Massive, solar powered bird is overseeing Coachella, pretty stoked about its chance to see Phoenix

This massive structure will greet you this weekend if you're headed to the Coachella music festival. It's a 45-foot tall solar-powered crane (the bird), and it boasts multicolored LEDs for what will surely be an awe-inspiring night. The huge art installation has a wingspan of 150 feet and weighs about 35,000 pounds. The photovoltaic-powered birdie was designed by Crimson Collective, and it's just another reason we're regretting our decision not to head out west for the festival. If you're lucky enough to be at Coachella, be sure to snap some closeups of the origami-styled crane hanging out with Steve Malkmus for us, okay? Hit the source link for a bunch of other photos.

[Kris91 Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:00PM]

I want to parachute off it's beek.

[Jeff Wheeler Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:25PM]

@Kris91 Best of luck opening your chute fast enough.

[liftedngifted1 Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:42PM]

@Kris91 Dam the camping situation at cochella right now is a mess!!!

[HamThrax Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:01PM]

These snozzberries taste like snozzberries

[Mattd00d Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:03PM]

Coachella is a rocking show, but it's so crowded now.

[Lord Vader Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:07PM]

What beam should my death star fire at it? Continuous or pulse?

[Mr Oos Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:10PM]

@Lord Vader

Pulse. Epic Stoned Strobe-Light Party FTW.

[killermojo Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:42PM]

@Lord Vader

Your shtick is getting a little tired.

[A25i Posted Apr 16th 2010 8:35PM]

@killermojo
So true.

[wrathkind Posted Apr 16th 2010 11:14PM]

@killermojo

He contributes nerdy humor to the comments section. You contribute bitchy snideness. I'm gonna say your schtick is more tired than his.

[Lord Vador Posted Apr 16th 2010 11:35PM]

@killermojo
My stormtroopers shall will demolish you!

[killermojo Posted Apr 17th 2010 1:53AM]

@wrathkind

Yikes, guess I hit a nerve! I've only left 6 comments total so I'm not sure where you're getting that :(. Vader's thing was funny what it kinda related to the topic but now he seems to be dropping death star jokes every other article, I was just noting how it's honestly a little overdone.

Hope you get over that anger thing!

[killermojo Posted Apr 17th 2010 1:54AM]

@wrathkind

lol, I just took a look at your comment history. Kettle, meet pot. You asshole!

[RedLeader Posted Apr 17th 2010 5:11AM]

Red Leader Standing By

[Lord Vader Posted Apr 17th 2010 8:38AM]

@Lord Vador. You will pay for copying my name. I will stop you at all costs

[theletterj Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:08PM]

http://www.theonion.com/video/report-most-college-males-admit-to-regularly-getti,14386/

[lamerz Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:11PM]

Photovoltaic? Big fucking deal! How much carbon impact was there from transporting the 35,000 pound beast and assembling it. I'm sure there were cranes involved in putting it together as well, increasing the carbon impact. The solar cells are useless in comparison ... likely generating only a small fraction of the energy used in transportation and assembly. The solar aspect is there for feel-good, pat-on-the-back, green attention whoring.

How stupid and useless.

[lamerz Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:13PM]

@lamerz Not that it doesn't look cool. It is pretty neat. Just saying, and mention that it is "solar" and implication that it is "green" is stupid.

[BigD145 Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:23PM]

@lamerz It's transport is an insignificant portion of the total number of vehicles on the roads today.

[BigD145 Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:23PM]

@lamerz Its transport is an insignificant portion of the total number of vehicles on the roads today.

[Spooka Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:24PM]

@lamerz I don't think - and to be fair i didn't go to Crimson Collective to get their statement of intent - that it's meant to be some sort of grandiose statement regarding how very *green* the whole thing is. It certainly uses less energy than an equivalent installation that uses an equivalent number of multicolored incandescent bulbs and plugs in.

Unless you're arguing the utility of art installations as a whole. I can't help you there. Art is subjective.

[graey Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:30PM]

@lamerz
I'm sorry, but you're being a bit too negative if you ask me.
I mean, given that they were going to build it anyway (which they were), the assembly, material and transport costs and energy were going to be 'wasted' anyway. So there still is some gain from not using any energy running it. Sure, it would be better if green energy was used for production and transport as well, but this isn't outright bad.

[rcappo Posted Apr 16th 2010 6:38PM]

@lamerz

I'm assuming that this is in the middle of the desert somewhere, so they probably had to use solar/batteries or generators. Solar is the easier long-term option in that case.

[BigD145 Posted Apr 17th 2010 3:04PM]

@rcappo What part of "solar powered bird" do you not understand?

[hdawggy Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:15PM]

That... is... BOSS!!!!!
Nuff said!

[htd Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:17PM]

heavy rain?

[96th Posted Apr 16th 2010 5:26PM]

Orgasmic.

[DariaMorgendorffer Posted Apr 16th 2010 6:59PM]

I can totally see Malkmus singing RANGE LIFE while sitting on this

[HowardtheDuck Posted Apr 16th 2010 8:44PM]

My entire school is there. Such hipsters. The lineup didn't look very good to me, so I skipped it. PAX, on the other hand, is game.

[Shava23 Posted Apr 16th 2010 9:07PM]

@HowardtheDuck not a very good lineup???? who do you need to be there for you to approve? this is by far the best lineup i've seen in years!

[HowardtheDuck Posted Apr 17th 2010 1:40AM]

@Shava23
Also, I don't know have the bands...

[HowardtheDuck Posted Apr 17th 2010 1:41AM]

@HowardtheDuck

Half. Damn you lack of editing on Engadget!

[chansthename Posted Apr 17th 2010 1:31AM]

Looks kinda like sovereign (mass effect reaper)

[Zhuzhu Posted Apr 17th 2010 8:01AM]

There's a bird overseeing the Cloacal festival? Seems fitting.

[Leely Posted Apr 17th 2010 5:04PM]

Darren Hayes did it first. And he did it better. :)

[magallanes Posted Apr 17th 2010 7:05PM]

1 done, 999,999 to go

[atomic518 Posted Apr 19th 2010 4:59AM]

yup yup ... it was Awsome