New drone flyover footage sparked curiosity yesterday when it showed a mysterious rainbow arch stage and outdoor lighting in the center of the Apple Park spaceship-like loop, and now leaked internal information shared with employees sheds light on how the company is planning to put the stage to use.
Apple is getting ready to host a special employee-only event on May 17 to celebrate the official opening of the Apple Park campus and remember late co-founder Steve Jobs, who conceptualized the campus design prior to his death in 2011.
According to Cult of Mac who cite information shared with staff via Apple’s internal employee-information website AppleWeb, the multicolored arches of the stage have been designed by Jony Ive and his design team to “create a stage that would become immediately recognizable as the Apple Stage.”, with the rainbow colors chosen because it’s “been part of [Apple’s] identify for many years.”
There is the resonance with the rainbow logo that’s been part of our identity for many years. The rainbow is also a positive and joyful expression of some of our inclusion values and I think that one of the primary reasons the idea resonated so immediately and so profoundly with us was the form — the connection from an aesthetic design point of view. A semi-circle relates so beautifully and naturally to the form of the ring. – Jony Ive.
The internal memo goes on to note how the stage made from 30 unique machined components, with 25,000 parts in all including the structure itself and the metal skeleton underneath.
If you look at a plan view of Apple Park, the rainbow occupies an almost insignificant area. But it has a relevance and impact that is disproportionate to the area it occupies. – My space in Apple Park is on the external part of the perimeter. But I can see the rainbow reflected in the ceiling all the way through to where I sit. That truly wasn’t planned but one of those lucky accidents. – We had planned the way in which the colors interplay between the discrete bands of the rainbow throughout the day making it more vital and fluid. There are some wonderful but subtle combinations and reflections. – Jony Ive.
No further details have been shared regarding the May 17 event, but it is believed a big name artist will be performing live for employees. – Apple will close its Apple Park Visitor’s Center on May 17 due to the event.