International Women’s Day

The Intern’s Cut

I think it’s pretty safe to say NEWSUBSTANCE is not your average internship experience - and this, I mean in the best way possible. Although an unconventional year to be thrown into industry, my time here has been nothing short of action-packed from the word ‘Go’ - a testament only to the proactive, daring (and at times, suitably bonkers) spirit of the NEWSUBSTANCE team.

Designing with a Conscience

That Was The Year That Was

This is not the end of year review we anticipated we would be capturing when we started 2020 with a Guinness World Record for PyroDrones™, our award-winning temporary structure Spectra all set to enjoy its third year at Coachella and a raft of exciting new projects poised to go live.

Instagram: Inspiration on Demand

Instagram can be many different things; a personal record of memories, a place to find memes, an online business, and - one of my personal favourites - an ideas board. For so many of us, Instagram is a platform to save ideas, thoughts and references - all kinds of visual inspiration that we may wish to refer back to in the future.

From Interning to Entering

Working life over the last few months has encountered major transitions; from offices to home desks, creative sessions to zoom calls, clusters of colleagues to self-isolation…<br /> <br /> For me, this period has involved yet another monumental shift, one that has seen me move from studying as an undergraduate of Film, Photography and Media BA Hons, to entering into the Creative Industries’ workforce at NEWSUBSTANCE.

The value of the Maquette

In my earlier blog post “The art of creative engineering” I talked about the first stages of any project, where we begin to deconstruct creative concepts into their layers or core elements and begin to add structure, limits and material response. Following an initial phase of detailed conceptual sketching and 3D modelling, perhaps the most important phase in achieving an exacting creative response is the production of maquettes, samples and proof of principles.

An insight into Health & Safety

As a certified Technical member of IOSH (Institute of Occupational Health & Safety) and a keen advocate of Health & Safety, I am the person that ensures our wonderful creative works are delivered and installed in a legal, safe and practical way. This often encompasses many varied parts of the Health & Safety regulations from risk assessing and analysis, MEWPs, worker welfare through to rigging inspections. I spend at least an hour each day reading the latest Health & Safety updates and news from the various bodies like IOSH, NEBOSH and the HSE. This keeps us at the leading edge of the latest legislation.

The art of creative engineering

STEM – Science, technology, engineering and maths played a huge role in my education. However this collective of subjects always missed the vital and historically important interplay between art and engineering that we use every day to deliver our projects across the world.

First impressions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

According to the Collins Dictionary, ‘Wanderlust’ is an ‘urge to travel’. I think it’s fair to say that most of the NEWSUBSTANCE team have an urge to travel, which is a good thing really as most of our projects are outside of the UK!

Imagined, Designed and Built in Leeds, UK – returning to California, USA

Wind back to this time in 2018. Can you remember where you were and what you were doing? Our team remember January 2018 vividly. They were very busy putting the finishing touches to our immersive installation Spectra, before its maiden voyage to California.

Sharing our experience and learning from others

Public Speaking. Not everyone's cup of tea, but we love sharing our experiences and discovering new things.

NEWSUBSTANCE’s multi-award-winning installation Spectra, picks up three more accolades

NEWSUBSTANCE announce involvement in Through The Echoes

NEWSUBSTANCE produce Fearless Jockey statue for Paddy Power

NEWSUBSTANCE’s Spectra installation nominated for ‘Light Art Project of the Year’ award at the 2019 Lighting Design Awards

NEWSUBSTANCE wins Gold at the International Design Awards 2018

NEWSUBSTANCE wins Gold at the International Design Awards 2018

NEWSUBSTANCE wins at the 2018 AN Best of Design Awards

NEWSUBSTANCE launch exciting new performance drone joint venture.

NEWSUBSTANCE selected for Creative England’s CE50 2018

Road to Coachella – Blood, Sweat & Spectral Tears…

Working in the UAE

Festival Structures

Analogue v Digital

Working with the CAA

Breaking a World Record

Fast forward to 2014 and we receive a call from Josie Da Bank at Bestival music festival. As calls go it was one of the stranger but yet music to my ears. “We need to make the world’s largest disco ball. Can you help us break the world record?” Yes! Finally and most unexpectedly, a shot at a world record. And not any world record – a shiny, disco-tastic world record.