As we grow older, the imaginative worlds we once inhabited often give way to the routines of adulthood. Make Believe! explores how childhood roleplay; whether as superheroes, adventurers or everyday heroes continues to shape our identities, inviting audiences to reconnect with the sense of wonder, curiosity and possibility that defined the early years.
- Hybrid Augmented Selves (HAS) overview
- HAS-03
- HAS-03 instruction manual
- HAS-01 unboxing
- HAS-02 instruction manual
- Creative process journal
- Creative process journal overview
- Glossary of Selves
- Glossary of Selves overview
- Glossary of Selves spread
Childhood play has never been about pretending for the sake of entertainment — it is how we experiment with identity, empathy and aspiration. By revisiting familiar fantasies through the lens of adulthood, the project asks whether these imagined personas ever truly disappear, or simply evolve into the people we become. The experience celebrates play as a lifelong tool for imagination, self-discovery and storytelling.
The project translated these ideas into a series of playful sculptures and tactile interactive pieces, using contributors' personal stories and childhood toys as source material. These stories became the foundation for each sculpture, with a custom toy box and accompanying instruction sheets extending the narrative and giving each character its own world, role and rules to play by.
Beyond the physical experience, Glossary of Selves extended the project's narrative into publication. Structured as a glossary, the book catalogues childhood playthings as symbols, roles and projections, turning personal memories into an accessible visual language for exploring identity. Together, the installation and publication created multiple entry points into the same idea—inviting audiences to recognise their own childhood selves through objects, stories and play.