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Tent City - Assembling the TentTent master, Torsten Malmströmis the man in charge of masts, anchors and storm poles. The one time circus artist rules over 60 busy workers. 120 hands must unpack and assembly the tent within 6 hours. The disassembly of the "Chapiteau", on the other hand, is accomplished in half the time. Torsten Malmström must set up and take down the performance tent, approximately 30 times during a season, much to the delight of the 5.000 spectators who attend each performance. The placement of the mast begin some days prior to each appearance. The tent master and operating supervisor survey the area and develop a schematic diagram of the gigantic "rolling city". The detailed plan leaves nothing to chance.
Continuing at a rapid pace: Assembling the tarpaulins, raising of the giant roof, affixing the interior walls, storm and circular form poles. Iron anchors are expertly placed. Simultaneously, the stalls are constructed and all vehicles are placed into position.  Afterwards, the assembly of the gradin (seating construction, as in known in the trade. In only 90 minutes, 5,000 seats are efficiently and securely installed. As the gradin is being constructed, the electricians are laying over 10 km of cable for the 140 interior floodlights.
Now, the manège must be filled with enormous quantities of sand. The floor of the manège must be light and resilient to minimize injury to animals and artists. |
