Designing and Making Inflatables
In November 2023, Urban Wilderness CIC hosted a two-day professional development workshop in Longton with internationally renowned sculptor and inflatables designer Tim Davies. The training brought together local artists, makers and producers to build specialist skills in designing and fabricating inflatable structures for outdoor arts, carnival and parade work.
This workshop formed part of our broader commitment to artist development and capacity building in Stoke-on-Trent — investing in local talent so that large-scale creative events, such as the Longton Carnival and Pig Walk Parade can be made by the community with high-quality, ambitious production values.
About Tim Davies
Tim Davies is an Artistic Director, sculptor and innovative engineer celebrated for his large-scale kinetic inflatables and high-impact outdoor spectacles. His pioneering creations — including the globally recognised Arachnobot and Ocho — have appeared at festivals, catwalk shows, brand activations and major theatres across four continents.
Known for combining structural engineering with graceful movement, Tim has produced bespoke inflatables for leading theatre organisations, advertising agencies and public events. His work has been featured by international media including The Discovery Channel, Fox News, Wired Magazine, Huck Magazine and National Lottery Magic Numbers.
What the Training Covered
Over two full days, participating artists learned essential techniques for designing and producing inflatable props, puppets and costume elements. The workshop covered:
Manual pattern cutting for simple and compound inflatable forms
Sewing and fabrication using lightweight, durable materials
Design development from sketch to finished structure
Electronics and mounting options suitable for festivals and parade environments
Hands-on making, with each participant producing their own individual inflatable prototype
The training offered rare access to specialist knowledge, giving local creatives the tools to expand their practice into large-scale outdoor arts and carnival production.
Building Local Capacity for Carnival & Outdoor Arts
This workshop is part of Urban Wilderness CIC’s ongoing work to support sustainable, locally led cultural activity in Longton and across Stoke-on-Trent. By equipping artists with new technical and creative skills:
we grow the region’s capacity for producing high-impact public art,
we strengthen the creative workforce that supports community parades and festivals,
and we ensure that ambitious cultural projects — like the Longton Pig Walk Carnival — are made with and by local people.
This training was a key step towards forming a professional creative team who will design and build inflatables and parade elements for future Longton events.
