Hello! My name is Gavin Strange, and I’m a 40-year-old human that lives and works in Bristol.
I live here with my wife Jane and two young kids, Sully and Sylvie, and our rescue greyhound Peggy.
By day I’m a Director & Designer for Aardman — a creative studio also based in Bristol. It’s most known for its stop-frame animation work, such as Wallace & Gromit or Shaun the Sheep, but it does so much more than that.
Gavin prefers a maximalist approach to his surroundings, “stuffing my eyeballs with as much input as possible”. Photo by Tim Hall
It creates video games, short films, commercials, immersive attractions in 2D, 3D, 4D, CG, Stop-Frame and more — it’s an awesome place to work!
That’s just the day job, though. At night, I come home, and once my kids are asleep, I go under the alias of ‘Jamfactory’.
I make all the things that absolutely no one asks for!
I do anything that takes my fancy — illustration, graphic design, characters, music, art, films — everything and anything!
Because I have the security of the day job, it lets me just explore with no pressure on what to create.
Having my own space to pursue these passion projects has always been key, and wherever I’ve lived I’ve always managed to carve out a space. Sometimes, it’s literally been under the stairs. Other times, it’s been a spare bedroom.
Now, I feel like I’ve reached my final stage of Pokémon evolution with this custom pink den of dreams!
No matter the circumstances or living conditions, Gavin makes sure his current workspace reflects who he is. (Photo by Tim Hall)
So the space itself is quite small but it was custom built for me by my brilliant Dad in a secret location in central Bristol.
It doesn’t need to be massive, though, because all it needs to hold is my computers, toys and tech.
I lovingly refer to it as “the den”, and dens are usually quite small and cosy anyways, aren’t they?
I love being surrounded by everything I’m inspired by.
So being able to put up shelves for toys and mount artworks on the walls is a big part of the appeal of having my own custom space.
It took around three months in total for my Dad to build the shell, do the interior and then paint it pink, install the artificial grass walls and floor, and then get the tables set up and ready for all my machines and gear.
Figurines, skateboards, posters, peculiar masks — Gavin’s workspace is adorned with things that inspire him. (Photo by Tim Hall)
Some stuff took a bit longer, like getting the air con installed but I was up and ready to go after about the 12-week mark.
My Dad was doing it on weekdays and weekends when he could, do it wasn’t like a pressured timeline or anything. Especially as I was only paying for materials rather than labour (thanks, Dad!).
So my room looks like… an assault on the eyeballs.
It has neon pink-painted MDF walls and ceiling, with artificial plant walls and fake grass flooring.
The walls are peppered with translucent shelves full of vinyl toys and collectables.
Another space is filled with prints, skateboards, and trinkets.
