Coastella Junk Monster Music Making

Council’s Sustainable Communities team was at Coastella again this year supporting the event’s Zero Waste kaupapa in a slightly indirect, but highly interactive way. After last year's extremely popular Kokedama making workshop, this year we challenged ourselves to run a Zero Waste musical instrument making workshop. The materials used were all recycled and nearly all compostable– mostly cardboard sourced from local business's recycling, also tin cans from the recycle centre at the waste station and some wooden beads + pencils for a local op shop. The workshop offered stations for making various musical instruments from shakers to bongo boxes, various types of rattles and drums.  Situated in the Havana kid’s zone under Council’s marquee it became extremely popular spot during the mid-afternoon downpour. Thankfully the skies cleared in time for the junk monsters parade. As the weirdly wonderful giant junk creatures emerged so did a tribe of junk instrument wielding followers - bringing even more magic to a spectacular moment of dance and music making.

Afterwards, Coastella organiser Gerry Paul, thanked Council for bringing such a great fun and innovative workshop to Coastella this year.

‘I’ve talked to several friends whose kids took part and they had a ball and it was such an addition to the festival!’ said Gerry. ‘It also ties in with our whole waste management and promotion of recycling and so good to show children what can be done with the discarded materials that they were working with.’

Thanks also to all the volunteers who helped on the day, in particular: Mark Amery, Hannah Zwartz, Kirsty Anderson, Linda, Sam and Frankie McLaughlan. Also, thanks to Lighting Direct, Bed Bath and Beyond, Stationary Warehouse and Shoe Warehouse for the materials contributions.