Disco Cuttlefish

Lore & Background

Stobie the Disco Cuttlefish was the mascot of the 2014 Adelaide Fringe in South Australia. Its design was inspired by the Australian giant cuttlefish (Sepia apama). The idea was first announced with the release of the event program in November 2013. Adelaide Fringe director Greg Clarke claimed responsibility for suggesting the adoption of a giant Australian cuttlefish as a festival mascot, stating the team 'wanted to create a creature unique to South Australia and were inspired by the uniqueness and beauty of the giant cuttlefish that inhabits the gulf waters of South Australia.'

The float was 13 metres long and mechanised, featuring blinking eyes, waving tentacles, and an elaborate sound, light, and dance show. It made appearances each Saturday night during the festival, accompanied by a professional dance troupe that performed a set routine. This was followed by an original dance called 'The Cuttlefish' during which crowd participation was invited. Stobie also played a pre-recorded soundtrack of disco hits including a megamix of 'Stayin' Alive', 'Billie Jean', 'You Should Be Dancing', and 'Le Freak'. The opening set routine was performed to the theme-song from the 1980 dance movie, Fame.

The concept was realised by a team of South Australian artists and technicians: original drawing by Slade Smith; creation and construction by Steve Hayter and Martin Murray; lighting design by Geoff Cobham and Chris Petridis; music composition and compilation by Harry Covill; choreography by Larissa McGowan; performers Lisa Lonero, Andrew Haycroft, Penelope Shum, Chris Mifsud, Kialea Nadine-Williams, and Jaeger Man. A ute provided the scaffold around which the cuttlefish was constructed, with sound and lighting systems placed in the tray. The finished cuttlefish changed colour, featured blinking eyes, and emitted smoke as a proxy for ink.

Reader's Guide

The Disco Cuttlefish attracted criticism for using the image of the cuttlefish without referring to the decline of the Northern Spencer Gulf population of the giant cuttlefish in South Australia. The decline has been described as 'catastrophic' by conservationists, as their population dropped from over 170,000 in the late 1990s to 13,500 in 2013. Scientists believe the Whyalla aggregation may represent a separate and new species, and this population collapse, if continued, may lead to extinction as soon as 2016. The festival organisers responded by acknowledging awareness of the decline via Twitter and Facebook. A Twitter announcement on 17 February read: '@SaveCuttlefish Adelaide Fringe as an organisation is aware of the Giant Cuttlefish plight and we hope that by highlighting Stobie the Giant Cuttlefish in this way, we will make more people aware of the issues these creatures are facing...' The Fringe also added a footer to the Disco Cuttlefish event page on their website, linking to additional information from the Conservation Council of South Australia. The controversy highlights the tension between using a species as a celebratory symbol and the conservation concerns surrounding that species.

Did You Know?

• Stobie was 13 metres long and built on a ute scaffold.
• The opening routine was performed to the theme from the 1980 dance movie Fame.
• The population of the giant cuttlefish in Northern Spencer Gulf dropped from over 170,000 to 13,500 by 2013.