Sustainability at Global Grooves

Junk Jam

Junk Jam made inventive use of recycled and reclaimed materials to proudly demonstrate the possibilities for sustainable creations in community Carnival arts

Oldham Illuminate / Northern Roots

We adapted visual production elements for this site specific commission to run off batteries instead of diesel generators – lasers and haze machines cleanly and cheaply operated leaving a vastly reduced impact on the surroundings we perform in. 

The Vale

As well as creating new ways to make our gigs more sustainable we take pride in making our own surroundings more sustainable too. We have innovated on water heating efficiency, reducing our yearly footprint by 1,061kg CO2e, by using intelligent control, monitoring and feedback web apps custom designed in house by Global Grooves staff. This encompasses our office use, fabrication and dying workshops and so maximises reduction in every aspect of our environmental impact at The Vale. More detail can be found here.

Our visual artists design and build with sustainability in mind at all times, repurposing materials such as towels, saris, walking poles, ski poles, packaging foam, inner tubes, and more. Our sustainable goals when making new commissions:

– Meticulously recycle, retain and use pallets, metal and timber off-cuts

– Organise our stock to avoid excess purchasing

– Source from local suppliers

– Repair before re-buy

– Use of environmentally kind materials such as worbla, a much more sustainable fibreglass alternative

– Maintain our creations to ensure life spans measured in decades rather than months

Our costume stock has to be extensive enough to meet all demands and we make and maintain much of it from scratch, using almost exclusively natural fibers that are used time and again in our performances. 

Global Grooves works with creative partners, sharing expertise and practise to extend our impact on building a sustainable world. Some of our best pals:

Cabasa

Cabasa created The Living Dress – a 5m tall art installation representing Mother Earth, made using natural fibres, ancient dying techniques and other climate-kind processes to showcase the possibilities of working with nature in the clothes we wear. Cabasa continue to research new ways of working to reduce water and energy consumption, implementing a sustainable approach to the art they create.

Trans-Mutation

“Audiences appreciate the transformation of humble and everyday materials – it gives them a way in to be interested in the work, and a sense that it isn’t something precious and special but something from and of their everyday experiences, albeit mutated into some fantastic and imaginary forms.”

Emmaus

Emmaus are a homeless charity who support through housing, work and companionship. Much of the opportunities given to homeless people are through the Emmaus superstore, a social enterprise that also runs events such as ‘Thread Revolution’ – a fashion show using exclusively preloved and upcycled clothing. Global Grooves is proud to support and collaborate with Emmaus on various events.