PERFECT STORM

from Stand Out Magazine November 2021

GREEN SHOOTS

Kicking up a storm

Storm, a ten-metre-tall puppet, is touring Scotland’s coasts and lochs with an important environmental message. Here, Vision Mechanics, Storm’s creators, talk of her important journey

Aten-metre tall puppet is roaming the Scottish coast, encouraging audiences to celebrate the seas, care for our coastlines and put the environment first.

Storm, a giant puppet made from recycled and natural materials, is the brainchild of Vision Mechanics, an Edinburgh-based community events and arts specialist.

Devised by Symon Macintyre and Kim Bergsagel – Vision Mechanics’ artistic director and creative director respectively – Storm is a folklore giant, a “goddess of the sea”, which has been engaging communities in cities, towns, and villages across Scotland.

But whilst she carries an important environmental message, her own journey has been met by changing tides. Tom Watton, Storm’s project and production manager, explained: “Vision Mechanics ran a project in 2009 called Big Man Walking. It was very successful. Three or four years ago, they were itching to do something big again and so began fundraising. They got themselves in a position to deliver another great project.”

Vision Mechanics applied to EventScotland and Creative Scotland for funding. The organisation won vital monies and support, which were matched by Culture and Business Fund Scotland. Storm was born and unveiled in 2020. Then COVID hit.

CELEBRATING THE SEA

It was Vision Mechanics’ vision for Storm to appear at a range of different events in 2020, especially as Scotland was all set to celebrate a year of Coast and Waters. Storm’s environmental message – that our oceans are in crisis – would marry well with the Coast and Waters theme; water plays an important role. However, local authorities were slow to get on board.

Storm was unveiled at Celtic Connections’ Coastal Connections Day on January 18, 2020. As soon as local authorities saw the reaction that Storm had, they clambered to host the giant puppet in their areas.

Watton added: “In 2020, Scotland was supposed to celebrate a year of Coasts and Waters but because of COVID those celebrations were soon shifted to 2020/21.”

It resulted in Watton rewriting Storm’s event management plans several times over. “This is how we’ll run the event in normal times, this is how we’ll run the event if it moves to autumn 2020, this is how we’ll run the event in spring 2021, this is how we’ll run the event with some restrictions, this is how we’ll run the event with no restrictions,” he said.

A STORM IN THE COMMUNITY

So far, Storm has visited Dundee, Anstruther, North Berwick, Irvine, Wick, Dumfries, and Nairn, emphasising the positive ways in which communities can work together. On November 6, Storm will visit Edinburgh before

heading to Glasgow, where the plan is for her to meet Little Amal, a 3.5-metre-high puppet, shining a light on the plight of refugee children, as world leaders gather for COP26. The idea is that the puppets will symbolise a meeting between people and the planet, as sustainability only truly works if people are cared for too.

“Storm changes wherever she is,” Watton continued. “What she does depends on the area we are in, and a setting can totally change the way the event feels.”

Vision Mechanics has worked with several community groups. As she moves location, she interacts with different people. Yet her message remains the same; we must protect the world’s valuable waters and coastlines.

MORE THAN A PUPPET

A small close-knit team of people are charged with delivering the project. Storm moves aided by eight puppeteers and each event is supported by another ten events professionals and 20 to 30 volunteers.

Made entirely from recycled materials, Storm’s eyes are said to be the colour of oyster shells, her hair thick strands of kelp and her voice the chorus of the waves. In reality, 75 per cent of her structure is recycled from the Big Man Walking project, she is comprised of sustainably-sourced willow and is held upright by a Manitou MT1440 Telehandler, as Manitou continues to invest in sustainable plant. What’s more, the project is carbon offsetting its emissions through Trees for Life.

“The earth won’t stop but our ability to live on it might,” Watton explained further, as he chatted about some of the project’s sustainability measures. Clever layouts, using existing infrastructure in towns and villages, has resulted in less temporary infrastructure being used. This has resulted in smaller transportation costs.

But what stands out about the project? Watton concluded: “In her awakening sequence, Storm is covered in detritus; fishing nets and plastic. The moment the music changes and her eyes open, you hear this audible gasp from the audience, even in a socially distanced audience, and at that moment she stops being a puppet. If we, as events professionals, can facilitate that magic then we’ve done our job. That’s a big thing for me and we’ve delivered an important message too.”