Pow-wow

As youngsters we had the ability to create miniature worlds, where we were the centre. Within these miniature worlds we could make sense of the lives that were unfolding around us, creating imaginary situations with a dialogue that we were comfortable with. A dialogue that we could use to translate and understand the experiences, and emotions that influenced our developing characters.

Creating people, places and situations allows the child to make sense of experiences they find difficult to comprehend, giving them a sense of control over their environment and their future. From this imaginary world children can role play the threats and dangers of their real world, but also gives an opportunity to experience sensations like warm sunshine, love and intimacy preparing the child for the pleasures and indeed the pitfalls of adult life. An exchange exists between the real and imagined, engaging the child by matching previous ?real world? experiences with make-believed situations, the sensation of stepping into a hot bath can easily be multiplied into the pain of an accidental burn, but can just as easily be translated into the joy of sunshine on the face.

Imagination is lost. We as adults live in a world dominated by realism, where nothing is left out; all the questions are answered with no room to explore. Imagination and fantasy have been marginalised to the extent that they have been tarred with the ?time wasting? brush. It seems more sensible to live within the realms of our all to real world, in the homes and towns that we know, that we can see, smell and feel, than to imagine a better place, even a better life.

Why should the joy of imagination be lost with the onset of adulthood? Perhaps keeping the ability to vividly imagine the pleasures of ?wished for world? would allow these wishes to become true.

Pow-wow gives the user the opportunity to imagine a world, or to make sense of their existing world, the chance to discuss a future which unashamedly revolves around themselves.

Sharing its form with the common mobile phone, but containing no ?real world? communication technology, pow-wow allows the imagination to run riot within the real world. An adult toy or tool of play the user can converse their feels aloud to ?someone? at the other end of the line, someone who?ll listen.

Perhaps that ?someone? could be your present self or even yourself in the future, maybe it could be someone entirely separate, an imagined person, a stranger or even a dead person. Of course it could be ?someone? a little closer, a boss, a friend, a lover. You could tell them that you hate your job, that you miss them, that you love them. You could talk endlessly about an imagined life, a life more carefree, with more sunshine in the summer and more snow in the winter, with more time to enjoy, allow your imagination to cervote with the possibilities of something else.

The act of vocalising these wishes and dreams in the ?real-world? would place them within it, making them reality. It would place them alongside real experiences it would show up the good and allow you to change the bad. As a child uses their imagination to make themselves aware of their environment, an adult could use their imagination to change their environment.