Fiona Rourke

Experience

• 

  Brighton and Hove City Council

  Mar 2011 - Jul 2011

  Exhibition Designer & Co-Curator for Keepers exhibition
• 

  House of Flora

  Oct 2012 - Jul 2018

  Designer

  Jewellery design and production for House of Flora.

• 

  Bucktron

  Oct 2012 - Dec 2014

  Production Assistant

  Freelance production work including window displays, props and model making.

• 

  Alyssa Norton

  Nov 2012 - Nov 2014

  Production Assistant

  Jewellery production assistant for luxury brand Alyssa Norton.

• 

  Tigerprint

  Dec 2012 - Dec 2014

  Freelance Designer

  Giftware/in-store theatre design.

• 

  Millington Associates

  Mar 2013 - Jul 2018

  Freelance Prop Maker

  Retail display production work including sculpting, model making and metalwork for high profile clients including, Nike, H&M, Harrods and Hermes.

• 

  Tropezar

  Nov 2015 - Jul 2017

  Director

  Tropezar is a materials lead jewellery collaboration exploring the potential of visual narrative between two makers - Fiona Rourke and Holly Barton.

• 

  Fiona Rourke

  Jan 2017 - Jan 2019

  Designer//Producer//Collaborator
• 

  Attleborough Academy Norfolk

  Nov 2017 - Jan 2018

  Design & Technology Technician
• 

  Exeter College

  Jan 2019 - Nov 2022

  Occassional lecturer on the A-Level 3D design course and other courses teaching skills in CAD, CAM and the fundamentals of three-dimensional design. Teaching and making with future creatives. Working with students from a range of creative courses from A-level to Undergraduate. Teaching 3D design, CAD and CAM (3D printing & laser cutting, a wide selection of hand-making skills including jewellery, metalwork, woodwork, sculpting & casting.

  • Associate Lecturer

    Jan 2019 - Nov 2022

  • 3D Technician

    Jan 2019 - Aug 2022
• 

  Kaleider

  Mar 2020 - Nov 2022

  A 6 month role as head of production for the project Fish Mobile that was commissioned by the Rotherham Children's Capital of Culture and Fira Tàrrega and supported by the In-Situ network. Working with the artistic director, producer and a selection of consultants and comissioners my role was to design, plan and deliver a 70m tall sculpture of five 8 meter long fish that hang from a crane in the form of a childrens mobile. The fish were required to move gently around using the framework of the mobile. Below is a description of the work from the Kaleider website:Fish Mobile is a giant balancing mobile hangs in public space, inviting people to stand or sit underneath it for as long as they like, to watch fish swim in the sky. Standing 70 metres tall, Fish Mobile transforms the skyscape with its gentle movement. Show less Production management of the South West Creative Technology Nework (SWCTN) Automation Showcase.SWCTN was a GBP 6.5 million creative technology project that fostered research & prototyping in the areas of Immersion, Automation and Data. It partnered Kaleider, Watershed, UWE, Bath Spa, University of Plymouth and Falmouth University.The showcase was due to be an in person event but we rapidly had to evolve it to become an online offer during the outbreak of Covid-19. I researched, devised and delivered a strategy for online delivery with a heavy lean on accessibility provision and increasing our potential audience reach. I worked with the programs research fellows and prototypers, consultants and institutions to devise best solution to represent the work and create a unique and engaging online experience. We showcased 8 prototypes and a large range of talks and interactive pieces of research on the themes of Automation & Data. Collectively we reached over 700 people in over 8 different countries and generated accessible legacy content for the program. Show less

  • Production Manager

    Aug 2020 - Nov 2022

  • Head of Production

    Feb 2021 - Jul 2021

  • Production Manager

    Mar 2020 - Oct 2020
• 

  PPE4Exeter

  Apr 2020 - Jul 2020

  Director

  Partnering with consultant company Tangerine Bee I worked inclusively with University of Exeter, Exeter College, Devon Partnership Trust, RDandE, Musgrove Grove Park Hospital, Kaleider and a selection of other acadmics, local businesses and institutions to develop, manufacture and distribute disposable and reusable face sheilds within healthcare settings. I then lead a team to create PPE4Exeter in order to use the resources and information gathered to create a community focussed service that delivered over 2500 reusable face sheilds to local essential services including nursing homes, emergency response services such as air rescue and local healthcare practitioners. My team included around 10 core team members at it's peak and around 30 volunteers. Show less

• 

  Space Youth Services

  Jul 2020 - Aug 2021

  Design Consultant and CAD Tutor - Atlantic Youth Creative Hubs programme

  My role was to work online with a group of young entrepreneurs to teach them how to design a product in Fusion 360 3D software and then produce a 3D printed prototype and 3D assets in Blender software for an international virtual event.I worked with this group every weekend for a long stint of the project. Their product was designed for primarily disabled users so we spent time working through design ideation, USP and user testing, prototyping and manufacture strategy.

• 

  WATERSHED ARTS TRUST LIMITED(THE)

  Nov 2020 - Apr 2021

  Working as a consultant on aspects of accessibility and production strategy for the online Creative Futures event for the Bristol + Bath Creative R&D Cluster. Building on the previous learnings from the SWCTN roles I worked alongside a digital production manager and the rest of the Creative Clusters production team to provide a framework for online event accessibility best practice when designing and delivering an event. The learnings and insight gained from working in this area during Covid-19 were distilled into an article to enable other practitioners to build on it. Show less Production management of the South West Creative Technology Nework (SWCTN) Data Showcase. Building on the previous work of the automationm showcase I joined a new production team at Watershed to fine tune and evolve the work done on the Automation Showcase. Please read below for information on the SWCTN project.SWCTN was a GBP 6.5 million creative technology project that fostered research & prototyping in the areas of Immersion, Automation and Data. It partnered Kaleider, Watershed, UWE, Bath Spa, University of Plymouth and Falmouth University.We showcased 8 prototypes and a large range of talks and interactive pieces of research on the themes of Automation & Data. Collectively we reached over 700 people in over 8 different countries and generated accessible legacy content for the program. Show less

  • Digital Accessibility & Production Strategy Consultant

    Apr 2021 - Apr 2021

  • Production Manager

    Nov 2020 - Mar 2021
• 

  We Are Better Together CIC

  Apr 2021 - now

  Director

  We Are BetterTogether CIC explores the potential of using art and technology to enhance the experiences and well-being of vulnerable and isolated individuals. Inspired by her personal experience co-caring for her brother Joe during his extensive battle with cancer, Fiona observed the dynamic tensions between the needs of patients, carers, and their families and those of clinical staff and the rest of the ward. She aims to create resources that can improve the experiences of patients, carers, family and supporting staff during periods of isolation.During the Covid-19 pandemic We Are BetterTogether CIC was the vehicle for the project PPE4Exeter which mobilised a base of creative practitioners & volunteers to respond to the PPE shortage across critical care roles within organisations throughout the community. Show less

• 

  Bevan Commission

  Apr 2021 - Jul 2021

  Digital Event Consultant

  Working with the Bevan Commission and Swansea University to design and implement an online digital event strategy for a showcase of the Adopt and Spread program. The event showcased healthcare innovators working across wales in NHS and social care nationally in Wales that had been supported through the Adopt and Spread program.I was respoonsible for researching platform compatability, implementing digital event strategy and training and managing speakers and staff for the event.

• 

  Squidsoup

  May 2021 - Nov 2022

  Production Manager

  Delivering versions of the touring AV artwork Where There is Light by Squidsoup. My role was to tour with and install the artwork in a range of different indoor and outdoor public venues.

• 

  University of the West of England

  May 2021 - Sept 2021

  Production Manager & Creative Technologist

  Working with the music technology department at UWE and the Bristol Beacon to create 8 pieces of interactive art for a showcase at the Beacon to celebrate creativity and local voices.I worked mentoring students to help them plan and realise their projects which included AR & VR experiences, a hologram, and AI driven audio piece, integrated venue telephones, a music & games art performance and an architectural sensory pod.I worked with the teams on aspects of their planning and delivery from elements of technology to 3D designing and producing work. The end result was a day-long festival event shaped and run by the students, the UWE team and Bristol Beacon staff. Show less

• 

  Open Data Institute

  Mar 2022 - Nov 2023

  ODI Summit Technical Director & Accessibility Consultant

  My role within the ODI was to technically deliver the 10th international online ODI Summit 2022:Data Decade and to provide a robust accessibility offer for the event. I worked with the Summit lead to plan and execute a complex program of international speakers, live interective sessions and a live studio feed from the London Stock Exchange studio. I managed a team of around 30 staff & facilitators to deliver 3 streams of content over a 12 hour period across multiple timezones. I built in accessibility best-prqactice from the ground up and worked on technical solutions such as customisable live captions throughout the Summit sessions which were also made available as on-demand replay content.I joined the ODI in 2023 as a consultant for the ODI Summit 2023:Data Changes to work with them on delivery strategy and accessibility. Show less

• 

  University of Exeter

  Nov 2022 - now

  Creative Quadrant Manager

  Manager of and facilitator for the brand new Creative Quadrant building based in the University of Exeter Business School.Playful by design, the space prioritises the use of interactive, hands-on processes to foster interdisciplinary problem-solving, iterative innovation, and human-centred design through practical application.I work with faculty, professional service staff and students to design and facilitate sessions that focus on playful learning, prototyping and design thinking principals. My role includes creating and nurturing a culture focussed on inclusive problem solving and radical collaboration through joyful process to get to considered and tangible outcomes through iteration. Show less