Bespoke Design + Fabrication
Designing and making are at the core of what we do
Our workshop specialises in creating innovative solutions, whether we’re responding to the specific needs of our partners, or delving into the challenges of new commissions.
When an existing product doesn’t meet requirements, we design and manufacture alternatives
We’ve produced a wide range of bespoke products: video walls constructed with fairy lights, show-ready & safe alternatives for effects like fire, and even electronic stabilising devices for projection mapping at sea.
We either craft one-off props or batch fabricate custom fixtures
Our workshop is compact but fully equipped, with laser cutting, 3D printing, CNC routing and PCB development capabilities. These tools enable us to work efficiently and deliver precise, high-quality results for every project.
Visit our Workshop Capabilities page to find out more about what we can do in our workshop.
Featured Bespoke Design + Fabrication projects
Christmas Display for Led By Donkeys
Using 3,000 individually programmable LED ‘fairy lights’, we created a low-res video wall with the ability to remotely-trigger content – disguised as a Christmas decoration.
In the winter of 2023, political campaign group Led By Donkeys approached us to create a unique Christmas light installation with custom messaging that could be quickly deployed anywhere in the UK.
-> Click to continue reading and watch the video…
We designed and fabricated a low-resolution video wall featuring over 3,000 LEDs, cleverly disguised as a traditional Christmas decoration. The video content was pre-loaded into a controller that could be triggered remotely via an app, giving our client full control over the messaging and visuals displayed in real time.
The size and weight of the installation – at almost two metres tall and six metres wide – presented a logistical challenge, that we were able to overcome by using lightweight LED technologies. We developed a custom waterproof control box to house the electronics, and to simplify deployment used quick-connect fittings between the display and the battery to ensure speed & reliability in unpredictable wintry conditions.
Led By Donkeys first used the display in 2023 on a film shoot outside of the Conservative Party HQ in Central London.
Custom ‘Burners’ at The Grand Expedition
We transformed off-the-shelf flame-effect lights into fully programmable fixtures that were integrated into a fully automated immersive theatre show.
Gingerline’s The Grand Expedition: The Incredible Edible Journey is a unique immersive dining experience that has captivated audiences worldwide. For the 2024 London remake, we were tasked with creating new magical moments to enhance the take-off and landing scenes.
-> Click to continue reading and for more photos…
The show’s creators approached us to design a kinetic flame-effect fixture that met their specific requirements. The fixture needed to simulate ignition and respond dynamically to changing wind patterns integral to the narrative. After an extensive search, we couldn’t find an off-the-shelf solution that offered the necessary control and versatility.
Our workshop developed a custom solution that was both fully programmable and aligned with the show’s aesthetic. We modified an off-the-shelf flame-effect light by enhancing the control circuitry, allowing the lighting director to adjust the fans driving the silk flame, and the flame colour. This enabled white balance adjustments for each scene. Additionally, we integrated amber lights into the base of each ‘hot air balloon’ to simulate the glow of burners firing, synchronised with spatial sound effects designed by the sound team.
Sleeping Speakers
We re-engineered compact wireless speakers to synchronise their sleep, wake, and connection cycles for a precisely choreographed immersive show.
Our task was to transform miniature wireless speakers into ‘alarm-clock’ speakers that could be installed in a venue ahead of time, and programmed to activate at a specific moment.
The challenge lay in avoiding visible cabling, making battery-powered wireless speakers essential. Limited site access meant the speakers needed to be pre-installed and capable of autonomously ‘waking up’ to connect to a wireless sound source at the right time.
-> Click to continue reading …
We developed a custom device using an Arduino Nano, which was integrated directly into the speaker. To accommodate this, we designed and 3D-printed a housing that added just 6mm to the speaker’s overall height, preserving its original design. We also overcame the additional challenge of suppressing the startup tone to ensure it wouldn’t disrupt the audience experience.
The Laser Maze at Money Heist: The Experience
We created a thrilling laser maze for Money Heist: The Experience, combining dramatic green lasers and alarm controls, and our OSCHII technology to deliver an immersive and visually stunning escape-room challenge.
Award-winning experiential event designers Bearded Kitten commissioned us to design an intricate laser maze for Money Heist: The Experience. This was one of several escape-room-style games we developed for the show.
-> Click to continue reading …
The maze challenged audiences to navigate through it during a tightly timed sequence, with groups of 15 progressing through each scene in approximately 10 minutes. Our design struck a balance between practicality and immersion, ensuring the experience remained engaging while keeping the production on cue.
Rather than creating a fully automated laser maze that would stop the game with every broken beam – impractical for a group of this size – we equipped the scene’s actor with a remote control to trigger the alarms manually. This approach allowed for warnings without interrupting the action.
Leveraging our in-house interactive technology, OSCHII, which controlled the escape room elements of Money Heist: The Experience, we added an extra layer of drama by creating a laser activation animation that wowed audiences upon discovering the maze.
The maze featured 20mW green lasers, chosen for their safety, which were reflected off front-surface mirrors to maximise the number of beams and create an intricate visual effect.
Discover more about our projects below
10 steps you can take to increase the number of women and non-binary people in your tech crewBailes+Light have been working to improve crew diversity across all their projects. For Greenpeace at Glastonbury Festival they just recently hit an important milestone - less than 30% of the 21 technicians working on the lighting team were men. Over 50% were women, with the remainder being non-binary. Find out how....