Interlinked

Interlinked is an immersive experience that explores how human actions impact the natural world. Through interactive challenges, teens learn about empathy, collaboration, and ecological responsibility.

The installation will feature as part of the Arts by the Sea Festival and is a collaborative project between AUB, Bourne Academy, and BCP Council.

It was developed as a collaborative effort between Gianna González Watterston, Rachel Taylor, and Sam Thompson.

The Brief

Design an urban intervention for the Arts by the Sea Festival that creates a deeper connection between teenagers and the natural world. The goal was to create accessible, inclusive public spaces that support healing, regeneration, and improved well-being by reconnecting young people with nature.

View my 'Interlinked' process book

Interlinked Pitch

Our key insights

‘UK teens spend over 7 hours a day on screens’.

‘Only 26% of UK teens visit green spaces at least once a week’.

‘Most parks and outdoor areas aren’t built for teens’.

Research

- ‘Soil: The world at our feet’.

- Michael Pawlyn Biomimicry Design.

- Moors Valley, Dorset, UK.

- Kew Gardens by Wolfgang Buttress, London.

- The Eden Project, Cornwall, UK.

- Island of Light by Tonkin Liu, Taiwan.

- Gardens by the Bay, Singapore.

Eleven Miles — ‘Soil: The world at our feet’

Target Audience & User

Our project is aimed at teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17.

We also had a specific user from the Bourne Academy called ‘Liam’, who is an outdoorsy and nature-loving teen who enjoys activities such as hiking or camping. ‘Liam’ likes socialising in person and preferably in natural settings; he dislikes urban settings. He doesn’t spend a lot of time in town as there is “no reason to go”.

He is drawn to interventions that use light and involve physical activity, and he also has a preference for responsive tech that creates immersive and sensory experiences.

Our Narrative

‘Liam’ steps into the glowing mushroom-shaped dome and is drawn into a living, breathing ecosystem that responds to every decision he makes. Through touchpads and shifting lights, he allocates water, nutrients, and care, only to watch imbalance ripple outward when choices are made without thought.

Trees dim, mushrooms pulse red, and the system falters unless teens collaborate. What begins as a game becomes a lesson in empathy, interdependence, and ecological ethics. Luke leaves changed, aware that every action matters, not just for him, but for everything connected to him.

Interlinked's Structure

This map illustrates our intervention within the assigned location: the fields of Bournemouth Lower Gardens.

Our key highlights the main components of the installation, which spans the entire area to create an immersive, site-specific experience, as well as take advantage and make use of our assigned zone.

Designed with diverse needs in mind, the space includes distinct zones, some lively and some quiet, to offer something for everyone. The entire installation is step-free and laid out at ground level, ensuring full accessibility for people of all abilities.

Map of Interlinked in Bournemouth Lower Gardens.

Visual Inspiration

Our visual language draws inspiration from Michael Pawlyn and the principles of biomimicry, reflecting nature’s efficiency and elegance in our structural design.

We were particularly influenced by the organic forms and networks found in mycelium.

On a technical level, we looked to Squid Soup’s interactive installations, especially ‘Bugs2/Infestation’ and ‘Flow’, for their use of responsive projections and immersive digital environments.

Sustainable Materials

The main structures would be made out of dense mycelium, which would be reinforced with natural fibres such as bamboo, to make the structure more durable. As mycelium is sensitive to moisture, the structures would be sealed with natural sealants, such as beeswax.

The root pathways & lights in the installation would be L.E.D. lights that only activate when interaction is detected via sensors. There would also be solar panels with battery storage that can power the installation off-grid or at night.

For the touch screens, we would use recycled tablets or TV monitors.

Introducing Interlinked

We want ‘Liam’ to have a profound experience that shifts how he sees his place in the natural world. Through responsive, multi-sensory installations, he witnesses how his actions ripple across a living network, revealing the deep interconnections that sustain life.

At the heart of the space is a mushroom-shaped dome where teens make decisions that affect the ecosystem, allocating resources like water, nutrients, or care through interactive touchpads. These choices trigger real-time changes across the field, where glowing structures respond dynamically, illustrating balance, imbalance, and the consequences of neglect or excess.

Inside the Mycodome

The experience encourages not just action, but reflection. Teens must read the signs of a system under stress, weigh short-term solutions against long-term sustainability, and work together to maintain harmony. It’s a test of empathy as much as strategy, showing that no one can manage a living system alone. This isn’t just interaction for fun, it’s a powerful simulation of ecological ethics and shared responsibility.

How does it work?

When the structures receive sufficient nutrients and care they are signaled by calming blue pulses, and respond with green glows, this symbolises strength and balance. Mushrooms, trees and flowers come to life through rhythmic pulses, showing attention and support, and breathe energy into the system.

But when teens choose not to provide support or fail to act, they face consequences. Structures fade and then die. Red danger systems begin to pulse, simulating threats like drought or disease and without intervention, entire areas of the network collapse.

Game as displayed on screens inside the MycoDome.

Branding

Our branding is inspired by the natural forms and intricate networks of mycelium structures. Much like the design of our installation, it is guided by the principles of biomimicry, aiming to reflect the intelligence and interconnectedness found in nature.

We wanted our logo and overall visual identity to communicate the direct connection between humans and the natural world, reinforcing the core concept behind the project.

Brand Language

Our aim is to capture the attention of teens, spark curiosity, and encourage meaningful engagement with the experience.

Through our language, we want to inspire reflection and prompt questions like, “What can I do to help, and how do I do it?”, turning interaction into action.

Connection to nature

- This system transforms how teens engage with nature by visualising hidden ecological processes.

- It educates users on fungal communication through reactive feedback and rewards with visible environmental changes.

- By mapping complex underground systems in ways that feel intuitive it allows teens to understand how life depends on these connections, without needing a scientific background.

- This creates empathy for the unseen, helping teens recognise that even invisible systems support visible life.

- By revealing nature’s hidden networks, the experience deepens care, understanding, and responsibility toward the ecosystems beneath our feet.

Projections showing how animals are affected by decisions too.

Responsive light signals.

Image showing our installation at night time.

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