19 May 2025
Caprices continues to reimagine the stage not as a platform, but as an experience where light bends, space fractures and music finds its form
At this year’s Caprices Festival in Crans-Montana, held in April, scenography took a bold new turn, transforming the Swiss Alps into a living, breathing environment of light, space and sound. Led by creative director Stepan Novikov, the team behind the experience delivered a striking visual language designed to distort perception; “weaving snares for lasers” through an intricately programmed fusion of stage design, lighting architecture and responsive control systems.
Stage designers Aleksandr Evlakhov and Filipp Rammo constructed an environment where form gives way to sensation. Their design embraced architectural ambiguity, playing with tension between structure and void. The lighting setup itself functioned like a live instrument, rhythmically reactive and deeply entwined with the musical flow.
Behind the execution stood a cohesive team of technical and creative minds. Producers Dmitry Znamensky and Alina Batichkova, alongside technical director Anton Kochnev and technical manager Eugene Ryazantsev, ensured a seamless dialogue between sonic and visual elements.
As Caprices gears up for its return this 19–22 September, one thing is certain: Caprices continues to reimagine the stage not as a platform, but as an experience where light bends, space fractures and music finds its form.
The team operates under the umbrella of S E T U P, a globally recognised studio known for blurring the boundaries between multimedia art, lighting and stage design and performance programming.
Founded in 2018 by Dmitry Znamenskiy, Stepan Novikov, Pavel Zmunchila and Anton Kochnev, the studio has since cultivated a distinct visual and sonic language. Sound designer Vasilii Miroliubov has been a core contributor from the start, shaping the studio’s signature auditory identity.
