Jobcentre

Jobcentre was a dual purpose micro venue at Boomtown Fair Festival from 2014 until 2022, starting as a small venue in Oldtown, it quickly became a fan favourite with thousands of people coming through its doors day and night. By day, The Jebcentre was an immersive experience that took audience members through a satirical journey based on a real trip to an employment centre. Queueing and filling out forms in a chaotic waiting room, before being interviewed and sent on a job that rewarded you with another queue and a prize pack, the Jobcentre satirsied beurocracy in capitalism with its tongue firmly in its cheek.

At night the jobcentre transitioned into a popular music venue, showcasing talent from the underground bass music scenes with artists like Hamdi, Tauki Nulight, and Shosh playing sets to a packed tent of hundreds of people.

From humble beginnings of a crew of about ten, Jobcentre ended in 2022 with a crew totalling around seventy, made of Managers, Builders, Artists, and Performers/

My Role

Starting 2015 after missing the first year, I joined the crew as an actor whilst in the middle of studying performance and visual arts at Brighton University. Whilst training and on site I proved myself to be an asset to the project and was subsequently asked to do more the following year, starting with creating and modifying graphics and designs, and helping out with logistics. Over the years my role expanded and I joined the management team, comprised of two others, one more admin-focused and the other, heading up the build.  I took on jobs that bridged the gap between the other managers, whilst using my skills as a visual artist. In 2017 we rebranded as “Jobcentre ltd” to further play on the capitalist pastiche, whilst also fitting in with the wider festival storyline. Following this rebrand we rebranded again as “Jobcentre 2.0”, satirising the real life rebrand of the jobcentre to “Jobcentre Plus”.  Both these rebrands I art directed and implemented.

• Management and Logistics
• Admin
• Graphic Design
• Branding implemantation
• Video Production
• Acting

As well as managing and designing, during my time at Jobcentre I expanded my role within Boomtown Festival through being main liaison to the festivals ground breaking Immersive Maze, where thousands of audience members move through an inter vanue game woven into the storyline of the festival, and in 2022, whilst managing the venue in the day, I also acted as district game coordinator for the new area of Letsbe Avenue, where the Jobcentre was based.