IO Years of SSBC
We were commissioned to design an exhibition showcasing the story of Small Steps Big Changes (SSBC)—a partnership program funded by The National Lottery Community Fund’s A Better Start initiative. This ten-year program began in 2015 and is set to conclude in March 2025. The exhibition toured to five libraries, two community organisations, and two conferences between September 2024 and April 2025.
Playful Exhibition Design
The exhibition is designed around two key areas: one for adults and one for children.
The adult-focused space—The SSBC Journey—guides visitors through SSBC’s 10-year history and impact. This area creatively incorporates young children’s toys and play activities, fostering a playful and immersive experience. By using familiar childhood toys, it connects the SSBC story with visitors’ own memories of play, engaging them in a multi-sensory journey.
Wall 1 Side 1
10 Years of SSBC
The design takes inspiration from children’s wooden building blocks, creating an interactive and playful experience. Information about SSBC, along with images and objects, is incorporated into a series of rotating blocks. Visitors can engage with the display by turning the blocks, revealing different layers of the story and visually exploring SSBC’s impact.
Wall1 side 2
Share your Story
This Area invites visitors to share their thoughts on SSBC while also reflecting on their own childhood experiences. It encourages engagement by prompting visitors to recall and record the toys they loved playing with as children and their earliest childhood memories. By drawing connections between personal experiences and the themes of SSBC, this interactive space fosters a deeper emotional connection to the exhibition.
Interactive audio Story table
Community Voice
Specially designed interactive tactile felt map illustrates the four SSBC areas. Inspired by children’s play mats, this engaging installation allows visitors to explore stories through touch. By interacting with conductive threads embedded in the objects, visitors can activate audio narratives that share experiences of co-production and community voices, bringing SSBC’s impact to life in a meaningful and immersive way.
Wall 2 Side 1
What Difference Did We Make
Facts and figures are creatively presented using children’s stacking toys and maze beads, making complex data more engaging and visually appealing. This area also features statistics and charts, offering visitors a clear overview of SSBC’s impact. For a more interactive experience, pull-out drawers allow visitors to discover additional information, encouraging curiosity and deeper exploration of the program’s achievements.
Wall 2 Side 2
Who Benefited
The wall design is inspired by classic children’s drawings, featuring a tree and a house as central elements. These playful cutouts are raised off the wall, adding depth and texture to the display. The house’s leaves are hinged, allowing visitors to open them and discover information about SSBC’s commissions. Additionally, two screens showcase videos, while smaller panels display images and key details, creating an engaging and interactive storytelling space.
Area for Under 5’s
PLAY
PLAY is a nature-inspired interactive space designed for children aged 0 to 5. It features animals and characters from SSBC marketing materials and Sojo’s videos, creating a familiar and engaging environment for young visitors.
The space is designed using the theory of loose parts, which encourages open-ended play, creativity, and imagination. Children can explore, build, and interact freely, fostering curiosity and a sense of wonder in a playful and immersive setting.
Video Table
Curiosity Table
An illustrated image of SSBC clouds serves as an interactive centrepiece. Equipped with touch-sensitive points, the areas allows visitors to engage with the content in an immersive way. When touched, these points trigger animations and video content, bringing stories of local transformation to life. This dynamic display helps visitors explore SSBC’s impact across different communities in an engaging and visually compelling format.