Pipe and drape
Encyclopedia
Pipe and Drape refers to pipe
(aluminum or steel), fixed or telescopic uprights supported by a steel base, and telescopic or fixed horizontals that provide a ground supported drape system with removable drape panels. Pipe and Drape is used to divide, hide, and/or decorate a space temporarily. It is the least costly way to surround booth space at an exhiibition.
Pipe and drape is used frequently with home staging
, weddings, fashion shows, concerts, interior design
, and in the theatre
and on-set on television programs and movies.
Uprights, as noted, are typically aluminum tubing, fixed or telescopic, with heights from 3’ to 26’. Uprights are supported by steel bases weighing from 6 to 62 lb. The ground support system is enhanced by the addition of sand bags or stage weights added to further counterbalance the height and weight of the drapes hung on the pipe system.
The horizontals can also be fixed or telescopic. Fixed horizontal supports range from 1’ to 10’, whereas a telescopic drape support, also known as a slider, can range from 2’-3’ to 9’-16’.
Horizontal supports are held in place by small metal hooks permanently mounted to each end of the pipe. The hooks are then placed into a slot on the upright and held in place by gravity , thereby making the pipe and drape support system.
In order to create longer, wider walls of pipe and drape, multiple sections of drape and horizontals are lined up by the uprights having multiple slots and the horizontals going in two opposite directions. Thus, sequential sections of pipe and drape panels make up the wall of drape.
Another method of hanging drape is using a theatrical tie-on method. Drape tie methods used may be a standard grommet and tie, where the tie and grommet hole are visible unless a clove hitch is used, and once tied, the drape ties must be rolled to hide the ties from the audience side of the drape.
Blind ties are another drape top finish that allows for drapes to be tied to a pipe without the audience seeing the grommets and ties.
Just like uprights and horizontals, drape panels come in any number of heights, widths, colors, and types of fabric. Drape panels range from an affordable American polyester tradeshow drape known as Banjo to a thick, luxurious Broadway
theatre-style Velour
.
Banjo is the most basic fabric typically used in single fabric widths added together to create fullness. Whereas, higher-quality fabrics are typically single fabric widths sewn together to create larger continuous drape panels that are made to be sleeved on a single horizontal.
The use of Pipe and Drape to temporarily alter the look of a space continues to be a common, practical method.
Pipe (material)
A pipe is a tubular section or hollow cylinder, usually but not necessarily of circular cross-section, used mainly to convey substances which can flow — liquids and gases , slurries, powders, masses of small solids...
(aluminum or steel), fixed or telescopic uprights supported by a steel base, and telescopic or fixed horizontals that provide a ground supported drape system with removable drape panels. Pipe and Drape is used to divide, hide, and/or decorate a space temporarily. It is the least costly way to surround booth space at an exhiibition.
Pipe and drape is used frequently with home staging
Home staging
Home staging is the act of preparing a private residence for sale in the real estate marketplace. The goal of staging is to make a home appealing to the highest number of potential buyers, thereby selling a property more swiftly and for more money...
, weddings, fashion shows, concerts, interior design
Interior design
Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...
, and in the theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and on-set on television programs and movies.
Construction
The simplest and most common method of hanging drape panels is using a pipe pocket where the drape is simply sleeved over the pipe.Uprights, as noted, are typically aluminum tubing, fixed or telescopic, with heights from 3’ to 26’. Uprights are supported by steel bases weighing from 6 to 62 lb. The ground support system is enhanced by the addition of sand bags or stage weights added to further counterbalance the height and weight of the drapes hung on the pipe system.
The horizontals can also be fixed or telescopic. Fixed horizontal supports range from 1’ to 10’, whereas a telescopic drape support, also known as a slider, can range from 2’-3’ to 9’-16’.
Horizontal supports are held in place by small metal hooks permanently mounted to each end of the pipe. The hooks are then placed into a slot on the upright and held in place by gravity , thereby making the pipe and drape support system.
In order to create longer, wider walls of pipe and drape, multiple sections of drape and horizontals are lined up by the uprights having multiple slots and the horizontals going in two opposite directions. Thus, sequential sections of pipe and drape panels make up the wall of drape.
Another method of hanging drape is using a theatrical tie-on method. Drape tie methods used may be a standard grommet and tie, where the tie and grommet hole are visible unless a clove hitch is used, and once tied, the drape ties must be rolled to hide the ties from the audience side of the drape.
Blind ties are another drape top finish that allows for drapes to be tied to a pipe without the audience seeing the grommets and ties.
Just like uprights and horizontals, drape panels come in any number of heights, widths, colors, and types of fabric. Drape panels range from an affordable American polyester tradeshow drape known as Banjo to a thick, luxurious Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
theatre-style Velour
Velour
Velour or velours is a plush, knitted fabric or textile. It is usually made from cotton but can also be made from synthetic materials such as polyester. Velour is used in a wide variety of applications, including clothing and upholstery....
.
Banjo is the most basic fabric typically used in single fabric widths added together to create fullness. Whereas, higher-quality fabrics are typically single fabric widths sewn together to create larger continuous drape panels that are made to be sleeved on a single horizontal.
The use of Pipe and Drape to temporarily alter the look of a space continues to be a common, practical method.