Those of you that follow our Chester Zoo Heart of Africa Diary will have read about a mystery person known only as ‘The Themer’. Actually, his name is Jason Skitterall. We caught up with Jason during his most recent visit on site and asked him a few questions about his work and working with McPhillips…
What is the scope of your work on Heart of Africa?
We have made many of the larger rock formations, notably Aardvarks, Giraffes and the mixed species habitat.
How did you become involved?
We were on the list of preferred rockwork/theming contractors supplied to McPhillips in the early days of the project planning. I provided pricing for many of the items as early as 2020, then Covid happened. When the project came back on track, we were very happy to jump on board.
What is rockwork and theming?
This is replicating the environment as required by the designers. In this case, African savannah and more specifically, the type of geology which is found there. Mostly, we have been making kopje rock formations on this project. Theming can involve all sorts things which make an environment look more authentic. It’s a bit like set dressing in films but our work is more permanent and made from construction materials. We specialise in rocks and trees but also replicate certain kinds of architecture.
What has been your greatest challenge on the project?
As is the case with most large projects, the flow of work in unison with other contractors. We have certain time frames/constraints which are dictated by areas becoming ‘on-line’. For instance, we might have to wait for some preceding items to be complete before we can do our bit. In return, we have to ready on time for the contractors who follow us.
What makes a good Principal Contractor?
A good PC is one that is attentive and sympathetic to the challenges faced by the specialist contractor, understands their constraints and facilitates an easy flow.
How have you found working with McPhillips as Principal Contractor?
One thing that stood out early on was the ease of communication and the level of care shown to us. Our work is quite straightforward for us but other things out of our control can slow us down or even prevent us from progressing. The management team at McPhillips really go the extra mile in providing what we need. This could be access, site logistics, problem solving or just lending a helping hand. It really could not have gone better for us and this in return, allows us to do our best work.
What have you been most impressed by from McPhillips
Ease of communication and their understanding of how we build our work. Helpfulness.
Would you work with McPhillips again?
Yes, absolutely. I feel we have built up an awesome mutual respect during this project and would be excited to continue the co-operation on future projects.
How did you get into rockwork and theming?
I was fascinated by the natural world from an early age, this coupled by my love of art made it quite easy to combine the two. Starting in the mid 1990’s, I worked building aquarium habitats for new public aquariums springing up all over Europe. Over time, I made contacts, met other like-minded people and a company formed from this. I am very much ‘on the tools’ and it’s been a long-time quest to create more and more beautiful work.
You’ve worked all over the world, can you tell us a bit about this?
The core Koda team is Graham, Sav (David), Bruce and myself. Unfortunately, Sav is battling a serious illness so hasn’t been on this project. But, between the four of us, we have worked in every continent except Antarctica, I believe. Stand out projects for me would be a two-year stint in Gibraltar, a winter in Barbados with many other exciting places in between.
For more information visit: koda-creative.co.uk
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