Banners, Banners...

Miscellaneous topics on Carnatic music
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arasi
Posts: 16877
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Banners, Banners...

Post by arasi »

Know which kind I'm thinking of?

Of all the sabhas which rent a hall to conduct their programs...The past week, I must have seen dozens of them, watching YouTube segments. Of late, they bother me--those plastic flowers-looking (icky) banners.

These banners were okay when they first appeared, and they are practical, of course. Thicker material, simple in design, clear print. Of late, I see cheaper material which sport odd combinations of colors...they show folds, creases, some even look shaggy...I suspect they are from the same company which decks the halls with plastic flower stalks, all in colors which are way out of the spectrum of the flowers they represent, stuck on to backdrops and other niches in the hall which don't need them :(

Surely, a well-made banner in durable plastic can weather a few hundred trips to halls without showing any sign of wear! It's after all a durable material, plastic.

Therefore, I request organizers (especially those who sell tickets for their events--the money from the cash box can be well-spent on a banner of quality and of no clutter and not too many colors).

Hope a few others join me in my request...:)

Rsachi
Posts: 5039
Joined: 31 Aug 2009, 13:54

Re: Banners, Banners...

Post by Rsachi »

Arasi, an old topic and a pet peeve for me. Banners and decorations in Carnatic concerts are rarely done in good taste. Materials, colours, font sizes, placements, and plastic flowers (ugh).

arasi
Posts: 16877
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Banners, Banners...

Post by arasi »

The Academy and KGS are the exceptions I can think of. Then again, they don't have to carry a banner in an auto or a two wheeler.

Yet, having attended concerts in Chennai and Bengaluru many times, I can say without doubt that Bengaluru is far better in stage decor.

ramamantra
Posts: 281
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 10:32

Re: Banners, Banners...

Post by ramamantra »

After reading this, a Sabha sec will only hum this song:

Varavu ettana selavu patthana
Adigam rendanna baakki tundana tundana tundana...

thanjavooran
Posts: 3058
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 04:44

Re: Banners, Banners...

Post by thanjavooran »

This can be given to some caterers or other companies who will definitely make it beautiful with their product/ brands occupying sizable space and also will give a nice appearance. Sabhas can think on this line too.
Thanjavooran
30 05 2015

Nick H
Posts: 9473
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 02:03

Re: Banners, Banners...

Post by Nick H »

Plastic is not necessarily durable at all (except in the ultimate, ecological sense, when we want it to go away and it wont, perhaps). It scuffs, marks, cracks, fades and general wears out a few thousand years before it biodegrades.

As to the advertising content... Back in December, I told a doctor friend in the audience that I was very glad he was there, as the Insurance company's big, red banner: You Cannot Afford Another Heart Attack was very likely to give me one.

Naada Inbam has a small, neat. velvet banner. It carries the date, in polystyrene numbers (very useful for photos), but they regularly fall off. Watching Sekar walk out, behind the artists, to refix them is as much part of the charm of the place as watching the bats and moths at Indira Nagar Youth hostel or the cats at Thyagaraja Sangeet Vidwat Samajam

arasi
Posts: 16877
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Banners, Banners...

Post by arasi »

Nick,
Naada Inbam banner didn't come into the picture at all! When it does come in 'pictures', the background to any event looks simple and nice.

When I said plastic, I meant man-made material which is durable and is of the non-crinkle thicker kind. As you know, some visiting cards are non-perishable :)

Thanjavooran,
I had a smaller banner in mind. The problem with sponsor-made banners is: they are big--for announcing the sponsors with pictures of their products as well. The worst are the ones with faces of models which look as if they too are occupying the stage :(

VK RAMAN
Posts: 5009
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:29

Re: Banners, Banners...

Post by VK RAMAN »

Some banners are meant to promote products for the sponsors. Now a days Projectors are used giving the picture of the artists and their group. Any banner that does not distract the audience attention should be used.

Nick H
Posts: 9473
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 02:03

Re: Banners, Banners...

Post by Nick H »

arasi wrote:Nick,
Naada Inbam banner didn't come into the picture at all! When it does come in 'pictures', the background to any event looks simple and nice.
Yes, I mean it as a pointer to the right kind of banner :lol:
The worst are the ones with faces of models which look as if they too are occupying the stage :(
One one side of the stage was a sari-clad beauty, on the other, the reminder that I could not afford a heart attack! :o :shock: :?

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Re: Banners, Banners...

Post by rshankar »

Arasi, perhaps you should rename the thread 'Ban Bad Banners'? :)

arasi
Posts: 16877
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Banners, Banners...

Post by arasi »

Ravi,

Banner, a banner I'll then become--
Now, what manner of being is that?

A certain manner of background
For a concert is all I want, simple--

Not to distract, not to offend--
Something simply stated, that's all :)

Always_Evolving
Posts: 216
Joined: 16 Oct 2007, 08:33

Re: Banners, Banners...

Post by Always_Evolving »

While I too am affected by the aesthetic shortcomings and garishness of banners, a big source of pain for me at all functions and concerts these days is the amount of toxic PVC that is generated. One-off events especially, where it seems mandatory for the backdrop to proclaim the event name and date for all photo and video documentation (so it registers firmly in the two seconds that our eyes scan The Hindu and kutcheribuzz ). After one-time use, straight to the landfill for the next few hundred years is the best case scenario; in reality landfill fires generate dioxins and PVCs outgas toxins before, during and after use. I see a need for banning these things simply for environmental and health reasons.

Bracing myself to hear the inevitable qn. 'what is the alternative'?!

arasi
Posts: 16877
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Banners, Banners...

Post by arasi »

How very true, Always_Evolving!
Also, those who were honored with their faces on the banner, heading to the dump the next day :(

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