The dragonfly that lit up the festival sky

Under a sky pulsing with music, fire, and anticipation, one of the world’s most electrifying festival stages lit up in spectacular fashion as Arcadia’s Dragonfly took flight once again. In 2025, this legendary kinetic sculpture - part helicopter, part creature of light - returned bigger, brighter, and bolder than ever. With a fresh wave of creative ambition and technical wizardry, CPL delivered its most dazzling projection package to date, transforming the Dragonfly into a living, breathing canvas of motion and story.

Context

The Dragonfly, a 13-metre-long repurposed military helicopter turned kinetic sculpture, is the newest centerpiece of Arcadia’s performances. Known for blending fire, light, music, and movement, the installation has evolved into a symbol of transformation and unity. In 2025, Arcadia expanded its creative vision by incorporating the tail of the Dragonfly into the projection canvas for the first time, creating a fully animated, 360-degree visual experience.

The video elements of the project were a collaboration between Arcadia founders Bertie Cole and Pip Rush, technical manager Katie Davies, and creative partners including Dave Whiteoak of Video Illusions, Ben Rushton-Vaughan of Cucumber Productions, Dickie Burrow of CPL Enhanced Technology and content creators Astral Projekt. 

This year’s show also continued to incorporate the powerful Waraloo ceremony, developed in collaboration with the WadjukNoongar nation of Perth, Australia, blending ancient Aboriginal storytelling with cutting-edge visuals, lighting, and performance.

Challenge

The team needed to project high-resolution, high-brightness visuals onto the Dragonfly’s complex geometry, including its newly integrated tail section, while maintaining perfect synchronization with LED and lighting effects. Outdoor conditions, the scale of the structure, and the need for seamless integration with other media systems added further complexity to the task.

Solution

To meet these demands, CPL deployed six Barco UDX-4K32 laser projectors, each delivering 31,000 lumens of brightness and 4K UHD resolution ensuring vibrant and clear projections even in challenging outdoor conditions. Their 3-chip DLP technology provided the color fidelity needed to bring Astral Projekt’s custom animations to life with stunning clarity.Fitted with TLD+ 2.74–4.43:1 4K UHD lenses, the UDXs allowed for precise mapping onto the dragonfly’s curved and angular surfaces.

These projectors were double-stacked, meaning two 4K images were overlaid to increase the brightness to the level needed to match that of the dragonfly’s head, which was constructed from transparent hexagonal LED screens, and allowed for the precise mapping onto the complex geometry of the dragonfly structure. The high brightness and 4K resolution ensured that every detail of the projection was visible, allowing festival-goers to fully immerse themselves in the Warraloo story while appreciating the transformed helicopter. 

The use of Barco UDX-4K32 projectors significantly enhanced the visual impact of the Dragonfly stage and were crucial in creating the immersive experience that Arcadia is known for. By combining Barco’s cutting-edge technology with Arcadia’s visionary creativity, CPL helped transform a repurposed machine of war into a radiant symbol of unity, culture, and innovation.

Results

Widely regarded as the best Dragonfly show yet, the 2025 installation was praised by festival-goers and critics alike for its seamless integration of technology and art, and the unforgettable energy brought by the stellar DJ lineup. The expanded projection mapping - especially the dramatic tail visuals - added a new dimension of movement and storytelling to the Dragonfly, making it feel more alive than ever before. Together, CPL, Arcadia, and their partners set a new standard for immersive festival experiences.