Miniature-World Toys - A Storytelling Medium
“The child’s toys and the old man’s reasons, are the fruits of two seasons.”
- William Blake
This is a practice-based research project about miniature-world toys that intersects theories of play, material culture, and critical design.
Miniature-world toys in this thesis refer to the type of toys that are intentionally scaled down as representations of subjects and scenes in the real world. With their unique storytelling mechanism, miniature-world toys can be engaging, comforting, nostalgic, leading to their lasting effects on players’ subconsciousness, thus making them capable of assisting construction of players’ perceptions of reality.
This capability makes them a perfect medium for triggering continuous consumption, promoting and reinforcing existing capitalist ideologies, such toys are referred to as mythological toys in this project. But with such capability, miniature-world toys could also be a perfect medium for telling socially meaningful stories, a catalyst for assisting positive social change.
The first part of this project aims to examine the storytelling mechanism of miniature-world toys, analyse how they construct our perceptions of reality. The second part is the making of radical toys with an aim of disenchanting mythological toys by deconstructing their original ideals into ‘bootleg toys’. The third part aims to explore miniature-world toys’ potential as frameworks for speculating alternative realities.
The goal is to create and test a set of methodologies, through practice and theory, that could be applied to future research related to toys. Thus contributing to the emerging discipline: Toyology.
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More about Liangru (Rowena)
Biography
Rowena Liangru Lu (born 1997) is an interdisciplinary artist, maker and researcher. Coming from a design background, her work explores constructed narratives and ideologies embedded in everyday objects, as well as the often invisible industrial systems behind contemporary living experiences. She is currently a PhD candidate in Communication at the Royal College of Art, investigating the secret life of toys.
Degrees
BA Industrial Design - Emily Carr University of Art and Design (2016–20)
MA Design Products - Royal College of Art (2020–23).
Experience
- Cultural Communication (intern) , UNESCO, New York, US, 2024
- Artist , Yuan Museum, Beijing, CN, 2023-2025
- Co-Founder, Museum Room, Rizhao, CN, 2022-now
- Curator , Good to Nature, Shanghai, CN, 2022
- Curator , Marie Claire, Shanghai, CN, 2021
- Designer, Studio HVN, Beijing, China, 2017-2018
Awards
- French Design Award , International Award Association (IAA), FR, 2024
- Hands of Wisdom (Shortlisted) , Yishu 8 & Golden Phoenix, CN & FR, 2024
- We Art Open Award (Finalist) , No Title Gallery, Venice, IT, 2023
- Distinction , Royal College of Art, London, UK, 2021
- Simon Chang Award , Vancouver, CA, 2019
- Emily Carr Academic Achievement Scholarship , Vancouver, CA, 2019
- Abraham J. Rogatnick Memorial Scholarship , Vancouver, CA, 2018
- Emily Carr Academic Achievement Scholarship , Vancouver, CA, 2017
Exhibitions
Solo exhibitions
2025
- Rowena’s Housewarming (London Design Festival) , Living Room, London, UK
2023
- Into the Cave , Yuan Museum, Beijing, CN
- Lovers , 1933 Old Millfun, Shanghai, CN
Group exhibitions
2025
- Real Artists' Sweat, Tiderip, London, UK
- A Swatch Art Playground , West Bund Art Fair, Shanghai, CN
2024
- Sit & Feast (Milan Design Week) , Dopo Space, Milan, IT
2023
- Invisible Form , TBCA Centre, Shanghai, CN
- Breaking The Shackles , Sunhe 52, Beijing, CN
- Material Matters (London Design Festival) , Oxo Tower Wharf, London, UK
- Battersea Express (London Design Festival) , Ingate Work, London, UK
- Savouring Shadow , Copeland Gallery, London, UK
- RCA 2023 , The Truman Brewery, London, UK
- Objection (Milan Design Week) , Studio Piu, Milan, IT
- Circular Village (Milan Design Week) , Isola, Milan, IT
- Transcend Time, Transcend Space , Swatch Art Peace Hotel, Shanghai, CN
2022
- Aesthetic Perspectives , China Printmaking Museum, Shenzhen, CN
- In/Out , Red Brick Wall Gallery, Wuhan, CN
2021
- Silhouette in The Mist , TX Center, Shanghai, CN
- Elephant in House , MC House (Marie Claire), Shanghai, CN
- Particle:Uncertain Future , China International Fair for Trade in Services, Beijing, CN
- Young Design 100 , Beijing International Design Week, Beijing, CN
Curated exhibition
2023
Design through Making (co-curate) , RCA 2023, The Truman Brewery, London, UK
2021
Horizon , MC House (by Marie Claire), Shanghai, CN
Silhouette in The Mist (exhibition design) , TX Center, Shanghai, CN