Our largest installation of the year, the world's largest annually installed tension structure of its kind, is about to begin. The grand adventure of building the artistic shade fabric arrays at Pickathon started in 2005. It has definitely seen quite a few changes.
Holding true to the intention of bringing musicians and fans together, the homegrown humble beginnings have evolved into an epic production. We find it's good to reflect on the past, while looking into the future. Let us share our Pickathon history with you.
2005
Our first installation for PICKATHON was in 2005. If you time travel to Pickathon in 2014, it's fair to say we have learned a lot through the years.
2006
The form of the iconic PICKATHON main stage started to take shape... what was to happen in the years to come is a design evolution.
2007
The stage and crowds began to grow. The event was changing into something big.
It was also clear the attendees of Pickathon loved and wanted more shade and we were glad to provide!
The provision of elegant shade improved the experience of attendees. It allowed them to stay longer to enjoy the event without overheating, thus increasing attendance and participation. The evidence is clear as you move forward with us in time.
As we grew the main stage canopy, reaching towards the tree line, we also began enhancing the backstage areas for artists and staff. The overall production was growing, this images truly shows a hint of things to come.
Larger panels were added above the crowd and over the stage, allowing for two large stages side by side. By adding a larger second main stage, the artist lineup was able to double.
In 2006 a wheel was set in motion which has carried forward. Here you will notice the overall geometry in the sky started to become bolder and more precise, while simultaneously remain organically fluid.
The main array continued to grow, with improved rain coverage for both main stages, as well as increased shade for the audience.
Here we see the playful kids area during the day, as night falls... lights transform this space into a cool bar area thus providing more entertainment to the ever-growing crowd of excited music fans that come to Pickathon year after year.
We created a design evolution to the canopy above the audience at the main stage. This dramatic shift came about as a way of improving the installation process, improving long term sustainability and offering the growth that we helped establish.
While we did not see major changes in the fabric infrastructure at the main stage between 2013 and 2014, we presented multiple shade structure improvements all around the property to improve the experience of the audience, the artists, and the staff.
2015
This year we are increasing the coverage of the main array to extend out to the vendor area. We are also exploring other variables and improvements throughout the property. We hope you have your tickets because it's already sold out. We highly encourage you to get tickets early, this spectacular event sells out quickly every year.
If you love our work, if you love working hard, if you love being outdoors, and you love music and want to attend... sign up to volunteer and request to be a part of Sky Crew. We select a few to join us on the field and in the sky to bring this sea of fabric to life.
Special thanks to:
Pendarvis Farm, the entire Pickathon staff, loyal patrons, new attendees, sponsors, vendors, volunteers, and of course everyone at GuildWorks that has dedicated so much energy to bringing a humble vision in 2005 to what will undoubtedly be another magnificent presentation in 2015. It's amazing what can be accomplished in 10 years.