Mike is Technical Director of the NEWSUBSTANCE Studio. After graduating from Leeds University in 2005 with Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mike started his professional career founding a specialist design and automation consultancy, providing unique and innovative technical solutions to a wide range of primarily industrial sectors including automotive, aerospace and oil and gas. In this role Mike was responsible for design, delivery and installation of large-scale custom fabrication and bespoke automation projects.
Mike found his creative and technical home joining the NEWSUBSTANCE studio in 2017. Mike playing a key role in the development of the studio’s technical capacity to deliver an ever increasing portfolio of larger, more complex and ambitious projects within the progressive, dynamic and fast paced environment of live events, art and entertainment. Projects ranging from large scale sculptural arts fabrication, bespoke technology and kinetic integrations, ceremony and stage automation, and moving, installing and transforming a 450T gas platform into a publicly accessible arts installation.
With a keen eye for detail and unwavering commitment to delivering the exacting creative intent, Mike is responsible for navigating the careful interplay between art, technology and engineering, integral to delivering the studio’s creative and physical projects with a strong render to reality integrity. Mike’s technical ethos is summarised as open, optimistic and collaborative, ever welcoming of a challenging concept, supporting studio and clients creative team’s exploration of new ideas. As a studio NEWSUBSTANCE are currently exploring automated kinetics and kinetic sculpture, and the use of automation within immersive spaces to transform, enhance and deepen audience experiences.