Harlequin wet suit? No problem.

If only everyone in the group felt like this guy about the design concept ;P

Adventures with glitter.

The masks have been glittered as I have succumbed to a parade trend.

Our post apocalyptic vision is intended to entertain, and the sparkle should ensure we don't terrify our audience.....

Great work by the boys today :)

Crab dressing.

Huge efforts to transform paper, willow and bamboo, and some nifty engineering, into something beautiful....

Very tired as a result of our efforts, and all in need of hot baths :)

A bit of a squeeze....

There's no easy way to get into a wetsuit, and painted wetsuits are no exception. So after much squeezing and much laughter we are here. Wish you were?

Walking with Hermit Crab

The highlight of a very busy weekend at the WOW had to be taking the crab outside for a walk. Perfect conditions made it possible to fully test the manoeuvrability. Almost there in technical terms, but still lots of work to be done 'finishing'. As usual I am a bit impatient for this bit to commence....as I'm never happier than when I've a paint brush in my hand.

All other aspects moved on apace over the weekend too. Almost the entire group made it into the workshop at some point, and helped make masks, paint wetsuits, and 'dress' the crab shell. Sadly we had camera troubles, so no pictures.

Suffice to say that the group really got stuck in this weekend, which made for a wonderfully productive and enjoyable 2 days.

Wetsuits transformed...

Painted wetsuits. This is to be the basis of our work on costume this year.

I have trialled the technique at home, and the prototype stands up well. Yes, it sounds like cardboard when you move, and I have probably succeeded in making the uncomfortable, more uncomfortable, but they will look great.

getting taller...

Managed to put the 'shell' together today.


It's looking big, and tall....but David reckons it's not too heavy. Wind might be a problem though....

MAS camp

We have had a really interesting couple of days at the WOW, joining other community groups working on their elements of the parade. Not too many of our group, but but it was fun to be joined by friends, and to share in the excitement.

A puppet awakes.

Work on the puppet for this years parade has been steadily taking place over the past few weekends.

Without a scale model to work from, we have resolved the design from small sketches and in the workshop, using the wall to sketch in tape a life size design. It's been exciting to work in this way, taking full advantage of the space.

There is now a concept design for the crab, which has also served to direct our thinking about textures and finish.

The build itself is going well, with the puppetry working beautifully.