Bhūtarāh is Daniel Popper's latest collaboration with elrow, one of the world's leading immersive event brands. The project brings together large-scale sculpture, storytelling, nature, and experiential design to create an entirely new world that will debut across elrow events globally. Inspired by the mystical intelligence of Miyazaki’s forests, Popper has sculpted a kingdom where nature has its own voice and its own beat. Bhūtarāh is the “Radiant Spirit”—a force that brings the five elements of life into a glowing, physical presence. From towering wooden giants to the tiny spirits whispering in the leaves. This is a magical journey.
Inspired by the mystical intelligence of forests and the interconnectedness of all living things, Bhūtarāh explores the relationship between humanity and nature through monumental sculptural forms, immersive environments, and a cast of characters that invite audiences into a living, breathing ecosystem. The project represents one of Daniel's most ambitious collaborations to date, expanding his practice beyond standalone public artworks into a fully realized experiential universe.
Bhūtarāh is a massive, immersive entertainment concept and stage design created by South African artist Daniel Popper in collaboration with the global party brand elrow. Debuting as elrow's headline theatrical theme for the 2026 Ibiza season at the hyper-club UNVRS, Bhūtarāh translates to "The Radiant Spirit". It blends Popper's signature colossal sculpture style with high-energy electronic music events.
The environment is built to physically embody the five elements of life: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether. The overall aesthetic draws creative inspiration from the mystical, living intelligence of forests found in Hayao Miyazaki films. The theme transitions the dancefloor into a conscious entity where giant wooden figures, glowing flora, and foliage appear to watch and move with the crowd.
The stage features towering, large-scale giants and intricate wooden deities crafted by Popper. Production teams utilized 3D-printed body parts and massive structures to pioneer large-scale dynamic puppetry during live shows. Many props and costumes were integrated with glow-in-the-dark elements to accommodate dark, shifting club illumination. The project required over six months of active design and construction, involving more than 300 professionals across 6,000 m² of production space.
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