Mr. Clemente started working for Goldenvoice, which puts on the festival, in 2007, after more than 15 years working in film visual effects, including on “The Matrix.”

He said taking on a role with the festival was a natural transition, since both gigs involved using a variety of tools and media to make pieces that are specific to one site and one context.

Though some of the Coachella installations will eventually become permanent public art pieces in desert communities, Mr. Clemente said most of the pieces will be displayed only once.

The rise of Instagram, he said, has added another layer to that calculation.

“These are fleeting moments, here: To experience these shows and this art on this scale, you have to be here at Coachella,” Mr. Clemente said. “And people want to take away those images.”

Andrew Kovacs, who heads Office Kovacs, designed this year’s Colossal Cacti installation, a collection of boxy, candy-colored cactuses that stand as tall as 52 feet. He said Coachella was a unique opportunity to expose festivalgoers to architecture and design concepts they might not otherwise think much about.

“You don’t have to bring people to architecture, you can bring architecture to people,” he said.

Mr. Kovacs said his office’s piece was meant to be a fun, desert-inspired Instagram backdrop, but it also references Constructivism and Ricardo Legorreta.