Production Stories: Dream Machine
We have just had our busiest month on record delivering two huge commissions for design collective Assemble which saw the studio process over 500m of fabric in just under three weeks.
Today I am sharing a behind the scenes snapshot of the production stages of the bean bags and cushions which were commissioned for the Dream Machine.
The project was delivered as part of Unboxed festival 2022 which will run throughout 2022, as a celebration of British arts, culture and science innovation.
We were commissioned by Assemble to create the textiles for the reflection zone of the Dream Machine, a space to relax after the intense light experience and take some time to draw or write about what you might have seen during your time inside the Dream Machine.
These textiles needed to be soft and welcoming, encouraging visitors to take as much time as they needed to reflect on their experience. To ensure the ultimate comfort we revisited Warwick wool who supplied the beautiful rust-coloured wool (which later filled my studio with orange fluff!)
There were three core elements to the commission; XXL rectangular bean bags, pyramid bean bags and round cushions, with each distinct shape designed to sit within the gently curved cardboard structures in the space.
The key challenge throughout this project was the sheer volume of cloth that we were working with, juggling all of the different cut and sewn pieces throughout the weeks was certainly interesting and we spent a lot of time counting!
Ultimately the bean bags and cushions needed to be super durable to ensure they could withstand the expected visitor numbers (10,000 +) to ensure we had covered all of the bases all of the products were made with an inner and outer bag meaning any burst seams could be contained.
You can read all about the project in this Guardian review and can book tickets to visit the project here.
With thanks to; Anoushka, Katy & Alice for all of your hard work during this project.