SILA SVETA frames Giza pyramids with suspended screens
Multimedia studio SILA SVETA designed three stages for Starlight Festival at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, creating a series of large-scale installations that brought digital imagery, lighting and contemporary stage architecture into dialogue with the ancient monuments. Held on 9 and 10 October 2026, the inaugural electronic music festival was organized by EXIT Festival in partnership with P+US, the electronic music platform of Venture Lifestyle. The event welcomed more than 50 international and regional artists, including Charlotte de Witte, Michael Bibi, Adriatique, Vintage Culture and Pete Tong, across multiple stages on the Giza Plateau.
For the festival, SILA SVETA developed three distinct environments: the MAIN stage, Orion and No Sleep. Each was assigned an individual visual identity, accommodating different performances and audience experiences. Working with its music division, SILA SVETA Music, the studio also oversaw executive production, lighting design and video content. The MAIN stage formed the central architectural element of the project, with a composition that responded directly to the geometry of the pyramids. Its design established a visual connection between the temporary festival structures and the historic landscape without obstructing the monuments.
Two elongated triangular screens, suspended from construction cranes, defined the MAIN stage installation. Positioned on either side of an open central space, the structures framed the pyramids while maintaining an uninterrupted view of their silhouettes. Their proportions referenced the geometry of the central pyramid, extending its triangular profile into a contemporary stage structure. According to SILA SVETA Co-Founder and Creative Director Alexander Us, the intention was to connect the screens visually with the pyramid’s apex through light, creating a unified composition between the existing architecture and the temporary installation.
The stage was designed to respond to changing daylight conditions. During the day, mirrored surfaces reflected the surrounding desert, sky and pyramids, integrating the installation into its environment. After sunset, the triangular structures became illuminated screens displaying digital animations and specially produced visual content. Laser projections, synchronized lighting and holographic laser pyramids extended the performance beyond the physical boundaries of the stage. These elements established a shifting relationship between the screens, the open desert and the ancient structures visible behind them, allowing the landscape to remain an active component of the multimedia production.
Realizing the suspended installation required extensive structural planning. The dimensions and elongated profiles of the screens created considerable wind loads, particularly challenging in the exposed desert environment. SILA SVETA collaborated with Egyptian technical specialists and structural engineers to develop a rigging system capable of safely supporting the structures throughout the event. Construction cranes provided the necessary suspension points, enabling the screens to occupy an elevated position while preserving the open central composition. The engineering strategy was therefore integral to both the installation’s structural stability and its visual appearance.
Starlight marked the first multi-day, multi-stage electronic music festival at the Pyramids of Giza, establishing a new collaboration between EXIT Festival and SILA SVETA. While Orion and No Sleep provided alternative performance environments, the MAIN stage demonstrated how temporary architecture, digital media and lighting could operate within a historically significant setting. By incorporating the pyramids into the stage’s visual composition, SILA SVETA created an installation in which the surrounding landscape played a defining role in the audience’s experience of the festival.
All images courtesy of SILA SVETA, shared with permission
