{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1544537"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1544537/"}},"images":null,"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1544537","accessionNumber":"S.47-2025","objectType":"Steel drum bin","titles":[],"summaryDescription":"This highly decorative bin is an example of the 12,000 bins painted for each of the Glastonbury Festivals. This particular bin was painted especially for the V&A in 2014 to mark the launch of the Glastonbury Festival Archive (THM/399) at the V&A. It features an image of the Festival's creator Michael Eavis within a landscape of some of Glastonbury's fields and the iconic Glastonbury Tor. The bin decoration has been brought up to date with the addition of a Glastonbury Festival 2025 line-up poster. The hand-painted bin includes the Pyramid and the Park stages reflecting the development of the Festival site and is an excellent example of the distinctive Worthy Farm aesthetic and unique infrastructure created by the Glastonbury community each year.\r\n \r\nThe idea of using steel drums was conceived by Michael Eavis and bin-painting has been part of Glastonbury’s preparations since the mid-1980s. Each year the Festival's collection of steel barrels is re-used; the bins are sent to on-site illustrators for the final painted design and then loaded onto a tractor-trailer and spread across the fields in the weeks before the public arrive. They - alongside benches and banners contribute to the eclectic aesthetic of the Festival which has developed as a result of the different musical styles, cultures and converging activities. This is just one way that Glastonbury has influenced and defined festivals as centres for shared creativity and making.\r\n \r\nThe bins are essential to the temporary utopia that a festival aims to create often depicting flowers, natural scenes, and musical portraits. Glastonbury has led the charge in reducing the environmental impact of festivals. With the goal of leaving the land as it was found, other festivals have followed Glastonbury's lead when it has come to encouraging low carbon travel, banning the sale of single-use plastic bottles and installing eco-friendly waste management systems for recyclable and refuse material. These steel drum bins are themselves recycled and repainted as a part of Glastonbury's stainable and visual identity.\r\n","physicalDescription":"This highly decorative hand-painted steel barrel features a portrait of Glastonbury Festival creator Michael Eavis within a landscape of the Festival's fields, stages and installations. A Glastonbury Festival poster, showing the 2025 line-up, is also pasted on. The colourful illustrations include representations of the Pyramid and the Park stages reflecting the development of the festival site since it was founded in 1970. Steel barrels like this are used as waste bins at the festival each year. \r\n \r\n","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Glastonbury Festival bin painters","id":"AUTH408286"},"association":{"text":"Artists","id":"AAT25103"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"","id":""}],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"Steel, Acrylic, Vinyl Silk Emulsion, Paper, Ink, Wheat Starch Paste, Methyl Cellulose","categories":[{"text":"Entertainment and leisure","id":"THES48959"},{"text":"Festival","id":"THES274365"},{"text":"Music","id":"THES253065"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&P","id":"THES48602"},"images":[],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"002","id":"THES343819"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"bin","id":"x44010"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Somerset","id":"x29443"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":"Worthy Farm, Pilton"}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"2014","earliest":"2014-01-01","latest":"2014-12-31"},"association":{"text":"Painted","id":"x39976"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Glastonbury Festival ","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"87.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":"approx. "},{"dimension":"Width","value":"58.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"58.4","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"This bin was specially created by Glastonbury Festival in 2014 to mark the announcement of the creation of a Glastonbury Archive at the V&A. It was then used as a display prop (NCOL.614-2020) for the 2016 ‘Glastonbury: Land and Legend’ display in the Theatre and Performance Galleries. ","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Glastonbury Festival Bin, 2014","bibliographicReferences":[],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[{"text":"Somerset","id":"x29443"}],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Michael Eavis","id":"AUTH360495"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[{"text":"Glastonbury Festival","id":"AUTH340370"}],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["S.47-2025"],"accessionNumberNum":"47","accessionNumberPrefix":"S","accessionYear":2025,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-04-24","recordCreationDate":"2020-10-21","availableToBook":false}}