scavenging

[helenic]

As most of you know, I'm spearheading a team of decorative artists who are volunteering at Glastonbury next week. We're doing design and rigging for a three-dimensional art sculpture to decorate the Green Futures Field, which is devoted to sustainable energy resources and campaigning. Since we're volunteering and the GFF is a charitable organisation, we're having to work on a VERY limited budget.

The theme for this year is "wishes, dreams, cycles and life-cycles". Our design is composed of four structures linked by high wires, each marking a point in the wheel of the year, and the whole representing a semi-magical life-cycle, with butterflies emerging from a giant chrysalis and transforming into fairies. We're currently trying to source materials as cheaply as possible. Each team member is giving as much as they can spare, but I thought it would be worth posting the list of things we need here in case anyone else can help out.

Do you live in London, and have clutter in your house that you keep meaning to take to the charity shop and not getting round to? If so, I might be able to come and collect some of it from you, if it includes any of the following:

fabric in the following colours and styles (torn, old or dirty is fine, as we'll be cutting it up and painting on it anyway):
- white/pale blue/pale grey fabric, ideally lacy or transcluent. Old lacy curtains or tablecloths would be ideal.
- any large cuts of fabric in warm summery or rich autumnal colours - red, yellow, green, purple, orange, gold and black are all good. I'm thinking curtains, tablecloths, old sofa throws, bedsheets or duvet covers. Patterned is fine.
- any smaller fabric offcuts for decorating and dressing small winged creatures
old clothes in bright colours for cutting up
balls of string or wool
wire coathangers (we need LOTS of these)
old tights or stockings to turn into wings
old/broken dolls to turn into fairies
pingpong/tennis balls
any ribbons, sequins, glitter or other crafty bits you don't plan to use

We also need the following, but aren't really expecting people to have them lying around their homes. Still, just in case:

guy ropes
tent pegs
fishing line or other high-tension wire
clingfilm
waterproof magic markers
string
milliners wire
gaffa tape
superglue

We'll buy anything from the above list we can't beg, but we can't afford to buy all our materials new, so anything you can contribute would be a huge help! I'm happy to travel within London to collect stuff, or meet you in town if that would be easier. Thanks for your help! xx

Comments

[kilinrax.livejournal.com]

I have 4 throws, more coathangers than I can count, and some jeweler's wire that'll probably suit (I would appreciate getting what you don't use of that back, though).

[libellum.livejournal.com]

These things would be BRILLIANT. Thankyou. Can I come round one evening this week (not Thursday) to pick it up, or would you be able to take them into work so I could come round one lunchtime?

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Trying to sort out collection times... Would Friday evening or Saturday afternoon suit you at all?

[tar0r.livejournal.com]

Rah! I have some old bed sheets that I've literally been WAITING to get rid of. It's kinda gold and leafy.. I shall hunt it out!

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Oh fantastic! I'll have to spend a day trekking round everywhere collecting stuff at some point - possibly Saturday. I'll let you know! Are you in during weekdays at the moment?

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Hey, just trying to pin down collection times. I could come and pick it up from you at home Friday day time, Friday evening, or Saturday daytime. Or I could meet you outside work on Friday if you let me know where you work? (I'm not even sure if you're working right now - sorry, am rubbish.) Text me and let me know what's good for you, I need to work out a schedule today if possible :)

[taimatsu]

I probably have some stuff: I'm not sure how I'd get it to you though. What's the last date by which you'd need to have it?

[libellum.livejournal.com]

By this weekend, really. If you were able to put things in the post to me by tomorrow we'd get them in time - materials for making wings are particularly needed right now, and they're all relatively lightweight. Wire, tights/stockings, glitter, ribbon, sequins, general sparkly things. No worries if this isn't possible though! x

[kelemvor.livejournal.com]

Have some old clingfilm (Sainsbury's Basic; was in the flat when we moved in) and it seems to be never-ending! You're welcome to that.
Also have some spare balls of wool around the place.

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

I also have an excess of clingfilm, and of tin foil if that would be of use in making things shiny.

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Remind me to take clingfilm with me when I leave in the morning? Also my tent. :)

[numberland.livejournal.com]

I have a load of old, somewhat dirty cream curtains. They have a lot of ingrained dust so I'm not sure how useful they'd be but you're welcome to them. Not sure how to get them to you though.

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Hrm. They do sound useful. Could you meet up with alixandrea before the weekend to pass them on? She'll be driving a van down from Cambridge on Saturday which will take all our stuff to Glastonbury, so that would be the best way of getting them to us.

[numberland.livejournal.com]

Will do. I'll have a root through other stuff as well - I think I have a couple of dresses/skirts with holes and a light blue table cloth. We shall see.

[jacinthsong.livejournal.com]

I can bring some old clothes, tights and crafty odds and ends. Maybe fabric as well, I'll have a look. I'm dropping by Straylight tomorrow evening, would it be convenient if I left a bag there?

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Yes! That would be perfect! Thankyou! :)

[alohura.livejournal.com]

damn. I just got rid of a load of stuff last time I moved :/
have you tried asking the guys at Freecycle?

[libellum.livejournal.com]

I'm trying LJ first because collecting stuff from people I know is more fun than from people I don't know :) Plus I'm rubbish and haven't really left enough time!

[aiwendel.livejournal.com]

I have some strong wire and possibly old red (but filthy now) patterned curtains... but I'm in Cambridge and they're big - I'm not sure it's worth posting. Are you in Cambridge at any point. When do you need them by? I'm not sure when I'm next in London....

[libellum.livejournal.com]

We need them by this weekend. Could you get them to alixandrea before the weekend? I'll email her and see if she can come and collect :)

[aiwendel.livejournal.com]

ah yes almost certainly....

[the-alchemist.livejournal.com]

I could put together a box of dolls, ribbons and other random crafty bits, fabric scraps, wire coathangers and (probably) milliner's wire, if you could collect them from Battersea. I'm not sure I'd want to part with an enormous pile thereof, however, so you should probably give me some idea of the minimum quantity you think would make the journey worth it.

[libellum.livejournal.com]

This would be brilliant. How much is slightly difficult to say. The thing I'm most excited about are the dolls, because no-one else has offered any. Random crafty bits are also useful, but those are much smaller. If you could fill a shoebox with stuff (er not counting the coathangers, obviously, they wouldn't fit) I would definitely come and collect it, less than that and I'll probably still come and collect it, but I'll do a local charity shop trawl first, and then I might come and collect what you can offer if I don't find anything in the charity shops.

[the-alchemist.livejournal.com]

I've found three dolls so far - one male anime looking thing, same scale as Barbie, and two smaller girls. There are also a few doll clothes and accessories, together with fabric, trim, beads etc, - probably a couple of shoeboxes worth.

How desperate are you for milliner's wire and how much do you need? I have loads (I needed some urgently just before last bardcamp and could only get a 10 metre roll), but am vaguely reluctant to part with it as it was expensive. That's probably silly though, because I'm not realistically going to make 10 metres worth of hats in the near future! Shall I bung in half of what I have, or something?

And when can you collect it? I'm not entirely sure when I'm going to be around, but it's rare for the flat to be completely unoccupied...

[libellum.livejournal.com]

Perfect! It turns out we have more milliners wire than I'd realised, so we aren't desperate for that after all. The dolls and crafty stuff would be amazing though. Could I come and pick it up sometime on Friday, preferably during the day?

[the-alchemist.livejournal.com]

Not sure if you got my email. I have a bag of stuff at work, which is just by Victoria station - the email included directions for how to get there, so ring or email me if you need them again.

[denari.livejournal.com]

Will have a dig at what I can find. Maybe worth advertising on freecycle?

[libellum.livejournal.com]

For some reason I can't deal with the hassle of Freecycle, this project is eating far too much of my life as it is, and I find Freecycle stressful. Anything you can offer would be brilliant! I'll come to your house some time before we leave anyway, I have stuff to pick up from Grace. x

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

Er, how many wire coat hangers constitute 'lots'?

Also, I have worn out a grey cotton bedsheet. There are holes in it and, in parts, it'll pass as translucent.

[antoniabaker.livejournal.com]

contact my parents:

"Jane Baker" <jane@gingold.com>, "Peter Gingold" <peter@gingold.com>, "Laura Baker" <laura.baker@virgin.net>, "Katie Baker" <katie.baker@aislondon.com>,

We've got an entire attic full of clutter we need to get rid of, including possibly my ball gown collection which spent three months underwater but contains lots of (now slightly rotted) bright silks and satins.

[libellum.livejournal.com]

I have just emailled them! Thankyou for this. I have no idea if we'll be able to reach them in time - are they based in Cambridge? It's definitely worth a try, though! Thankyou :)

Old Tights

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, i have plenty of "OLD BLACK TIGHTS" but they are all opaques...Im talking Thick ones ie some 60 denier..90 denier ..120 denier..so i dont know if these are any use to you..? i must have at least 20 pairs lying around the house / attic etc they were my old school tights.