THINGAMABOB & the Great Chesterfield Make Off

This weekend Junction Arts will be transforming Chesterfield into a vibrant live immersive festival of creativity, showcasing heritage, making and artistic talent.

The festival will headline the Great Chesterfield Make Off, where 40 local artists create brand-new work in the market place. Alongside a packed day of activity showcase artists will headline including dynamic and playful artists Matt Pang and John Whall, inspiring making in all forms.

Get stuck into a hands-on workshop where you can create your own mini masterpiece, watch live street performance Thingamabob from the internationally-renowned artist Matt Pang, and discover more opportunities to support Chesterfield’s makers. Extending into the library and town centre exhibition spaces, the festival also explores the endangered local heritage craft of lace making, highlighting the people currently working to preserve it and celebrating today’s cultural leaders through an exhibition of photographs.

Don’t miss this free programme of activities, which invites everyone to take part and be inspired.

Programmed by Junction Arts.

We are delighted to share our first artist and showcase performance spotlight with Matt Pang where we recently asked him a few questions.

“I guess my primary art form is actually Circus, as I started as a juggler and trained professionally at Circomedia Circus School in Bristol. However I've always tinkered and tried to make contraptions to incorporate with my circus skills. I remember when I was about 12 or 13 trying to make a diabolo launcher in my garden from random things in the shed so that I could launch diabolos to myself! Over the years I became more and more interested in the links between chain reactions and juggling and so a lot of my work is centered around making something whether modifying everyday objects or making something completely new which interacts with my juggling in some way (mostly catapults!) and now my creative process when creating or developing a new performance always involved about 50% making and 50% circus as I try to create something which integrates the two in a coherent and natural way which means I quite often end up with juggling balls covered in sawdust and metal filings from my workshop”.

“Being part of Derbyshire makes is important to me because I think making is such an important skill and movement to showcase, as well as the physical skill and craftsperson-ship of making something it unlocks so much creativity and other life skills that may not be obvious like problem solving for example. I've toured to festivals worldwide but not to a festival of making which I feel is the perfect platform for my show. It's exciting to be able to allow more people with an interest in making (and not!) to see it and experience making in another form - the making of the contraptions and the making of the show from the contraptions”.

“I bring people together to watch a show in the hope they can see how it has been crafted both physically (objects, making) and also as a performance - how it has been crafted to provoke reactions of joy, playfulness, humour and intrigue. Art to me is something which provokes a reaction and is experienced, whether it is funny, sad or intriguing and I feel that art brings people together to feel those things. I love performing outdoors where it is free for anyone to come and watch. Gathering together an eclectic and diverse audience to watch my show which provokes reactions of enjoyment and laughter makes me feel very satisfied with what I have made”.

“I hope people will remember my show as a unique and engaging thing which made them laugh and inspired them to go digging around in their shed to make a Thingamabob of their own”.

You can see Matt Pang in-person and in conversation 7pm, Fri 17 Apr at Junction Arts.

Book here

Junction Arts and Chesterfield: A Hub of Innovation and Craftsmanship

Chesterfield, with its vibrant market town atmosphere, is steeped in a rich history of making and innovation. The town is known for its celebrated pottery heritage and pioneering companies like Robinson & Son, who revolutionised packaging with tubular cardboard used for Smarties. This spirit of imagination thrives today, driving Chesterfield's creative sector and its proactive involvement in the Derbyshire Makes programme.

Having an office in Chesterfield allows Junction Arts to collaborate and programme closely with a diverse range of talented local artists, from printmakers, portrait artists, dramatists, and illustrators. Their passion and skill reflects the energy of a burgeoning creative community that continues to inspire and grow.

Junction Arts have the unique privilege of working with two vibrant hubs: Bolsover and Chesterfield. Each town brings its own rich history and spirit, making our collaborative efforts truly special.

Find out more about Junction Arts

Find out more about Matt Pang

Join us in Chesterfield for a continued celebrating of discovering, sharing and making in Derbyshire.

Check out whats on in Chesterfield – Saturday 18 April

Explore the full 2026 programme - [download the programme]

You can also join our mailing list to be the first to hear what's happening in Derbyshire Makes. For all the latest developments, visit derbyshiremakes.co.uk and follow us on Instagram @DerbyshireMakes.

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