Category: Uncategorised

19th – 23rd January 2026

This week I started my new placement at splinter scenery, this was a scenic painting job on theatre sets, which I got informed about by cordi as she said if I like festival stuff I should try theatre as well as I would like it. I had my interview the week before I it went really well, and the girls seemed really nice who I would be working with. My first week was abit crazy as they were mid way through getting a show out so it was hectic and I didn’t really know what I should be doing, but it was still good, I just had to throw myself into the work. I did struggle with the other department thought, the carpenters, as they just didn’t really want anything to do with me, I would say hi and get nothing back which I’ve been told before this industry can sometimes be like that, so that put a downer on my week, however I think I was also just naked as I hadn’t worked Monday – Friday 9-6 in a while, I’m used to working in the evenings so it was just a big shock to my system and with the travel. After my first week I wanted to quit but I think I was just exhausted and the situation with the lads made me feel pretty rubbish. 

29th December – 1st January 2026

Everything was running perfect last week and this week I was quite stressed, as it’s all on me what’s happening. The heater place shut early for Christmas without saying, the marquee we had got one of the legs was broken and one of my friends let me down the day before helping to decorate! So I wasent very happy. However it just meant I had to start earlier and get it done, with 2 of my friends help it looked amazing. I couldn’t have asked for it to look better and I appreciated my friends that did turn up so much. Sometimes it’s scary your friends working for you because you want it to be perfect, but we had a briefing in the morning and I had done som demos so they had a really clear idea of how I wanted it. 

I ended up contacting so many people and finally find a friend who had 2 spare heaters so we used them, and we had to make a make shift led for the tent, so everything was working good!

The event lasted 7pm-2pm and it was such a good night, the place was packed everyone dancing it was honestly such a good night, and the pub took the most money in the brewery’s region which I couldn’t be happier with it. Everyone love the decorations and said they didn’t feel like they were in a pub which is exactly what I was aiming for. There were many things I could have done better but I know for next time when we have another event in April! 

22nd – 28th December 2025

This week, I had a project of organising an event for nye. The loctatipn was an old drinkers pub, but we wanted to create it a space for Younger people to come to. I had already worked here before in summer having an event but it wasent planned as well, meaning I learnt a lot and knew how to plan it better this time. I had been given a budget for decor, music, staff and rentals. My plan was to host it outside and create a space which didn’t feel like you were in a little pub in a village. I first had to get a liscense in so that we wouldn’t get shut down for music after a certain time, which was pretty easy to do. I got some friends to help me with the decorating sides, and had been in contact with heater rentals and marquee company as well. It was advertised all over social media with the djs also sharing the event so it was looking like it was gonna be a busy night. 

3rd -4th December 2025

This week I got asked if I wanted to do a fiberglass workshop at decordia. I had never really heared of fibreglass so I was really looking forward to be working with it. It was a really good skill to learn, and it was really nice to do it with about her person. After making our fibreglass docks cordi showed me how to paint it to look more like a rock using different senic techniques which was really interesting. We also experimented with resin and dies creating different colours which was cool to do to. At the end of this, cordi to speak to me private where she then offered me a job for summer, working festival and being paid for it which is amazing. She always gave me feedback back which is really useful for me.

17th – 21st November 2025

This week was really full on, we were working long days and finishing late, but it was good to get straight in to it 

We were working between the ice bar and the warm bar, 

The ice bar was really exciting to be working in as the ice was being put in and built while we were working which was really interesting to see. However it was -12° so it was very difficult to work in, we just had to keep having breaks outside to warm up and kept having warm drinks.

But it was really fun doing the dressings on The inside of the bar, I really enjoyed how we were working, as we got a briefing at the start of the day, had a look at the drawings and plans and then were left to it. This made me feel really good as it showed she trusted my eye on working on her designs. 

The warm bar was pretty hectic as there were many people working on it to, having lighting designers, electricians, carpet fitters, carpenters, and then people getting trained on the bar. It was a lot! And is trying to make everywhere look beautiful was really hard, especially when there wasn’t anyone in charge of what was going on so my boss ended up organising it, which isn’t her job, but purely just so we could get what we needed done. It was very interesting meeting new people but I also saw how people kept them selves to themselves and wouldn’t help if you asked which to me is very strange, but apparently that’s what it can be like in “this industry”. However I never want to be like that, and my boss just kept saying to me, kill time with kindness 

Throughout this week everyone working for decordia would go for drinks and explore Edinburgh which I really enjoyed, it made me feel like these weren’t just colleges they are now my friends. They almost took me under the were wing, telling how the industry is, and what to look out for, also giving me loads of other contacts for new placements to which I found very kind. It was honestly one of the best weeks, I meant some really cool people and couldn’t believe what I was doing was someone’s jobs 

12th – 16th November 2025

My first week at decordia I was working on the workshop to prep for our trip to Edinburgh to create the polar ice bar. This was really nice as it allowed me to get to know the team and work with them before jumping straight in to working in a larger environment. 

As we drove up to Edinburgh it was really nice to get to know jimmy, the carpenter and Phoebe, a scenic painter. As I don’t really know what I want to do after uni it was so nice to speak to people in the industry and learn more from them, and because there in the festival and event industry they are also interested in the same sort of stuff as me. It was just very refreshing speaking to like minded people like myself who just love doing the same stuff as yourself. 

I was so excited to be going to Edinburgh to work and just get a feel of what it’s like “behind the scenes” Even just excited to be working away. 

Week 4

3rd – 7th November 2025

This week, I’ve finally had a meeting with the director to present the work I’ve been developing.  The meeting went extremely well, he really like my ideas, which was incredibly rewarding to hear. It feels like a big step forward, as we can now move on to finalising the plans and begin reaching out to suppliers and companies, which is exciting.  

As I’ve mentioned before, I think it’s so important to keep the heritage intact when designing, especially when working with a building that has such rich history. To help with this, I decided to take a day trip to Buxton, a town not far from Whaley Bridge, well known for its beautifully preserved historical architecture. This visit was so valuable, as I was able to see many examples of historical buildings that had been sensitively modified in a classy and respectful way, without losing touch with their original character. 

The phots here have a really similar layout to what we are working with, the rounded window, the entrance, and the lobby.

week 3

27th – 31st October 2025

This week had been really interesting as I’ve been focusing on researching how we can achieve a stylish design throughout both flats, while staying within the budget. One of the main challenges is that the flats spans the ground floor and the basement, where the two bedrooms will be located. The biggest issue here is getting enough natural light into the basement rooms. 

We initially considered raising the floor level, but that would be too expensive, and since the building is listed, there are strict limits on how much we can alter the existing structure. Another idea I explored was creating light boxes so part of the flat is on different levels, but I’m not too keen on this approach as it can sometimes look bulky or unattractive. 

While researching, I noticed that the two flats above the shop, which were renovated in the early 2000s, use glass blocks as dividers. They allow natural light to pass through while maintaining privacy, and I really like that design element. I think it would be great to carry this idea through to the new flats to create a consistent style across the building. My idea is to use glass blocks in the flooring so that light from the ground floor can filter down into the basement. It’s a much cheaper and more practical way to increase natural light, and with well-placed artificial l lighting, the space could still feel bright and welcoming. 

I’m excited to pitch this concept next week and discuss other potential design ideas with the team. 

Photos relevant to my concept – taken from Pinterest

24th October 2025

On Friday, I had the opportunity to work at Warehouse Project, which has always been a dream of mine, and it was an incredible experience. Although it wasn’t directly related to design, I’ve always anted to move into festival and event design, so being part of WHP felt like a really good opportunity. I think its really important for designers in this field to understand how an event operates in real life, and this placement gave me that insight.

I worked alongside the operations manager for the night, which allowed me to see what happens before, during, and after a show. I hadn’t realise just how much planning and coordination goes into each event. Before opening, we checked everything from toilets and food van to security, merch and welfare. We then had a meeting with department heads to discuss what to expect from the nights audience, for example, the demographic, likely behaviour, and welfare considerations. Once door opened, things ran smoothly until last entry, when queues causes some tension with local police, which was eye opening to witness. 

Overall, it was an amazing experience that helped me understand the scale of preparation and teamwork required to run a large event. Its definitely inspired me to even more to pursue event and festival design in the future. 

Confidence Man, WHP Friday 24th October 2025

week 2

20th – 24th October

My second week at Biaggi was really positive. I now have a clear understanding of what needs to be done, and enjoying being trusted to work independently. The work I’m producing feels like a project of my own, and I’ve been approaching it in the same structed way I would for a university project.

The colleagues I’m working with have been very happy with my process, as they can see each stage of the design clearly. This has made it easier for them to suggest changes and give feedback as they regularly see my progress.

One major hurdle this week has been getting back into using AutoCAD, as I hadn’t used it for a couple months. At university, I can usually ask classmates or tutors for help, but here I’m the only person who knows the software, so I’ve had to work everything out on my own. Although it was challenging at first, its actually made me much more confident and proud of my work. I’ve realised that I can’t just rely on others for guidance, I need to problem solve independently. This experience has allowed me to understand the software on a much deeper level. I now understand why I need to take the certain steps rather than just following instructions because a tutor told me to. 

AutoCAD drawings and catching up with the director about the design process.

As well as working at Biaggi, I also had two interviews this week for potential placements, both of which went really well. One of the roles was offered to me, and the other seems very promising, around 99% certain. But they need time for the designers to review my portfolio. 

Studio visit for a placement role at Visual Architects, Denton