An interview with Roma Patel, co-founder of Makers of Imaginary Worlds.
Nottingham-based Makers of Imaginary Worlds blend traditional crafts with immersive technology to create interactive, sensory-rich experiences for children. With support from Create Growth N2 (CGN2), co-founders Roma Patel and Rachel Ramchurn have taken their latest innovative project to the next level, refining their business model to reach new audiences.
Tell us about Makers of Imaginary Worlds
We create interactive experiences and performances for families, combining traditional crafts with cutting-edge technologies to encourage hands-on engagement, sensory interaction, and creativity. Our audience ranges from babies to children up to 10 years old, depending on the show. We believe that creating environments that spark imagination is key to encourage play between parents and children.
Using mixed reality, we can incorporate crafts – such as felt and other materials – and combine them with interactive technology to give a magical experience. For example, a child touching a flower might trigger a sound. We aim to create a world that comes alive, immersing children in magical experiences.
What inspired the idea for the business?
It really began when I had my daughter 16 years ago. I started taking her to various interactive theatre performances, and I noticed that the shows she remembered the most were those that allowed children to engage directly with the performance, like stepping on stage.
I became interested in combining digital technologies with traditional crafts to make these experiences more memorable. While exploring 3D modelling and virtual reality, I realised they didn’t quite suit very young audiences. At the time, I was teaching part-time at Nottingham Trent University while working as a theatre designer, so I decided to pursue a PhD focusing on how mixed reality could create interactive theatre for children under three years old.
How did the business begin?
My colleague Rachel Ramchurn and I first worked together on Enchanted Forest, an installation developed in 2017 during my PhD. The resilience of the technology we used in Enchanted Forest demonstrated its potential for creating play spaces that blend art and technology, and our collaboration on the project inspired us to launch Makers of Imaginary Worlds in 2019.
How did you secure funding to grow?
We became members of the Ingenuity Lab at the University of Nottingham and met Small Step Big Changes (SSBC) at an Ingenuity Lab funding event, learned about their funding opportunities and applied separately for SSBC funding.
Our first commission as Makers of Imaginary Worlds was Coral Garden, an interactive installation supported by SSBC funding in July 2019, which was showcased at St Ann’s Library in Nottingham in February 2020. That project helped us to build local recognition, building connections and raising awareness of our work.
In September 2019, we also secured funding from Arts Council England to expand Coral Garden into Undiscovered Island, which opened in August 2021 – a little later than planned due to COVID-19 delays.
Since then, we have continued to grow, securing further funding and successfully launching four touring art installations – exploring sensors, robotics, kinetic, and interactive art – along with two interactive touring performances, one SEN installation, and two public exhibitions. These projects have engaged thousands of adults, children, and families across the UK in galleries, museums, festivals, libraries, theatres, and community centres.
How did CGN2 support your business development?
It was through the CGN2 programme that we gained a deeper understanding of the business landscape, learned how to secure investment in the immersive technology industry, and built valuable business relationships.
We already had strong connections in the creative sector, with support from the University of Nottingham and Creative Nottingham’s community funding scheme, but we realised that marketing was a weak point for us. Since our installations rely on funding, we wanted to create a more sustainable business model and product.
This led to the development of iSTEP – an interactive product based on the concept of stepping stones that produce different sounds when activated. The idea is to create a symphony of sounds that children can play with together, rather than just one person interacting with the technology at a time.
We’re also committed to sustainability and working with natural or recycled materials wherever possible. Through CGN2, we’ve had the opportunity to meet and partner with companies like Future Makers to create our iSTEP prototype using sustainable practices, which we showcased with CGN2 at The Big Creative UK Summit in London in March 2025.
What’s next for your business?
We’re continuing to develop the iSTEP and see where the market might be for it. We want to bring it to spaces like train stations, airports, and shopping centres, where it can provide a creative, interactive experience that engages children in public settings. At the same time, we’re committed to expanding our interactive installations and performances so our work can reach more families.
By blending art, technology, and sustainability, we’ll continue to develop innovative projects that encourage hands-on play and spark imaginations.
CGN2 offers fully funded business support to help creative, digital, and creative technology businesses in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire thrive. See if you’re eligible for our free business support programmes and apply today!
