Hetain Patel’s ‘Come As You Really Are’ celebrates the creativity people bring to their spare time – from making and modifying to crafting and collecting

Come As You Really Are is a nationwide project presented by award-winning artist and Spider-Man enthusiast Hetain Patel and commissioned by arts organisation Artangel, in partnership with Derby Museums. The exhibition opening at the Museum of Making this month serves as a contemporary portrait of the UK as seen through the lens of the nation’s hobbies.

At the heart of the exhibition is a new film by Patel, blending high-end cinematic production with everyday scenes that highlight the joy and dedication found in pastimes often enjoyed quietly at home or with friends. Visitors to the Museum of Making will recognise the model railway, which is lovingly created and maintained by volunteers here at the museum and has a starring role in the film.

In January 2024, people from across the UK responded to a public call-out for information about their hobbies, with over 1,500 respondees sharing their personal stories of what these activities mean to them and why they pursue them with such dedication. The diversity of hobbies submitted are showcased in the film being shown, which features familiar pastimes such as arts and crafts, knitting, Lego creations, Warhammer models, football shirt collecting, car modification and miniature model making, alongside lesser-known hobbies, including doll customisation, micro-ceramics, chainmail jewellery, making banjos, and firelighters handmade from citrus peels.

Artist Hetain Patel said: “There is a vulnerability in sharing something so personal, which often happens in private spaces around the responsibilities of daily life. But there is also a tremendous power in sharing collectively, which is at the heart of this project. I hope people join us in this celebration of the unstoppable nature of self-expression that is demonstrated by our hobbies.”

Mariam Zulfiqar, Director of Artangel, said: “Hetain Patel’s work has always invited us to reflect on identity as multidimensional and complex. For Come As You Really Are, he extended an invitation to people around the UK, asking them to share the pastimes that form part of their identity.

“This nationwide project has been made possible through a network of partners across the UK, and could only have been achieved with the generous contributions from the many hundreds of participants. We hope people enjoy seeing this very public presentation of the activities that enrich our lives.”

Janine Derbyshire, Head of Exhibitions and Events at Derby Museums, added: “It is wonderful that the work of our incredible model railway volunteers is featured within Hetain Patel’s film, Come As You Really Are. It is a testament to the time and dedication that they, and all hobbyists, give to their specialist interests and passions. I think this project will really resonate with our visitors, encouraging them to share their hobbies and perhaps even pick up a new one.”

Hetain Patel is an award-winning British-Gujarati artist and filmmaker. Much of his practice is derived from his childhood hobbies and interests, including his lifelong passion for Spider-Man. Patel’s films, sculptures, live performances, paintings and photographs have been shown worldwide in galleries, theatres and on iconic public screens, including Piccadilly Circus, London, and Times Square, New York. In 2013, the artist created his first sculpture, Fiesta Transformer, when he converted his car into a real-life Transformer robot with the help of his father. Come As You Really Are is Patel’s most ambitious and far-reaching project to date.

National partners include Museum of Making, Derby Museums; Factory International, Manchester; Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea; Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool; National Festival of Making with Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery; Wolverhampton Art Gallery; Barnsley Civic; Inverness Museum and Art Gallery; Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Sunderland; CCA Derry~Londonderry; Hospitalfield, Arbroath; and Tate St Ives.