Jet-setting Dan and the Felixstowe Banksy
This month we have a meet the member (or should I say meet the founder) showcase from the jet-setting Dan Sloane. You might not see him in the studio often as he spends a lot of time on site all over the world, but he is an important part of keeping our little co-working space up and running. Also another amazingly talented Unicorner Catalina has an exhibition running right now in Felixstowe!
Meet Dan
Dan Sloane is one of the 3 founders of Unicorn Studios and an experiences freelance production manager who has plenty of tales about big name clients and unusual projects over the years.
Tell us a little about yourself and your involvement with Unicorn Studios
I’m Dan Sloane, along with Steve and Rob I helped found Unicorn Studios. As I travel a lot, they do the hard work whilst I write the Covid policies and fire risk assessments… although I’m quite proud of creating our wall-mounted Unicorn sign. My day job is delivering technical solutions for live events, exhibitions, museums and visitor experiences. This involves lots of time reviewing architects' drawings, realising the creative aspirations of designers and digital artists and making various gadgets talk to each other.
What was your first job?
My first job was at The Leather Shop on Bent Hill in Felixstowe. It prompted many jokes at school related to the combination of address and shop name. I knew a lot about Enny handbags and Samsonite luggage but was fired because, to quote the owner, I ‘couldn’t clean as well as a girl’.
When working at home what is your guilty pleasure?
Saying goodbye to the kids as they head off to school then taking the dog for a walk and sitting on the beach to read and reply to emails.
What’s one of your favourite memories from the last year?
Getting back on site to Expo 2020 in Dubai in time for testing the systems and the opening ceremonies at the beginning of October. My previous trip was long and I ended up isolating in my hotel room due to catching Covid and then returning as a Red List traveller passing through un-masked, un-distanced London on ‘Freedom Day’.
Putting on a comms headset for the first time in 18 months for the buzz of a live show was amazing. Hitting ‘Go’ on the water feature we built in the DP World pavilion gives me spine tingles as it triggers all the senses.
Read his full interview here or catch his stream of consciousness over on twitter @SloaneEsq.
The Felixstowe Banksy
You can’t have missed the street artist Banksy taking over Lowestoft this summer with his famous graffiti art during his Spraycation? In a seaside town a little bit closer to home, Unicorner, mural artist and illustrator Catalina Carvajal is attracting interest as her mural art pops up across Felixstowe (and Suffolk!) ‘a la Banksy’.
In her latest project, Catalina has launched a solo exhibition ‘A Common Ground’ at 142 Gallery on Hamilton Road which runs until Wednesday 1st Dec. Catalina’s style shouts her Latin American origins but she hopes her latest work ‘speaks about the places I've been and the people I've met since living in Suffolk’. Be sure to check out the show if you are in town.
We went to Catalina's opening event last Thursday (and the day before actually too but that's because we're not good with calendars!). Anyway, there was a great buzz and we took a few photos.
🎄 Christmas Party Time 🎅
We're planning a little Christmas get together on the evening of Wed 15th December at our very local Indian restaurant The Dhaka, why? because we're too lazy to walk any further. This is open to all Unicorner's old and new who fancy a catch up Curry and Beer, it would be great to see some old faces. Please email Rob at rob@squirclecreative.co.uk if you want to come along.
Studio Renovations
This month we've fitted some snazzy infrared radiators throughout the studio just in time for the cold snap and we have almost finished a little booth which is already getting plenty of use for video calls we all have these days. Next up is painting up the booth and furnishing the basement. Then after almost 3 years we'll be pretty much done!
If we don't see you at our party or any other time over the festive period we hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and look forward to seeing you in the New Year.
All the best
Steve, Rob & Dan
