Karol G - MTV Awards

Karol G – MTV Awards Performance

Stage Visuals for LED Walls & Floor | Tokyo Neon Theme & Sound-Reactive Design

Overview

Commissioned for Karol G’s MTV Awards performance, I designed and animated a full suite of stage visuals across both LED walls and a reactive LED floor, collaborating closely with Pixel Kartel. The visual direction followed a high-intensity “Tokyo Neon” theme — inspired by cyberpunk aesthetics, digital signage, and Y2K-era futurism — all crafted to amplify Karol G’s on-stage presence for a global broadcast audience.

Role & Tools

Role: Visual Designer, Animator, Real-Time FX Artist
Tools Used: TouchDesigner, After Effects, Adobe Illustrator

Visual Style & Concept

Drawing from Tokyo’s illuminated cityscape and glitchy digital culture, I built an animated environment packed with scrolling signage, reactive kanji forms, LED grid structures, and pulsing neon elements. The visuals were programmed in TouchDesigner to sync tightly with the timecoded track.

The end result was a multi-layered visual performance — a fusion of music, choreography, and motion design — that transformed the stage into a vibrant, futuristic city.

Process Highlights

  • Developed a cyber-Tokyo design system for both LED walls and an LED floor.

  • Built a TouchDesigner patch that triggered sound-reactive animations from a timecoded track.

  • Created loopable modular assets with bold, brand-aligned styling.

  • Delivered optimized media and visual sync for live TV broadcast conditions.

Credits

Client: Pixel Kartel / Karol G
Event: MTV Awards
Theme: Tokyo Neon
Stage Setup: LED Wall & Floor
Direction & Animation: Jacob Faulkner / Ordos
Software: TouchDesigner, After Effects, Adobe Illustrator