We love what we do and we love the sheer variety of businesses we get to work with; people who love what they do as much as we do. This makes for some very special collaborations and our latest project for some custom inflatable props was certainly a very special one-off for us.
Performing Lines have been around for over 40 years bringing contemporary arts experiences to audiences throughout Australia and the world. They approached us to create a series of stage props to be used on stage in theatre shows. But these weren’t just any stage props. They needed to be freestanding and interactive, so children with learning difficulties could see and feel them. It was important that not only these custom inflatable props look good, they needed to feel good too!
Setting the Stage
One thing we have in plentiful supply at Inflatable Anything is imagination, so when we teamed up with the cast from Performing Lines, the ideas were always going to be especially weird and wonderful. As far as the client was concerned, the wackier the better!
But it wasn’t just about the look of the custom inflatable props, they had to be secure and safe too, so it was important that our designs were practical as well as visually impactful.
The client had come up with some ideas for the shapes of their custom inflatable props and had even modelled them in clay. So, using the latest cutting-edge design technology, we were then able to translate their clay models into a 3-dimensional model, to give the guys from Performing Lines an accurate idea of what their shapes would look like in reality.
We were commissioned by Performing Lines to produce three different custom inflatable props, all different shapes, colours and sizes. In the end, we decided upon a range of sizes between 2 and 2.5 meters in height, with 0.8 and 1 meter in width.
All the shapes were completely unique and designed by the client. And so, the challenge for us was to make sure that we undertook all the necessary work on the intricate design of the custom inflatable props, to ensure they looked exactly how the client wanted.
Then came the fun bit; adding colour to the designs! The custom inflatable props needed to be as bright and colourful as possible to appeal to children, so we were allowed to really let our imagination run wild which was great fun for us.
Thanks to us having the latest technology at our disposal, we were able to guarantee the best quality colour reproduction for the custom inflatable props. We used PVC to make the shapes and used full surface printing, to make sure the colours really popped as the client requested.
Going Into Production
Once the team from Performing Lines were happy with the look of our designs, we sent them off to be manufactured. Even though the wonders of technology meant that we could get a really good idea what our inflatables would look like, it was only when we actually took delivery of the finished article that we got to really experience – and feel! – these unique creations, so we had a nervous wait for our custom inflatable props to be finished.
We needn’t have worried. The custom inflatable props looked every bit as good as we expected and the client was delighted with them.
It took less than 5 minutes to set up each shape, leaving the cast plenty of time to get themselves ready for the show, an added bonus for them. And the high quality of the PVC fabric meant that the custom inflatable props could be used over and over again, in whatever guise the production company wanted, giving them added flexibility and longevity.
Let the Show Begin!
Seeing the custom inflatable props on stage complete with the lighting and staging effects, really brought them to life and the shapes helped to give the visiting children and audiences a truly memorable sensory experience.
No matter how weird and wonderful your concept is, our team at Inflatable Anything will be able to bring it to life for you. Whether you have a really clear vision or just a vague idea of what you are looking for, our expert designers can make anything inflatable, so get in touch today and let’s see what we can come up with. The crazier the idea, the better as far as we’re concerned – we love a challenge!
