Site decoration adds quality and a sense of care to the event. Decorations have to be designed for the specific event not generic. They help give the event its particular personality.

We have drawn on decorations from a range of cultures. Banana frond like Indonesian banners with our company name were staked or carried beside every event we created for our first Tooheys 1000. These were made from calico and a bamboo pole was stuck into a long pocket up the side of the banner. We have used bright 30cm x 3 metre long narrow flags on bamboo poles in multiples tied to lamp posts, trees, street signs etc. They move in the slightest breeze adding an effortless, dynamic quality to an otherwise ordinary streetscape.

Other ideas include: multicoloured bunting from lining material or plastics; 2m crepe paper ribbons on sticks to be given out to children; coloured material wrapped around lamp posts; decorated tree/s; banners hung from buildings; decorated vehicles and windsocks.

Windsocks can be readily made from colourful scrap material. The principle is the air enters a large hole and exits through a smaller hole. This fills the windsock giving it three dimensions. The sock can be designed to have a particular shape. Fish windsocks can be turned into dragons or racing cars by judicious design. They are operated by the wind as a site decoration but in the grand parade they take on a new life as an operator sweeps them through a figure of eight pattern and otherwise experiments. Here the decision can be to have one windsock or many working together.

Signage is part of site decoration. So we have marked our performances as a sign of where and when they are on. This has included framed blackboards, a cluster of different coloured ribbons, the long flags and banana leaf banners (see above) as well as music and procession which are all elements in the decoration of the site.

Principle use existing placements.
Principle work with the lightest possible safe surface structures (Paper, lining material)and energies (wind, sunlight, water, movement and curiosity behaviour of people).
Principle use recycled materials where possible/available. They are cheap and often suggest interesting ideas in themselves. Experiment.

S A F E T Y
The practical work involved in devising celebrations requires the occupational health and safety practices associated with the visual and performing arts. Always put safety first.