TEDx set design and production
Set design and production for cultural event at the Málaga Trade Fairs and Congress Centre
context
ROJOmandarina developed the set design and production for TEDx Málaga 2022, held at the main auditorium of the Málaga Trade Fairs and Congress Centre. This is an ephemeral space design project for a large-format cultural event, in which the stage had to respond to both the TEDx visual identity and the technical and narrative requirements of a program featuring highly diverse presentations.
The set design had to integrate recognizable elements of the TED format—such as the red dot and the TEDx Málaga corporate lettering. The challenge was to build a clear scenic presence with character, capable of supporting each presentation while always keeping the focus on the words, ideas, and relationship between speaker and audience.
Client: TEDx Málaga
Capabilities: research – design – ephemeral space design – industrial design – product design – space design – set design – production
Sector: events – culture – leisure
challenge
The 2022 edition was based on the concept of Alétheia, linked to truth, the evident, and that which is revealed. The difficulty lay in translating a philosophical idea into a spatial language legible on stage, without becoming literal or competing with the content of the talks. Additionally, the proposal had to adapt to different types of presentations, work from various viewpoints in the auditorium, and respond well to constant lighting changes throughout the event.
solution
The proposal was built from the abstraction of pure geometric forms—circle, square, triangle, rectangle—as the visual foundation of a universe that, when combined, generates more complex compositions. A second reference was added to this geometric system: the Greek agora as a space for gathering, conversation, and exchange of ideas, in keeping with the meaning of Alétheia and the nature of the event itself.
The result was a backlit backdrop composed of these geometries and two Greek columns geometrically deconstructed, positioned on either side of the TED circle. The entire set design was executed in white to absorb and amplify the lighting changes for each presentation, allowing the illumination to transform the atmosphere without altering the clarity of the whole. In this way, the stage could generate a changing image while simultaneously maintaining a serene, precise, and recognizable structure.
result
The set design accompanied the event’s development with a solid yet restrained spatial identity, capable of reinforcing the scenic experience without displacing attention from the discourse. The combination of geometry, volume, and lighting made it possible to create distinct atmospheres for each presentation and provide visual depth to the auditorium through a clean and coherent language.
Rather than representing an idea in an obvious way, the project sought to make it inhabitable: to build a stage where truth is not stated, but allowed to emerge.
KEY FEATURES
Set design and production for TEDx event
Ephemeral space project for large-format auditorium
Integration of the red dot and TEDx Málaga corporate lettering
Conceptual development based on Alétheia and the Greek agora
Composition based on pure geometries and backlit volumes
Greek columns reinterpreted through geometric logic
White set design conceived to transform with lighting
Adaptation to different types of presentations and scenic rhythms
Technical documentation, design-derived engineering, and production management
