The project investigates structural parallels between traditional crafts, natural ecosystems, and decentralised computational systems. The visual layer, generated through algorithmic processes, brings together the aesthetics of gold and pearl embroidery, botanical ornament, and motifs referencing the architecture of distributed networks: each element is embedded within the preceding one, forming a chain whose integrity is determined by every link. This operational logic proves common to craft, nature, and computational structures alike.
The interaction is organised as a three-level game mechanic. Using standard gamepads, participants assemble a digital puzzle in a central reservoir situated on the floor of the space; the game logic is implemented in Unity. Completing each level sequentially unlocks a new visual layer of the panoramic wall projection, managed through TouchDesigner. Once all three levels are finished, participants reveal the final image in full. One or two people may interact simultaneously, while dozens of observers witness the unfolding process.
The exhibition space lends the project an additional layer of meaning. The installation is situated in a former dairy storage room on the grounds of the Imperial Farm at Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve. The architecture of the floor-level reservoirs is woven organically into the work's visual logic, reinterpreting the historical agricultural infrastructure as an environment for exploring connections between heterogeneous systems.
The sound layer is built around an original composition extended by generative atmospheric material. This continuous sonic environment establishes a unified acoustic space within which the interactive process unfolds.
The project interrogates the boundaries between the human, the natural, and the technological. The system's dependence on cooperation becomes visible: each individual action shapes the overall configuration. Sequential embedding emerges as a universal organisational principle, and the very process of forming connections between disparate elements is made available to direct observation.
The project was realised as part of the group exhibition "Crypto/Farm", a joint initiative of the Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve and the Art & Science Centre of ITMO University, supported by Sberbank PJSC. The exhibition opened at the historic Imperial Farm complex and forms part of the large-scale project "Art Farm of Tsarskoye Selo", Saint Petersburg, Russia, in June 2025.
Author: Lucien Sound: Franko, Lucien Gameplay developer: Ruslan Bobko Interactive developer: Nastya Verzhbitskaya Media engineer: Ivan Preston
