FIELD:

Playful|Interactive|Storytelling|Installation

CLIENT:

Personal Project

TEAM:

Han Bao

YEAR:

2026

DIMENSION:

30cm * 30cm * 7cm

Parallel Hour

about.

Parallel Hour is an interactive installation where pulling a real string unravels a digital red line representing the present moment. As the line stretches, it splits into parallel paths, suggesting alternate versions of the same time. These possibilities briefly coexist before collapsing into a single remaining line. Along it, AI-generated text reveals what a parallel version of the user might be doing. The work invites reflection on time as multiple, shifting possibilities rather than a fixed path.

Parallel Hour is an interactive installation where pulling a real string unravels a digital red line representing the present moment. As the line stretches, it splits into parallel paths, suggesting alternate versions of the same time. These possibilities briefly coexist before collapsing into a single remaining line. Along it, AI-generated text reveals what a parallel version of the user might be doing. The work invites reflection on time as multiple, shifting possibilities rather than a fixed path.

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story.

The idea for Parallel Hour started with a simple question: what else could be happening at this exact moment? Time usually feels continuous and fixed, but I kept wondering if every second might hold multiple unseen possibilities. I wanted to make this abstract idea something people could physically experience.

The gesture of pulling a string became central to the project. It felt intuitive—like extracting something hidden. As the line is pulled and begins to split, it reveals a brief glimpse of other possible versions of the present, before collapsing back into one.

This project is my way of turning an invisible thought into something tangible—inviting people to momentarily step into another version of their own time.

detail.

Interaction

  • User input: Pulling a physical string

  • Feedback: A digital red line unravels, branches, and collapses into one path

  • Design focus: Intuitive interaction, no instructions needed; user controls pacing and outcome

Tech Stack

  • Hardware: ESP32, string encoder, Raspberry Pi

  • Software: JavaScript, WebSerial, OpenAI API

Designing across disciplines
— digital, spatial, playful, and strategic.

hb2905@nyu.edu

All rights reserved

Han Bao ©2026

Designing across disciplines
— digital, spatial, playful, and strategic.

hb2905@nyu.edu

All rights reserved

Han Bao ©2026

Designing across disciplines
digital, spatial, playful, and strategic.

hb2905@nyu.edu

All rights reserved, Han Bao ©2026