The Pacha Group Pacha Ibiza

Sean Pruen

The Pacha Group: Pacha Ibiza

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‘Pacha Ibiza is probably the most iconic nightclub in the world and it has been a privilege to create a permanent installation that everyone who comes through their doors will enjoy. On top of that, our real-time approach to the screen content is truly pushing the bar of what’s possible with live events and marks the start of a continuing and collaborative partnership with the club.’

Sean Pruen, Creative Director, UNIT9

The background

Pacha Ibiza, a nightclub synonymous with electronic music and Ibiza culture since 1973, wanted to refresh its iconic space. We came on board to create an unparalleled clubbing experience with a fusion of innovative physical installations and captivating content.

The Pacha Group Pacha Ibiza
The Pacha Group Pacha Ibiza
The Pacha Group Pacha Ibiza
The Pacha Group Pacha Ibiza

The execution

Upon arrival at the main entrance, guests are now greeted by a dazzling two-metre-wide steel and glass sculpture. This mesmerising hexahedron features mirrored panels that play with perspective, revealing spinning cherries and endless reflections of the iconic Pacha Ibiza logo illuminated by dynamic LED lighting.

For VIPs, a special welcome awaits. A mirrored tunnel transformed with a 15,000-pixel LED screen showcases luminescent particles that flow and respond to the music. Life-size human figures dance across the screen, their cherry hearts pulsing to the beat, turning a once-dull passage into an unforgettable entrance.

Pacha’s Ibiza main club space houses a ceiling filled with hexagonal LEDs. We extended these hexagons down to seamlessly blend with a new curved LED wall, creating a fully immersive effect. Using deep screen technology, the hexagons seemingly continue beyond the confinement of the club’s walls into a virtual space, creating an illusion of boundless depth.

We created a library of 3D real-time rendered scenes featuring deep screen anamorphic effects and audio reactive geometry and animations that pulse in time with the music. When the club’s VJs (visual content jockeys) play video content out of the hexagonal displays, their content is virtually mapped upon our 3D scenes. This unique approach to live visual content is a first of its kind and brings Pacha a wealth of content variety, with new scenes created for each of their themed club nights.

The Pacha Group Pacha Ibiza
The Pacha Group Pacha Ibiza
The Pacha Group Pacha Ibiza
The Pacha Group Pacha Ibiza

Depth-sensing cameras also translated the movements of the club’s podium dancers into real-time animations on the curved screen, helping to inject even more life and energy into a truly captivating clubbing experience.

The results

Through a blend of smart content design, real-time capabilities and an epic installation, we delivered a groundbreaking audio-visual experience for Pacha Ibiza. This collaborative project not only revitalised the iconic club but also charted a new course for how the clubbing experience can be enhanced into a mesmerising immersive performance.

The Pacha Group Pacha Ibiza