Festival lantern making

13 to 16 September 2011, Tambo

Journal entry: Pamela Denise (AoT Artist)

An articulated, illuminated, nine-metre long Teddy Bear floated serenely on the Tambo Lake at the opening night of the 2011 Tambo Teddy Bear’s Picnic weekend. Big Ted’s image was mirrored in the glassy surface, adorned by 70 colourful tepee lanterns and studded with synchronised laser light show from the Polic Blue Light Disco. Held in the park on the shore of Tambo Lake, there was a good turn-out of locals and visitors to enjoy the lanterns the disco and a BBQ put on by the Tambo Pony Club.

It was a great result from an intensive week committed to making this spectacle. The teepees were made by 35 students from the Tambo State School during the day, whilst at evening workshops women from the community build Big Ted at the Grasslands Art Gallery workshop. By the end of the week up-skilled students and adults were masterfully building Teddy’s legs, working on rafts and creating ballast and floats.

Resources across the community were combined with great effect where everything needed was found in this picturesque heritage town (population 430). There was a successful shout out for 144 two-litre milk bottles to use as floats for the rafts. A large flat top truck was procured to transport Big Ted lakeside where he was installed with the assistance of local SES members in a SES boat.

Unexpected additional benefits included ongoing assistance from creative Teddy Bear collector from Longreach and the timely arrival at the eleventh-hour of arts event organisers from South Australia attracted by an ABC radio interview the day before. Supported throughout by the brilliant Alison Shaw, in her capacity as Blackall-Tambo Council Community Facilitator, this was truly a memorable community art project.

Images: Floating Big Ted was a massive task, and Big Ted the morning after the opening party!