Escaping the Strange Loop

Escaping the Strange Loopis a touring interactive installation that transforms climate and energy data into a physically navigable, narrative-rich experience. Designed for public engagement across Europe, it invites teams of three to step into a looping timeline, 2050, 2080, and 2100 and make real-time decisions about energy futures.

Usinglive projections,d3.js visualizations,Arduino-powered mission consoles, and afinal “hologram” prototype, the project immerses everyday visitors in the trade-offs of climate policy through storytelling and embodied interaction.

EUROfusion and CIID set out to solve a major problem:

How can we make fusion energy and its place in a complex global climate system tangible, human, and emotionally engaging for non-experts?

Most people encounter energy data through static infographics or dense reports.Strange Loopbreaks that mould by turning scientific models into live, participatory futures.

AsUX & Digital / Physical Prototype Developer, I was responsible for bridging the physical and digital layers of the experience. My work included:

Designing and building theArduino-based mission consolesused to trigger narrative branches and log participant decisions 📷 es_04 📷 es_06

Developingd3.js visualizationsof policy choices and energy artefacts 📷 es_03

Coordinating thedata interfacewith a Node.js narrative engine and synchronized media projections

Helping structure the spatial and interaction logic of the looped mission sequence 📷 es_01 📷 es_07

Building the“holographic finale” prototype, a glowing planetary object that visualized cumulative group decisions 📷 es_05

The exhibition layout formed acircular “strange loop”:

Visitors began in2050, encountered branching narratives based on energy trade-offs, and progressed to2080and2100

Each loop presentedmission artefacts projected data stories, policy vignettes, or physical touchpoints.

Participants interacted with acustom consoleat each station using ID badges to make collective decisions.

Their journey concluded at aplanet hologram, a lo-fi light sculpture that reflected the outcome of their path.

Key interaction principles:

Embodied navigationthrough time

Collaborative decision-makingvia tangible hardware

Narrative immersionled by an AI guide calledGAIA

Latency: We needed low-lag projection responses across distributed physical inputs, Node.js + Arduino performed flawlessly

Narrative pacing: Early tests revealed cognitive overload; we introducedGAIAto guide timing and reduce friction

Scenario scope: Originally four loops (incl. 2030), we pared it down to three for deeper engagement

Post-show data: Visitors asked for take-home insights sparking plans for a digital companion tool

Toured acrossmultiple European citiesto audiences of scientists, students, policymakers, and the general public

Participants referred to policy artefacts and timeline events as if they werereal, showing deep immersion.

EUROfusion reported stronger public understanding and emotional connection to fusion energy scenarios.

Earned multiple recognitions across design and interaction awards for its speculative, educational, and civic impact

Proud of:

Designing hardware and interfaces that made complex data feel tactile and human.

Helping people see themselves asagentsin long-term energy decisions not just observers

Challenges:

Building stable hardware that synced seamlessly with evolving narrative logic

Testing interactions across varied group dynamics, from families to expert researchers