Branching Stories

Aadjan van der Helm2025, Future Libraries, Interactive Environment

Branching Stories is designed to rekindle people’s interest in reading.

The installation lets people walk through an interactive story. Creating an experience that makes reading feel easier, more inviting, and more exciting — especially for visitors who feel that starting a book requires effort, time, or confidence they don’t always have.

Several hanging flowers are lit by individual lights, in an immersive forest. Only one is lit at first. When you approach it, the story begins and you choose how it continues. After each choice, new objects light up to guide the next part of the story.

Each experience presents a complete sequence of story fragments, allowing visitors to engage with the narrative at their own pace.

Students: Ezra Spruijt, Just de Boer, Chengxiao Wu & Kris Borrell