Engineering technicians celebrate “almost impossible” carnival design challenge

A ground-breaking collaboration between engineers and designers has created a show-stopping carnival costume, featuring mechanical elements previously thought “impossible” to make by hand.

Some aspects of the ensemble were produced using 3D printing, enabling the creators to add complex geometric structures that would be unthinkable using traditional methods. 

The striking garment, which will be worn in next month’s Leeds West Indian Carnival parade, is 3m in diameter, more than 3m high, and weighs around 25kg. It boasts six gold-coloured aluminium arms that stand out from the body at right angles and can move up and down. The stunning headdress is entirely 3D printed, with 13 individual pieces fitted together like an intricate three-dimensional jigsaw. 

The regalia has been co-designed and co-created by nine technicians in the University’s School of Mechanical Engineering, alongside Hughbon and Seph Condor, the father and son team behind High Esteem Carnival Designs, which has been producing hand-crafted costumes for more than 50 years.  

Afrofuturism 

The theme of the elaborate structure is “Afrofuturism” – looking ahead to the future, while remembering the past – where technology, precision engineering and traditional artistry collide.
 
Traditional African fabric and patterns sit alongside iridescent filaments, fibre-glass rods, and four-dimensional shapes, uniting the two worlds. Angular and geometric concepts are rare in carnival costumes; they usually feature curved, natural-shaped structures which are easier to construct when bending wire by hand. However, this project was able to utilise computer-aided design (CAD) software, precision machining, laser cutting and welding. 

The team was brought together for the six-month pilot project 'Engineering Carnival', which aims to showcase the engineering of these meticulously designed outfits, as well as exploring innovation and new manufacturing techniques in costume design and raising the visibility and recognition of the University of Leeds’ technicians. 

It’s been really rewarding seeing everyone involved come together with their different skills and approaches, to create something unique and I think everyone has learned a lot.

Project lead Dr Briony Thomas, Associate Professor of Design Science from the School of Mechanical Engineering, said: “The skills, expertise and knowledge of technical staff can often be overlooked in many projects; they do all the work behind the research and often there's no acknowledgement for that. 

“I wanted to put them at the forefront for once and celebrate them because they are so fantastic.”  

She added: “This is about voice, visibility and recognition, both for the technicians and for the Leeds Caribbean community. 

“We wanted to do something that was truly innovative but that would be of benefit to both those communities.” 

Inspiring and challenging 

The multicoloured costume, in shades of gold, turquoise and blue, features a huge globe that opens like a flower, plus six heads, each with flowing hair, on the lower layer. It sits on a metal structure, is worn like a backpack and has wheels at the base so that the wearer can still move, despite its great weight. It was unveiled at the Engineering Carnival Celebration Event at the Sir William Henry Bragg Building, where it was modelled by Khadijah Ibrahiim, one of Yorkshire’s most celebrated poets, who studied at Leeds. 

Guests included people from the local West Indian community, the city’s cultural sector, carnival designers, engineering technicians and university staff, who were first to see the spectacular creation and hear about the impact of the extraordinary project on its participants. 

Graham Brown, Mechanical Services Manager in Leeds’ School of Mechanical Engineering, said: “Before this, I never realised how closely related engineering and the arts are. This has demonstrated that by bringing the two together, it’s possible to create something amazing.” 

Graham, who has worked in engineering for the past 28 years and at Leeds for 17 years, added: “Collaborating with a community predominantly made up of volunteers, working around their main jobs through the day and coming to life in the evenings when working on their passion, was as inspiring as it was challenging.” 

 

Joy-filled project 

The team were responding to what traditional carnival costume designers had thought an “almost impossible” structure to make by hand – the articulating right angle – and worked in partnership to overcome those challenges and creatively consider an artistic theme. 

Seph, who has worked in carnival design for 20 years, said: “We thought about all the mechanical movements that are difficult to create, like the right angle with the up and down motion. 

“We could get similar movement but nowhere near as smooth or as robust as what we have created together. The engineering techniques enable a precision, repetition and time-saving that isn’t possible constructing by hand.” 

He added: “This project has been a joy. It’s opened up my eyes to so many different ways we can do things, that I didn’t even know were possible.” 

Rhys Moore, Senior Technician in Leeds’ School of Mechanical Engineering, said: “It was fascinating hearing from the wider carnival community, who helped us to understand the importance and history of carnival, as was visiting Hughbon and Seph’s workshop to observe their design techniques and see examples of their handiwork, while they shared some of their vast experience of costume creation with us. 

“It's been really rewarding seeing everyone involved come together with their different skills and approaches, to create something unique and I think everyone has learned a lot.” 

Dr Thomas is passionate about diversity and inclusion and is always conjuring up new ways to combine engineering with the arts. 

She said: "It’s about pushing the boundaries of what people think is possible, what people think ’should be’ in STEM or ‘should be’ in arts. 

“This collaboration has forced the designers and engineers to work very differently, and they’ve embraced that opportunity. 

"It’s about showing the possibilities for the next generation and I think that is really important.”  

The costume will be adapted to feature glow-in-the-dark elements when it is worn at Light Night Leeds, the UK’s largest annual arts and light festival, in October. 

The project was funded by Research England Enhancing Research Culture. 

A previous research project led by Dr Thomas – The Mechanics of Life – brought together the University’s engineers with the creative minds at Northern Ballet to help change perceptions of engineering. 

Further information 

• First picture caption: Hughbon and Seph Condor, from High Esteem Carnival Designs, with James Watkins, Mechanical Engineering technician at Leeds.
• Second picture caption: Left to right: Technicians Rhys Moore, James Watkins, Lee Wetherill, Darren Harrison, Graham Brown from the University, Hughbon Condor, from High Esteem Carnival Designs, Yorkshire poet Khadijah Ibrahiim modelling the costume, Seph Condor, from High Esteem Carnival Design, technician Ross Taylor from the University, Engineering Carnival project lead Dr Briony Thomas, and technicians John Warwick and Kacper Dobras, from the University. 
• Picture credit for all images: Alex Beldea
• For media enquiries, please contact Deb Newman in the University of Leeds press office via d.newman@leeds.ac.uk, copying in Faculty Communications Manager Matt Gardner via M.D.Gardner@leeds.ac.uk, and pressoffice@leeds.ac.uk.