Much as we enjoy any excuse to explore a different part of the country, a real reason is needed. As last year, the reason was the Suffolk Show.
In particular, the WI marquee where some amazing exhibits were awaiting my judgement!
Since receiving the schedule and the invitation to judge the competition some time ago, I’ve been giving it some thought. The challenge was to create “a pair of dancers,free standing and self-supporting”, “at least 80% recycled materials”, “no larger than life sized” and “displayed in a floor space of 5ft square”.
If I were a Suffolk member, what would my entry look like, I wonder?
I considered a skeleton frame constructed of plastic lemonade bottles, wire armatures and papier mache heads. I envisaged the difficulties of transporting these figures to the showground; perhaps standing up through the sunroof, Antiques Roadshow style. Or maybe laid out in a van, like a couple of corpses?
Everyone I mentioned this to raised an eyebrow and couldn’t wait to see what the clever members of Suffolk East would create.
Yes, there’s the wire armature in a really striking pose!
Oh, and screwing wellie boots to the base was a great way of getting the stuffed figures to stand upright. Very clever.
Boris Johnson had a most elegant polystyrene partner, with colour co-ordinated fingernails to match her dress, his cufflinks, buttons and bow tie. What details!
But look. How clever is this?
Basil and Sybil (their names explained on a card nearby) a lively papier mache couple were dancing their socks off, with soft leather shoes and flyaway hair.
There were others too: a very elegant couple who looked as though they had stepped right out of Harrods window, a pair of ballet dancers and a military gentleman who seemed to be having some difficulties persuading his lady to join him on the dance floor. All life size, all beautifully made according to schedule and leaving this particular judge quite amazed.
Visual Impact? 100% all round!!
