Lewes Bonfire Tableaux
A spectacular, annual, community event with a worldwide reputation and visited by up to 70,000 people yearly.
Bonfire is a town-wide production by seven resident Societies. Huge tableaux are processed through the streets, flanked by society members, costumed and holding burning torches aloft.
I was design and team lead (Captain of Tab) for Waterloo Bonfire Society’s street tableau for 5 years.
I led a team of around 20. Typically the tabs depict current political figures and situations. During my time as Captain, we created: Alex Salmond, losing the Scottish Independence vote; David Cameron and the pig’s head; Donald Trump just before his rise to power; Trump and Kim Jung Il in cahoots and Boris Johnson with the head of Theresa May. There is only ever a tiny budget for the tab build (just covering material costs) and typically calls for many, many hours of volunteered time.
Ideas for the tab each year were generated over a pint or two with key members of the team, with the design drawn up and finalised by me. The tabs were made of willow and wet-strength tissue paper, covered in newsprint and painted. I did the majority of the initial (willow) build with the team papering behind me. They were always carried out in secret, to a very exacting deadline.
Click the buttons to read their stories and see making of pictures.