Carin Dickson is a South African-based Deco artist specializing in decorative shaded environments, large-scale art installations, bespoke stage designs, and décor at Psychedelic festivals worldwide. She has cultivated a unique tribe of followers and collaborators and showcases her work at some of the globe’s most iconic psychedelic events.
We recently had the opportunity to study this wonder woman who’s often been called the visual spellbinder of dance floors across continents. We delve into her journey with art, the evolution of her work, and her perspective on the role of visual aesthetics in enhancing festival experiences.
What inspired Artscapes Journey?
Artscape’s inception stems from Carin’s lifelong passion for art and her serendipitous encounter with the vibrant energy of the trance scene. It all began when she attended her first trance party in Johannesburg in 1997. “The sense of belonging I felt amidst the pulsating beats ignited a spark, and I knew I had found my calling.”
Over time, Carin’s fascination with the festival decor and visual landscapes grew, inspiring her to channel her creativity into something more meaningful. Thus, Artescape was born, driven by a desire to create immersive art experiences that transcend the ordinary and elevate the festival atmosphere to new heights.
What unique Services does Artscape Decor offers
Artscape, transforming ordinary spaces into extraordinary realms of wonder. Unwavering dedication to craftsmanship and attention to detail, coupled with a deep understanding of the festival experience, sets them apart. Carin offers unique services, including:
- Multi-dimensional art installations
- Stages and Structures
- Art & Commissions
- Canopy installations are tailored to each client’s needs.
- Artscape Shop
From concept design to installation, we work closely with our clients to bring their vision to life, creating immersive environments that captivate the imagination and leave a lasting impression.
Carin Dickson: Transforming Festival Landscapes Through Visionary Art Installations
The electronic music festival experience goes far beyond just sound – it’s a multi-sensory journey where visual art plays a crucial role in creating transformative environments. If you’ve ever found yourself mesmerized by breathtaking canopies or psychedelic art installations while dancing at a major electronic music festival, you’ve likely experienced the magic of Carin Dickson’s Artescape. Join us as we explore how this visionary South African artist has revolutionized festival décor and become one of the most influential figures in the global electronic music scene.
From Hand-Painted Backdrops to Global Festival Stages
Carin Dickson’s path to becoming a festival art icon began in 1997 when she attended her first trance party in Johannesburg. “I felt like I found my tribe,” Dickson has said of this pivotal moment that sparked her desire to contribute visually to these gatherings. What started as a side hobby – hand-painting UV backdrops while working as a mural artist – gradually evolved into something much more significant.
In those early days, Dickson worked in small spaces with simple tools, often exchanging her colorful backdrops for event tickets. Her persistence and passion for transforming spaces led to a breakthrough in 2006 when she received her first international invitation to showcase her work at a German festival. This opportunity marked the beginning of Artescape’s global journey.
The Artescape Philosophy
At the core of Dickson’s work lies a profound artistic mission: to create an “escape” through art. Artescape specializes in decorative shaded environments, immersive installations, and bespoke stage designs that define the visual identity of many festivals worldwide. As the Artescape team explains, their creations are “an experience all on its own – a combination of colour mastery, perceptual depth and universally inspired designs, all brought together to create an immersive visual playground for any type of audience.”
This approach combines vibrant colors, intricate patterns, and ambitious engineering to transform open festival grounds into surreal dreamscapes. Whether it’s a ceiling of hand-painted mandalas glowing under UV light or a forest of sculptural forms hovering above a dance floor, Dickson’s designs blur the boundaries between stage, sky, and spectator.
7 Notable Festival Collaborations That Defined Psychedelic Art Culture
1. South African Roots: Origin Festival and Vortex
Dickson has decorated virtually every major psytrance event in South Africa, especially around Cape Town. Her work at Origin Festival, Vortex, Earthdance, and Rezonance helped shape the aesthetic of these home-grown events, making her a household name in the local scene. At Origin Festival 2016, she unveiled a particularly innovative “watering flower” sculpture that not only added to the psychedelic scenery but also periodically sprayed water to cool down dancers.
2. Boom Festival: Portugal’s Psychedelic Paradise
As one of the world’s premier psychedelic gatherings, Boom Festival in Portugal has featured Artescape’s spectacular décor, exposing Dickson’s visionary work to tens of thousands of international attendees. Her contributions have helped define the visual language of this influential biennial event.
3. Ozora Festival: Transforming Hungarian Landscapes
Hungary’s Ozora Festival represents another major international platform where Dickson’s art has flourished. Her immersive installations at this week-long gathering have created memorable environments for festival-goers from around the world.
4. Universo Paralello: Brazilian Beach Dreamscapes
Artescape’s large-scale psychedelic canopies have transformed Brazil’s Universo Paralello, creating vivid environments that complement the festival’s stunning beach location and enhance the overall sensory experience.
5. Crossing Genres: Monegros Desert Festival and Elrow
While the psychedelic trance scene remains Dickson’s primary domain, she has successfully crossed over into other realms of event art. Artescape was commissioned for Spain’s Monegros Desert Festival (a major electronic/techno event) and has worked with the flamboyant Elrow Productions, demonstrating the versatility of her designs beyond psytrance.
6. Shankra Festival: The “Sahasrara” Masterpiece
In 2022, Dickson debuted a monumental canopy design at Switzerland’s Shankra Festival. Titled “Sahasrara” (Sanskrit for the crown chakra), this 40-meter-wide installation composed of a “thousand petals” converging into a lotus flower became the focal point of the festival’s décor, with organizers heralding Dickson as “a true visionary, pioneer, and paradigm changer.”
7. NYX Festival 2025: Continuing the Legacy in Australia
Looking forward, Carin’s work is set to feature at Australia’s upcoming NYX Festival in 2025, where Artescape will design a massive shade sail for the main stage. This engagement shows that Dickson’s influence continues to grow, with festival promoters worldwide seeking her expertise to elevate their events.
The Art of Festival Transformation: Beyond Decoration
Carin Dickson’s influence extends far beyond simply decorating festival spaces. Over two decades, she has helped raise the bar for what attendees expect from event environments. “Over the years, décor has become a huge part of the experience,” she explains, noting that festival-goers now “notice when it’s good and bad, or present and not.”
The immersive environments crafted by Artescape often become iconic images associated with the festivals themselves, effectively turning event grounds into open-air galleries of visionary art. By altering physical spaces so dramatically, Dickson enables people to connect with music, nature, and each other in ways that might not be possible in plain, undecorated venues.
The Creative Process: From Inspiration to Installation
Dickson’s artistic influences range from contemporary visionary artists like Luke Brown, Xavi Panneton, and Alex Grey to classic surrealists such as Salvador Dalí and M.C. Escher. These inspirations have helped her develop a distinct psychedelic art style that continues to evolve.
Her creative techniques have expanded significantly since those early days of hand-painting. Dickson discovered airbrushing on stretch fabrics and now employs compressors, spray guns, and ladders to create increasingly larger pieces. Her philosophy is to always “out-do the last project,” pushing the scale and complexity of her designs further with each new commission.
Building a Legacy: Mentorship and Influence
Beyond enchanting countless attendees, Dickson’s impact extends to other artists and event producers. She has built and mentored a team through Artescape and takes pride in seeing former collaborators develop their projects. This mentorship has propagated her techniques and artistic values throughout the community, effectively seeding a new generation of festival décor artists.
It’s now common to see festivals worldwide investing in elaborate shade structures, 3D installations, and UV artwork – a trend to which Dickson’s pioneering work has greatly contributed.
Bringing Festival Art Home: The Velv-Art Shop
For those who want to bring a piece of festival magic into their everyday lives, Carin Dickson has created the Velv-Art shop. This extension of her artistic vision offers festival-inspired home décor items featuring her signature psychedelic designs.
The Velv-Art collection includes:
- Velv-Art Poufs: Vibrant floor cushions featuring mandala designs that echo the overhead canopies found at festivals
- Cushion Covers: Detailed psychedelic art cushions showcasing visionary patterns and imagery
- Fleece Art Blankets & Throws: Soft blankets featuring intricate geometric and mandala designs
- Custom Products & Prints: Personalized items and art prints featuring Dickson’s distinctive aesthetic
Each piece in the Velv-Art collection carries the same attention to detail and color mastery found in Dickson’s festival installations, allowing enthusiasts to create their own immersive spaces at home. The shop represents another dimension of Carin’s creative output, making her visionary art accessible beyond the festival grounds and providing fans a way to incorporate the festival aesthetic into their everyday environments.
Experience the Magic of Festival Art Installations
Carin Dickson has not only built a remarkable career creating otherworldly festival environments but has shaped the very fabric of contemporary festival culture. Her work reminds us that visual art is not merely supplementary to the music experience – it’s an essential component that can transport attendees to new realms of imagination and connection.
The next time you find yourself dancing beneath a kaleidoscopic canopy or marveling at intricate stage décor at an electronic music festival, take a moment to appreciate the artistic vision that transformed that space. It might just be the work of Carin Dickson and her Artescape team, continuing their mission to create visual playgrounds that elevate our collective celebration.
Stay tuned with FeedFreq for more profiles of innovative artists reshaping the electronic music landscape through visual creativity and immersive installations.
This article is part of FeedFreq’s ongoing exploration of the intersection between electronic music, visual art, and festival culture. Join the FeedFreq community to discover more stories about the visionaries behind your favorite festival experiences.
