At Coachella, the action contained within an 80-foot-tall wooden rocket towering over the festival became a star of this year’s visual artist line-up. Duo Dedo Vabo created “H.i.P.O.,” in which performers dressed as hippos clanged and banged away at projects in a 12-hour, uninterrupted performance. This installation took a year to conceive and complete, with “202 designers, costumers, set decorators, stage managers, riggers, and performers” involved. (Press images captured by Marshall Vanderhoof.)

More from the group: “The 8-story rocket, launch tower and surrounding platform acts as a medley of different artistic mediums, all mashed together into a massive performance art installation that defies explanation. Inside, performers dressed as lifelike hippopotamuses, bang on rocket parts, build warheads and conduct experiments.”

See more from the duo below.

Behind-the-scenes video: