Project Overview

Chas Clarkson specialises in creating magical and memorable experiences that deliver joy and drive community engagement. This unique and imaginative Christmas decoration scheme provided an environment of festiveness at Marrickville Metro Shopping Centre in 2021 as part of an experiential design created exclusively for the centre. The decoration suite reflected the eclectic and ‘arty’ culture of the local area and the strong community values, centred around creativity, community and living a ‘deep green’ lifestyle. Our designs reflected both the architecture of the shopping centre and the local community around it.

Organisation

CHAS CLARKSON

Team

Tim Clarkson - CEO
Andreas Zehntner - Creative Director
Jason Sole - Group Account Director
Amy Levinson - Creative Producer and Experiential Lead
Jeff Reingold - NSW Account Manager
Densan Obst - Project Operations Manager
David Jacobs - Project Manager
Sally Carson - Industrial Designer
Gerard Ryan - Prdocution Director
Adam Graham - Production Manager
Adam Walker - Supply Chain and Technical Lightng Director
Johnnie Marm - Technical Lighting Manager
Stars by Defy Design

Project Brief

The ‘Unmistakably Marrickville’ Christmas Decoration suite was designed with quality and longevity in mind. Rather than be disposed of after a single campaign as is often the case in short-term activations, our designs were built to last for a minimum of five Christmas seasons. The initial investment in the items far outweighs the value of purchasing “single-use & dispose” displays. Safety and quality are at the core of everything we do at Chas Clarkson, with all of our designs certified by a structural engineer where appropriate.
The positive economic effects of our designs were multiple – from the increased revenue at the Santa photography set, to the uptick of retail sales in-centre from increased foot traffic.

Project Innovation/Need

Due to its high degree of community collaboration and focus on sustainability, this project is the first of its kind in the Australian Christmas decoration industry. The project provides an inspiring case study for Chas Clarkson’s environmentally conscious clients hoping to inspire change within the industry.
The hero element of this project was the ‘Unmistakably Marrickville’ Star, designed and created in conjunction with local company Defy Design. Defy Design is an Australian plastic recycling factory specialising in diverting plastic waste from landfill, giving it a new life as a useful product, supporting the circular economy of plastic. The ‘Unmistakably Marrickville’ Star is the first of its kind in the Christmas decoration industry.
The ‘Unmistakably Marrickville’ Star was designed to utilise an existing mold of a sink plug – plugs already in use in Marrickville Metro’s bathrooms – creating the central bolt for layers of coloured stars to be added in different colour combinations. These stars adorned the entire decoration scheme,
making each piece ‘Unmistakably Marrickville’.
The project embodied elements of circular economy by reusing and upcycling elements of Marrickville Metro’s existing Christmas decoration scheme, giving elements such as the Santa throne, Santa fencing and foliage ceiling units a new lease of life. This project will be re-installed at Christmas for at least the next five years, prolonging the lifespan of these units. The new Santa set components are now also modular, meaning they can be configured in different ways upon installation, providing a unique experience for customers each year.

Design Challenge

The brief was to create a Marrickville-centric Christmas decoration scheme for Sydney’s recently expanded Marrickville Metro Shopping Centre, to encompass the existing centre and the newly developed retail & leisure precinct.
The new decoration suite needed to reflect the eclectic, diverse and ‘arty’ culture of the area, and the strong community values centred around creativity, community and living a ‘deep green’ lifestyle – all while celebrating the joy of Christmas.
A sustainable and socially conscious design was required. The integration of recycled and upcycled materials and found objects was key, as was providing collaboration opportunities for local artists, makers and suppliers.

Sustainability

The underpinning ethos of this project was to create a Christmas decoration suite which reflected the environmentally conscious values of Marrickville Metro and its wider community of visitors, whilst also reflecting the ‘arty’ culture of the area and complementing the industrial architecture of the new retail development.
The project embodied elements of circular economy, prolonging product lifespan and utilising recycled materials. By reusing and upcycling elements of Marrickville Metro’s existing Christmas decorations scheme, giving elements such as the Santa throne, Santa fencing and foliage ceiling units a new lease of life, the project truly had strategies of circular economy at its core. This project will be re-installed at Christmas for at least the next five years, prolonging the lifespan of the products.
Any new decorations which were created for this project were sourced from the local area, dressing items from Reverse Garbage and unwanted bikes donated locally.
All elements of this project were assembled locally, in Botany and Alexandria, minimising transportation.
This project is the first of its kind in the Christmas decoration industry.
The methods used to create new materials from old were at the forefront of current thinking and a great deal of creativity was required to turn usually normal or mundane items into bright and beautiful display pieces.
We hope our approach to design provides a case study to inspire change for a more sustainable future within the industry.