This weekend, the Make Believe Festival will host the latest installment of the Clockwork Watch, bringing to life a project which relies on the public not only for its crowdfunding, but also through their storytelling skills which shape its future.

Set in a retro-futurist vision of Victorian England, the narrative is played out across graphic novels, interactive promenade theatre, freeform role-play, online adventures, an interactive book, and a feature film. We spoke to the man behind this creative 'sandpit,' Yomi Ayeni of Articipate Media.

RR: The Clockwork Underworld is set in a make-believe steampunk universe- for readers who are unfamiliar with the concept, can you explain what steampunk is all about? And why do you think it's become so popular?

YA: Steampunk is an aesthetic set in the Victorian era, at a time when the western world was powered by steam. It's a genre that pays hommage to the industrial age through retro-futurism or anachronism, fashion, culture, music, architecture and art. While it is a sub-genre of science fiction, it differs in the sense that it encourages a 'maker ethos' which has motivated millions of people to create amazing things. The popularity of Steampunk is down to being a 'make believe' thing. For me, it's something life and society really doesn't give us time to explore. When we were children, we had room to role-play, create characters, dream about being Flash Gordon, or Batman. All these things have been replaced by computer games, work, GCI in films, and just life. Steampunk appeals to the child in everyone, you can make objects, clothes, create alter-ego's and craft a story to explain everything. The clothing alone is awe inspiring... 

RR: Your story is being told through graphic novels, interactive promenade theatre, online adventures, an interactive book and a feature film- how do you go about maintaining consistency in your storytelling through so many media- and with so many creatives involved? Or is it not something you're worried about?

YA: It's all about storytelling and experience design. Clockwork Watch is a collaborative storytelling project. With public help, we have co-created a storyworld that is brought to life once a year. This gives our contributors a chance to breathe life into their online characters, further their story arcs, and interact with other storytellers. The aim is to crowdsource the very reason why society forbids a man from falling in love with a woman. This is the central plot of our film, and it is currently being fine tuned by public interventions being made to the Clockwork Watch story. The project launched through an event called "Tomorrow's World Today" (2012), which brought 250 people to a disused tunnel under London Bridge. They stepped into a Victorian world where a fictional government department was showcasing the latest Clockwork technology. People were immersed for nine-hours, and some started to make creative adjustments to our story. There were protests, props and objects were hidden, someone came with flyers denouncing the creation of Clockwork labour and its impact of the British workforce - all unplanned, unrehearsed and spontaneous. When we started selling copies of our first book, Clockwork Watch: The Arrival, many realised some of the people they'd been role-playing with, were characters in the book. Several attendees were even asked to use the electronic telegram (Victorian email service ;) ) to send a review of the event to the "London Gazette" - our fictional online newspaper. We currently have over 400 registered storytellers feeding articles, video clips, images, and letters into our storyworld. All the online content is published under a Creative Commons license, which means contributors own their respective copyright. A Clockwork Watch event was also staged at the 2012 Latitude Festival, where drove a mass protest through the heart of the 40,000 people event. This year we are taking the narrative to the San Diego Comic Con. Clockwork Underworld is the next stage in our storytelling process - we are exploring the seedy underbelly of the Steampunk age.

A sneak peak at the next graphic novel - Breakaway

RR: You crowdfunded this project via IndieGogo- do you think crowdfunding is the future for truly independent creative projects?

YA: It's a direct link to your audience. Financiers are always talking about return on investment, 'bums on seats', etc. This is a guaranteed way to connect with the very people you want to support your creative endeavours. Crowdfunding is more than just raising funds, I see it as a chance to find people who subscribe to your vision even before you have a prototype. It's a contract based on trust - people are giving money, and they trust you to deliver. That is pretty amazing, no bank manager or Angel Investor would ever do that. This is going to be the future of many art projects. We've supported one of our storytellers, who launched a business off the back of a story she contributed. She raised $18,000 which has been used to start her own business venture.

RR: The Clockwork Underworld event on May 3rd is part of the Make Believe Festival- do you think adults would benefit from more time spent using their imagination in events like this?

YA: Many of us live our lives in the glare of the computer screen, and we seem to have allowed adulthood to concrete over our ability to let the mind breathe. I'm pleased to say that the Make Believe Festival is the ultimate antidote to this. We have Victoriana Steampunk on Friday, Saturday is Goblins and Trolls, and Sunday is a family day out - bring the little people and let them know that adults can have fun too!

RR: Were you told stories as a child? Who told you them and which were your favourites?

YA: I wasn't told stories. I spent most of my youth reading comics, role-playing Flash Gordon, Pirates, Cowboy and Indians. I know it sounds bleak, but I grew up by the seaside, we had lots to do and usually got home burnt out! We did make believe in a big way!

RR: If you could hold a Clockwork watch event anywhere in London, where would you choose?

YA: It would be at the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill. It's local to me, and is featured in Clockwork Watch: The Arrival. The event would start as a tea party in the conservatory, and then branch out to the grounds and then inside the museum.

Buy tickets to the Clockwork Underworld and the rest of the Make Believe festival here.