Providing unusual objects for installation on the Thames riverside seems to be a recurring theme for our interpretation department. On this occasion, working for production company Silent Associates International Limited, we were required, amongst other things, to provide a semi-crashed ‘Orb’ spaceship complete with crater. The London ‘crash site’ was close to Tower Bridge, with the installation taking place overnight.

We pre-built the large polystyrene crater in our workshops here in Yorkshire, transporting it to site on four 40ft trailers. A 15m X 15m pond liner was used to contain water within the crater that also contained the crashed-landed Orb. The Orb itself was constructed from steel and Renobond, allowing for printed elements to be added, being moved into location using all-terrain forklifts.

The crash-site was part of a larger event requiring us to construct an outdoor stage and seating block area for invited car dealers and suppliers. We built two garages, one for stage left and one for stage right, from which two new car models were revealed from behind drapes. The stage was given a splattered paint finish in varying shades of grey and we also provided cladding for two large video screens.