be close on May 17 to allow for the event.