Identity crisis

24 : 02 : 2017 DELETE : Generation I : The Sharded Self

Montreal – DELETE is an interactive exhibition designed to teach 8–12-year-olds about the vulnerability of their personal data.

  • The experience forces children to consider the fate of information submitted online
  • After encountering four rooms, the audience has the option to delete the digital record of their experience
SELECT installation at DELETE by Iregular, Montreal. Photography by Giacomo Ferron SELECT installation at DELETE by Iregular, Montreal. Photography by Giacomo Ferron
EMERGE installation at DELETE by Iregular, Montreal. Photography by Giacomo Ferron EMERGE installation at DELETE by Iregular, Montreal. Photography by Giacomo Ferron
COLLECT installation at DELETE by Iregular, Montreal. Photography by Giacomo Ferron COLLECT installation at DELETE by Iregular, Montreal. Photography by Giacomo Ferron

Blending digital and physical experiences, the show, created by Daniel Iregui and Michel Lefebvre in collaboration with Youtheatre, begins and ends on the d.elete.co website. Children are first asked for a nickname and personal data. They are then presented with four rooms, each using light and sound to blur the lines between the real and the virtual.

The first room, COLLECT, immerses the audience in a waterfall of data, questioning the overwhelming amount of information processed every day. Acknowledging Generation I’s numerous social media profiles and inclination towards The Sharded Self, the next room, IDENTIFY, uses mirrors to multiply the audience's reflections, which are then manipulated to move independently. At the end of the installation the children can choose to delete the digital record of the experience from the microsite.

Iregui, founder and creative director of Iregular, told The Creators Project that the inspiration arose from our everyday relationships with smartphones. ‘We were talking to kids that were born with this technology, so for them that is how life works – you are in so many places at the same time and almost never present in the current moment.’

The Big Picture

By confronting children to examine the various realities they live in and traces of data they leave behind, brands can awaken a generation coming of age in the midst of The Sharded Self. For more insight on Generation I, read our macrotrend.

Discover More Daily Signals
The Trend: The Great Beauty Blur

Daily Signals

The Trend: The Great Beauty Blur

2025 marks a critical inflection point for beauty. The sector, once defined by diversity and creativity, has grown increasingly monotonous, as glob...
Beauty : Wellness : Identity
The Big Idea: Neo-community Market

Daily Signals

The Big Idea: Neo-community Market

Brands are redefining engagement by transforming followers into communities where belonging is the ultimate currency.
Beauty : Engagement : Community
The Campaign: The Ordinary exposes beauty industry buzzwords in dystopian new video

Daily Signals

The Campaign: The Ordinary exposes beauty industry buzzwords in dystopian new video

In a provocative campaign in October 2025, skincare brand The Ordinary called out the beauty industry’s reliance on pseudo-scientific language.
Beauty : Skincare : Cosmetics
The Viewpoint: Reframing Ageing

Daily Signals

The Viewpoint: Reframing Ageing

Jacynth Bassett, founder and CEO of Ageism Is Never In Style, is reshaping the conversation around ageing, positioning it as a privilege rather tha...
Beauty : Marketing : Ageing
The Space: Koyia perfumery asks customers to pay with time rather than money

Daily Signals

The Space: Koyia perfumery asks customers to pay with time rather than money

In September 2025, Swedish fragrance brand Koyia introduced a forest-based retail concept where the only currency is time.
Beauty : Retail : Fragrance
The Trend:  The New Age of Discovery

Daily Signals

The Trend:  The New Age of Discovery

Where can consumers still find newness amid algorithm fatigue, ad blockers and saturated content platforms? Part of the answer lies in gatekeeping ...
Technology : Discovery : Retail
The Big Idea: The Future of  Dating Apps

Daily Signals

The Big Idea: The Future of Dating Apps

Hinge is the ‘designed to be deleted’ dating app now turning to real-life connections to tackle Gen Z loneliness. The Future Laboratory spoke to pr...
Technology : Dating Apps : Hinge
The Campaign: Why Apple leaned into artisanal charm for 2025 festive push

Daily Signals

The Campaign: Why Apple leaned into artisanal charm for 2025 festive push

Apple’s 2025 Christmas campaign A Critter Carol puts human craftsmanship front and centre.
Technology : Advertising & Branding : Apple
The Viewpoint: Cyberchondria and Its Cure

Daily Signals

The Viewpoint: Cyberchondria and Its Cure

The democratisation of medical knowledge – and the spread of fake news – has opened the doors to a new kind of cyberchondria. Jay Topham, co-founde...
Technology : Cyberchondria : Health
The Space: Koibird’s London store mixes digital and physical

Daily Signals

The Space: Koibird’s London store mixes digital and physical

A new wave of designers is bridging the virtual chaos of gaming realms and extended reality with the tactile authenticity of human craft.  
Technology : Retail : Design
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN