It
was with great sadness to hear of the death of Mark Fisher on the 25th
June. He was an architect and stage designer who transformed the world of rock
concert and large scale live event design. Famed for his work with U2, The
Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd Fisher, Cirque Du Soleil and Olympic opening
ceremonies, Fisher was an innovator from his early days at the AA, where he
studied during a time of radical experimentation.
His
early work involved experiments with inflatable structures and pneumatic
architecture, influenced by the work of Archigram. This led Fisher to develop
his own language of temporary deployable architectural systems. This language quickly
found home in the temporary festivals and live shows of the emerging youth
culture.
Fisher’s
work reflected his relationship with the youthful counter cultures of the time.
His drawings and speculative projects embraced a spirit of hedonism and playful
freedom. Soon he was to find himself designing stage structures at the Isle of
Wight festivals with engineer Antony Hunt, eventually leading to his phenomenal
career as a pioneer in entertainment architecture and stage design.