Fabrication Specialist
Metal, wood, foam, acrylic and finish. Built to spec, built to travel, built to survive the load-out.
- Welding & metalwork
- CNC & digital fabrication
- Scenic carpentry
- Finishing & scenic paint
I design the world, then I build it. First sketch to final load-out.
- Fabrication Specialist
- Production Designer
- Experiential Creative Director
- Art Director
- Shop Technician
Most people only see the finished room. I live in the part before it, where drawings become objects, crews become one team, and ideas become places people walk into and remember.
Five roles.
One set of hands.
Most projects need all five. Hiring one person who can design it, direct it and build it keeps the idea intact from pitch to opening night.
Production Designer
The whole world of a project, designed end to end: from first sketch and mood board to the dressed set on the day.
- Concept & visual research
- Set & environment design
- Technical drawings
- Budget & build management
Experiential Creative Director
Brand moments people step inside. I lead the idea, the team and the build so the experience lands the way it was pitched.
- Concept & pitch
- Activations & pop-ups
- Team & vendor leadership
- Audience journey
Art Director
Every surface, prop and color decision, on camera or on site, held to one clear visual language.
- Visual language & styling
- Props & set dressing
- Graphics & signage
- On-set direction
Shop Technician
The shop runs safe and the tools run true: maintenance, material flow and builds that leave on schedule.
- Tool setup & maintenance
- Shop safety
- Material sourcing
- Crew support
Butterfly Stage build
Installation
Built. Installed.
Remembered.
Nine of forty-plus builds
Collected
works.
Every build, by category: luxury and interiors, festival stages, immersive rooms and brand activations.
Luxury
- Heaven's Door Whiskey
- Shore Club
- SXM
- Tata's
Interior
- Susu
- Shore Club Bar
- Geodesic Sculptures
- Light Sculptures
- Marius Custom Pieces
Installations & Stage
- EDC 2019 Kaleidoscope
- Butterfly Stage Build
- Art Basel 2015
- Revive Tetrahedron
- Revive Cube & Projection Cube
- Kazbah Club Takeover
- Laser & Light Shows
- Medala North Beach
- Purified Show
- Pulse Portal
- Music Video Stage & 3D Projection
- The Cube
- Fractal Droid
- ARTOPS
Immersive
- Camera Ambassador 3D Projection Room
- Alice in Wonderland Party
- Envy Tree
Brand & Marketing
- Toast Vodka Pop-up
- Disney Horse
- Nerf Saudi Arabia
- Fanta Skateboard
- Joe Fresh Goods
Fabrication
- CNC for Electric Forest
- Coffin Table
Concepts & Renderings
- STK Fire & Ice
- Bamboo Jungle Gym
- EMC2
- Halloween 2023
How a build comes together: concept, build, install
Concept
Every project starts with a question, not a material. I sketch, model and pitch until the idea holds up, then I draw it so the shop can build it without guessing.
Build
In the shop I am hands-on: cutting, welding, joining and finishing alongside the crew. Good fabrication is invisible. It just works, travels well and looks right from every angle.
Install
Load-in is where the plan meets the room. I lead the install, solve what the drawings did not predict, and stay until the experience opens exactly the way it was pitched.
What I bring
to the build.
Shop & Fabrication
- MIG & TIG welding
- CNC routing
- Scenic carpentry & joinery
- Laser cutting & engraving
- Foam carving & hard-coating
- Spray & scenic finishing
Design & Software
- Concept sketching
- Technical drafting
- 3D modeling & visualization
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Mood & material boards
- Budgets & build schedules
Direction
- Creative concept & pitch
- Crew & vendor management
- Install & strike lead
- Client presentations
Materials
- Steel & aluminum
- Hardwoods & sheet goods
- Acrylic & plastics
- Foam, resin & composites
Got a world
to build?
marktracevisual@gmail.com
Instagram @marktraceart
LinkedIn
Home base Chicago. Working in New York, Los Angeles and internationally, project by project.