From Digital Storytelling to Physical Experience

 

The project took a new direction when Mark received a replica of a ceremonial vessel in recognition of his contributions to cacao research.

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The vessel created a tangible connection to the broader story Mark had been documenting—the cultural history of cacao, the traditions of the people who cultivate it, and the deep roots of cacao in Ecuador and Central America.

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Through his research, Mark had traveled to cacao-growing communities across Central America, documenting farmers, their experiences, agricultural traditions, and the ways cacao farming had changed over time. The vessel gave us an opportunity to bring those stories together around a physical object with its own cultural significance.

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Rather than treating the vessel as an artifact to simply display, I began exploring how it could become the centerpiece of a larger public experience, connecting the object, the science, the farmers, and the cultural history of cacao.

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What began as a proposed website was evolving into something that could be experienced in physical space.