Temporary festival decorations are nothing new
Many people probably consider temporary festival decorations to be a modern invention. However, the Romans, one of the most influential civilisations in Europe, were making paper decorations two millennia ago. Their disposable painted ornaments were popular at large social (17) ________ for the chance they offered the organisers to display their wealth and (18) ________. At a recent museum exhibition designed to show the (19) ________ of event-related waste, one of the Roman ornaments was displayed alongside modern festival decorations. The (20) ________ of the ancient object among the more recent displays was deliberately thought-provoking. The designers' aim was to make organisers consider their (21) ________ with materials, and to think creatively about reducing the amount they discard. They hoped that this would prove more (22) ________ than making people feel guilty. As one designer points out, for festivals, creating waste is simply (23) ________. The short life of banners, lights and other temporary objects means that waste is often an inevitable result of their (24) ________ at large public festivals.