Disco Cuttlefish

Adelaide Fringe director Greg Clarke claimed responsibility for suggesting the adoption of a giant Australian cuttlefish as a festival mascot. The idea was first announced with the release of the event program in November 2013. The concept was realised by a team of South Australian artists and technicians accredited as follows: • Original drawing – Slade Smith • Creation and construction – Steve Hayter and Martin Murray • Lighting design – Geoff Cobham and Chris Petridis • Music composition and compilation- Harry Covill • Choreography – Larissa McGowan • Performers- Lisa Lonero, Andrew Haycroft, Penelope Shum, Chris Mifsud, Kialea Nadine-Williams, Jaeger Man A ute provided the scaffold around which the cuttlefish was constructed. Sound and lighting systems were placed in the tray of the vehicle. The finished cuttlefish changed colour, featured blinking eyes and emitted smoke as a proxy for ink. == Sponsorship ==

The Disco Cuttlefish was sponsored by SA Power Networks. Adelaide Fringe's 2014 Principal Partner was BankSA, and its government partners were ArtsSA, the South Australian Tourism Commission and the Adelaide City Council. == Controversy ==

The Adelaide Fringe 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. as their population has dropped from over 170,000 in the late 1990s to 13,500 in 2013. Scientists believe the Whyalla aggregation of Giant Australian cuttlefish may represent a separate and new species, and this population collapse, if continued, may lead to extinction as soon as 2016. 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. == References ==