rebellious asian kid(t)

It is a practice-based research project exploring how humour can be used as a design strategy to challenge hierarchy and create safe spaces for dialogue within Asian families. In cultures shaped by filial piety, emotional restraint, and the need to “save face,” even ordinary behaviours can be seen as rebellion. This project reframes those tensions through satire and speculative design to reveal empathy beneath conflict.

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At its centre is the Very Very Very Important Survival Handbook in Asian Families, an identity-neutral guide that invites all family members to reflect on shared emotions and misunderstandings. Each tool encourages users to act playfully or even a little ridiculous, using humour to turn tension into laughter and laughter into conversation.

Supported by speculative artefacts including the Apology Spoon, Compliment Voucher Book, and Hear-Me-Out Megaphone, the project reimagines humour as a compassionate strategy for breaking hierarchy and rebuilding emotional connection.