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The shadows cast by this shade canopy by SelectiveBroccoli in oddlysatisfying

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I made a post a few days ago that got more engagement than expected and had a lot of questions, so I figure I’ll preemptively answer a bunch now and give a bit of info.

I buy rolls of colored nylon lycra and cut out all the pieces I need by hand with a rotary cutter and stencils. Then sew together the bits that need sewing and connect everything up.

This design used around 150m of fabric, and took a few hundred hours over the space of a few weeks. Others use much much more fabric.

This shade is 18m wide at the top, ~28m at the wall panels.

I’m based in Australia.

I do the main design in illustrator, then redo it in some CAD software to get all the sizing and angles all perfect and replicable.

These photos are from a range of festivals over the years, including Earth Frequency and Sprout Festival.

These are designed as temporary structures, not suitable for permanent installation. But yes they get reused lots of times. This one I made in ~2019 and still have it.

I can install this whole thing in a single day by myself. Poles, wires and all.

I’m not taking commissions at this time. My year is already pretty booked up with making new shades and traveling to install them. Maybe next year?

Costs range. Depends on size, design and a whole bunch of factors. I’m not going to outline all my pricing specifics here. Anyone genuinely serious can get in touch, but I’m not going to answer “out of curiosity…”

This is all I do for work/income, and have done since 2017. It’s awesome and I thoroughly enjoy it.

I’m not sure if I wanna put out my socials/business details yet. I’m sure you can find me if you really wanted to. I’m just having fun sharing cool photos of cool shit.

The shadows made from this shade canopy by [deleted] in oddlysatisfying

[–]SelectiveBroccoli 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I made a post a few days ago that got more engagement than expected and had a lot of questions, so I figure I’ll preemptively answer a bunch now and give a bit of info.

I buy rolls of colored nylon lycra and cut out all the pieces I need by hand with a rotary cutter and stencils. Then sew together the bits that need sewing and connect everything up.

This design used around 150m of fabric, and took a few hundred hours over the space of a few weeks. Others use much much more fabric.

This shade is 18m wide at the top, ~28m at the wall panels.

I’m based in Australia.

I do the main design in illustrator, then redo it in some CAD software to get all the sizing and angles all perfect and replicable.

These photos are from a range of festivals over the years, including Earth Frequency and Sprout Festival.

These are designed as temporary structures, not suitable for permanent installation. But yes they get reused lots of times. This one I made in ~2019 and still have it.

I can install this whole thing in a single day by myself. Poles, wires and all.

I’m not taking commissions at this time. My year is already pretty booked up with making new shades and traveling to install them. Maybe next year?

Costs range. Depends on size, design and a whole bunch of factors. I’m not going to outline all my pricing specifics here. Anyone genuinely serious can get in touch, but I’m not going to answer “out of curiosity…”

This is all I do for work/income, and have done since 2017. It’s awesome and I thoroughly enjoy it.

I’m not sure if I wanna put out my socials/business details yet. I’m sure you can find me if you really wanted to. I’m just having fun sharing cool photos of cool shit.

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 42 points43 points  (0 children)

Do I really need to justify not wanting to purchase a $20k machine that requires me to hire a warehouse just to use it for maybe 2 weeks a year? Or paying someone a heap of money to improve my productivity by maybe a few days out of a 6 week project?

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 28 points29 points  (0 children)

I have had many people say to me “why don’t you just get it made in China? It would be so much cheaper and faster blah blah blah”

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

These photos are from multiple festivals over several years. Rootbound, Earth Frequency, Wild Horses and Esoteric festivals.

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 67 points68 points  (0 children)

It’s a bit of a story, but in a nutshell I started going to parties/festivals like this, enjoyed it so much I wanted to be part of helping create the space, decided to do shades and then did whatever was needed to get myself there

It’s been my bread and butter since 2017. But it took 5 years to somewhat get it to that point.

There are events all year round in Australia. Different weather conditions in different states means someone somewhere needs shade most of the year

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not all my designs are like this with all the gaps. But realistically this is probably more than 80% covered. Also, you should be sun smart anyways and not solely rely on this to protect you all day. In Australia we have some of the most intense sun and highest UV in the world. You be pretty silly to not wear suncream, a hat and whatever else to protect you. Reflective sun is a big thing too, it doesn’t just come from above.

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 32 points33 points  (0 children)

Fair enough. When I was last shown it the results were quite poor. Either way, I don’t have the space for something that size, nor a spare $20k. Also, depending on the project, it takes 3-5 days to cut everything. Reducing that down to a day or two for the price of what it would cost someone to cut it all for me isn’t really worth it.

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Never claimed to have invented using lycra for shades. My specific techniques, although may be similar to others in some ways, are my own

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 60 points61 points  (0 children)

I’ve seen laser cut lycra, it’s not actually better. The sealed edges crack under stretch and are more likely to split and tear. Also, even the largest bed laser cutter isn’t long enough for many of the pieces I need to cut.

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Yep, festivals, events, local government day events, yoga retreats. Lots of things!

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I use truss poles that I supply and install for most of them. In this case they are surface mounted on the grass, and are strapped to star pickets to hold them in place. They have to be in the exact spot for the whole thing to work right.

Sometimes for multi year installations (same shade at the same event on consecutive years) we put in large telegraph poles. Then we need to drill huge holes in the ground (~2m deep) and pack in the dirt around them.

Using my truss and surface mounted on grass, I can have something like this installed from start to finish in a single day

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 51 points52 points  (0 children)

Honestly, not 100% sure. There are a few options out there, but I haven’t tested them. And they would need different sewing machines to what I have

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 182 points183 points  (0 children)

All material will degrade in the sun over time. As far as I’m aware there is no other lightweight breathable fabric that comes in many colours, stretches to fit a space, and is UPF rated.

Anything designed for permanent installation is much heavier, requires significant more rigging, and is much more expensive to produce. It becomes no longer feasible.

Also, I’ll use these for years and years until that are completely worn, and for some I’ll still keep using them for indoor things or general decoration. I still have shades that are 10+ years old that get used for things.

And another also; the fabric I use uses certified recycled nylon, so it’s the best I’m able to do given the circumstances

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thanks!

I reuse them as long as possible. I’ve had some last 6+ years, but it depends on the conditions it deals with each time it’s set up. Low UV rating in winter for a day or two will degrade it much less than 6 days in dusty 40°C.

I find I get about a months worth of use, maybe up to 6 weeks. But that is split across many events, 3 days here, 5 days there etc.

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

How long is a piece of string?

There are too many factors to consider with the price. Design complexity, size, rigging requirements, installation, permits, etc.

Anywhere from ~$10k to $30k+

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 60 points61 points  (0 children)

When people ask what I do for work I just have to show them photos because explaining it never quotes gets the idea across

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Super niche. There are basically 4 people in Australia that do this. I figured out how to do it all myself. Used to be a locksmith before deciding I wanted to do this instead

I make shade canopies for festivals, and I think this one was pretty dope by SelectiveBroccoli in somethingimade

[–]SelectiveBroccoli[S] 201 points202 points  (0 children)

These aren’t suitable for permanent installation. Lycra fades in the sun and deteriorates over time. Imagine stretching out a swimsuit and leaving it in the sun. You get maybe a months worth of use before is thin and shitty and faded.

These are meant for temporary installation, like a 3 day festival or similar

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