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Passing Tales
An Inviting Encounter with the Forgotten Past
Multisensory Design · MSc Design for Interaction
An Inviting Encounter with the Forgotten Past
Multisensory Design · MSc Design for InteractionReconnecting urban cyclists with the hidden stories of their surroundings. Passing Tales transforms everyday commuting paths into immersive multi-sensory narratives, using sound and visual cues to create dreamlike encounters that make presence and awareness inevitable during the daily ride.
What if your daily commute could become a dreamlike encounter with history?
Passing Tales is a multisensory installation that transforms an ordinary cycling path by a heritage site into an immersive experience. Inspired by bike ramps, a hidden inflatable surface is embedded in the path and covered with a historical, old-fashioned carpet. As cyclists ride over it, they experience the unexpected sensation of cycling on a carpet — something entirely out of the ordinary. By introducing surprising and emotionally engaging moments like this, the project transforms the mundane routines we experience every day into memorable encounters. Passing Tales reimagines urban heritage as a living, breathing presence rather than a silent backdrop.
Multisensory installation at the historic site
Render of the final prototype hung up on the Hammenpoort gate
Final render of the hanging sculpture with metallic panels
Transforming a cycling commute into a multi-sensory heritage encounter — where sound, spatial design, and texture make the forgotten past impossible to ignore.
Translucent material prototype element
Cyclist's perspective: encountering the installation
Testing if passersby notice the wind chime — a custom-designed piece that catches sunlight and creates a clinging sound as metal rings bump into each other through wind
Project poster