The Blanket Fort Club

Arts Council England; East Midlands; Remote; GBP 40,000 - 51,000; Full time

Job summary

The Blanket Fort Club in Derbyshire is seeking a designer-fabricator to realise a large sensory installation for audiences of all ages, including those with complex needs and PMLD. The role involves responsive fabrication, testing-driven development, and collaboration with the creative team.

Open to makers from anywhere in England. Phase 1 covers early mock-ups in January 2027 with a £1,000 all-in package, followed by Phase 2’s fabrication drawings and build from June to mid-August 2027 with

Qualifications

• Experience building sets, installations or immersive environments.
• Clear technical drawings.
• Interest in access-led work and building for every kind of body.
• Thought for sustainability and reuse.
• Public liability insurance.

Responsibilities

• Phase 1: 3 days in Derbyshire between 11 and 22 January 2027, mocking it up at full scale and planning where the tech lives, plus half a day remotely finishing the outcome drawings.
• Phase 2: fabrication drawings, then the build, June to mid-August 2027. Paid at no less than the ITC/Equity weekly making rate, plus materials.

Skills

Set building

Fabrication

Attention to detail

Sustainability mindset

Job description

Job Summary

The Blanket Fort Club is looking for a designer-fabricator to help realise a large sensory installation for audiences of all ages, including those with complex needs and PMLD. It opens in September 2027 for a three-month exhibition in Derbyshire with a live performance strand.

Job Description

The installation has grown through several rounds of R&D and co-creation. Now it needs a maker to help fully realise it, with real artistic richness and a future life beyond LEVEL. We're looking for a natural collaborator who enjoys responsive fabrication, where the build grows out of testing, play and what participants show us. With the creative team, you'll bring inventive solutions: how spaces connect playfully with participants, how to build a world inside a room of 4 walls, what materials can do, how tech hides inside a structure, and how our dramaturgy comes to life. You'll build the bones of lived-in, story-rich spaces, with the creative team and some of our participants. This role is open to makers from anywhere in England.

Job Requirements

Experience building sets, installations or immersive environments, with an eye for detail and finish (dressing experience is a bonus)
Clear technical drawings
Interest in access-led work and building for every kind of body
Thought for sustainability and reuse
Public liability insurance

Job Responsibilities

Phase 1: 3 days in Derbyshire between 11 and 22 January 2027, mocking it up at full scale and planning where the tech lives, plus half a day remotely finishing the outcome drawings. £1,000 all in: £700 fee plus £300 for travel, accommodation and subsidy.
Phase 2: fabrication drawings, then the build, June to mid-August 2027. Paid at no less than the ITC/Equity weekly making rate, plus materials.

Job Overview

• Job Title: Fabricator: Design Realisation and Fabrication
• Hours: Full time
• Artform: Combined arts
• Role: Creative
• Contract: Contract
• Location: East Midlands