European Games, Soft Props

Brief:

• To prototype and make a padded 2D puppet of the mythical Simurgh creature.
• To  manage digital printing of end client’s files and make them into padded props.
• To  provide rehearsal versions of large spinning fabric disks.
• To recruit props supervisors and rehearsal managers to work onsite in Baku.

Event: Inaugural European Games, Baku, Azerbaijan.

Role: Project Manager (budget setting & management (bi-currency), scheduling, contracts, recruitment, client liaison, health & safety, logistics).  Assistant Maker.

Client: Kinetika Design Studio

We had a lot of fun taking the the Simurgh puppet through a number of different prototypes before we settled on the final one. Photos of a few of the iterations are below.

There were also a huge amount of padded props to make such as carpets, cushions, bolsters, blankets, towels, waves and a fabric river.  The cushions had bespoke inners made for them so they would resist being squashed flat and all the carpets were topstitched along the pattern.

They all formed part of the award winning spectacular Opening Ceremony, devised by Dimitris Papaioannou, which drew on elements of Azerbaijani folklore and featured hundreds of performers.

Kinetika also sent 5 team members to work on the Opening and Closing Ceremonies locally in Baku and operated a UK support team back home.

Image credits of the ceremony to Baku 2015 Youtube Channel & official games coverage

Date:  June 2015