Happitat Bangkok
Forest of Time

Visitors join Forest of Time through their smartphones by scanning a QR code and creating a
unique digital essence that becomes their presence within the forest. Together, participants work to restore a forgotten ecosystem, awaken Ancient Guardians and reveal endangered and extinct wildlife from Southeast Asia.
 

Animals initially exist as hidden fragments of light within the environment and are gradually
revealed through collective interaction. Each discovery unlocks the animal within the Forest
Codex, a shared digital archive that combines storytelling with scientific information about the
species, its conservation or extinction status and the life it once led within its natural habitat.

Created for Bangkok Happitat's Grand Stairs and its monumental digital screen, Forest of Time transforms a large-scale architectural display into a living, interactive digital ecosystem. Rather than presenting visitors with a passive content loop, the experience invites multiple participants to directly influence and transform the environment in real time.

No single visitor can restore the forest alone. Fragments of light respond only to sustained, shared interaction, so strangers standing on the Grand Stairs end up coordinating with one another without ever needing to speak. The condition of the forest at any given moment is simply the sum of who is present and what they are doing.

Every session begins with the forest dormant and ends with whatever that particular crowd managed to awaken, so no two are ever the same. Once an animal has been released it remains in the Codex until the next session begins, which turns timing into part of the experience and gives returning visitors something new to look for each time they come back.

Scope of work 

We served as end-to-end creative and technology partner, handling creative concept, experience design, content production, and technical execution.

We designed the narrative world, visitor journey, and multi-user interaction mechanics, then built the real-time visuals and interactive technology behind the experience.

Built on Ventuz, the system lets multiple visitors act on the same evolving world at once - the forest responds live as audiences collaborate to reveal species and restore the ecosystem. Designed for public spaces, it's built for intuitive participation via visitors' own devices, with no controllers or wearables required.

Visitors join Forest of Time through their smartphones by scanning a QR code and creating a
unique digital essence that becomes their presence within the forest. Together, participants work to restore a forgotten ecosystem, awaken Ancient Guardians and reveal endangered and extinct wildlife from Southeast Asia.
 

Animals initially exist as hidden fragments of light within the environment and are gradually
revealed through collective interaction. Each discovery unlocks the animal within the Forest
Codex, a shared digital archive that combines storytelling with scientific information about the
species, its conservation or extinction status and the life it once led within its natural habitat.

Forest of Time was developed end to end by borabora studios, from narrative and art direction through to the interactive system itself. Real-time engines drive both the monumental screen and the synchronised mobile interface, holding many simultaneous participants inside a single shared world.

The experience is designed to be read entirely visually so that it works in an open, busy public space, and its structure is modular: new species, seasons and chapters can be introduced over time, allowing the forest to keep growing alongside the venue.