THE SPIRIT OF CHOCOLATE
From Cacao Research to an Immersive Public Experience
01 — THE STORY
The project began with a conversation between myself and Mark Guiltinan, whose research into cacao had taken him across Central America documenting the lives, traditions, and changing practices of cacao farmers.
Through interviews, photography, and video, Mark was collecting stories about why people farm cacao, the cultural traditions surrounding it, and how agricultural practices had evolved over generations.
My initial idea was to create a digital platform where those stories could live beyond the research itself—a website combining Mark’s photography, video, interviews, and research to introduce a broader public to the people and traditions behind cacao.
The goal was simple:
Turn research into a story people could experience.
02 — THE ARTIFACT
The project took a new direction when Mark received a replica of a ceremonial vessel in recognition of his contributions to cacao research.
The vessel created a physical 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.
Mark’s work had taken him into cacao-growing communities across Central America, where he documented 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.
Rather than treating it 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.
The project had evolved from a proposed website into something that could be experienced in a physical space.
03 — THE VISION
Designing a Permanent Cacao Experience
As the idea developed, Mark and I met with the Penn State Arboretum to explore the possibility of creating a permanent installation dedicated to the story of cacao.
I developed a concept for a gazebo-like structure that would combine physical architecture, storytelling, and renewable energy.
Solar power would drive the rotation of the structure, creating changing patterns and visual relationships that would reveal different aspects of the cacao story as visitors moved around it.
The Arboretum identified two potential locations for the installation, moving the project from a conceptual idea toward a potential permanent public experience.
The larger vision was no longer simply to display research.
04 — THE EXPERIENCE
The Tritome
The opportunity to bring the project into the public sphere arrived through an event at the Ecuadorian Embassy, where the Guiltinan Lab and the Huck Science-Art team were featured as part of a gathering of more than 300 guests and dignitaries.
I proposed creating a smaller, portable version of the larger installation concept for the event.
Rather than simply displaying the ceremonial vessel, the installation would use it as the centerpiece of an interactive storytelling experience—while also creating a tangible tool for future outreach and fundraising.
The result was the Tritome: a portable multimedia installation combining a custom physical structure with two interactive BrightSign displays.
I designed the experience to bring together photography, video, interviews, research, and interactive content, allowing visitors to explore the story of cacao through multiple forms of media.
The physical vessel became the anchor.
The interactive media became the storytelling layer.
The graphic and visual system connected the experience into a cohesive whole.
And the installation became a way for people to move from:
ARTIFACT → RESEARCH → PEOPLE → PLACE
The Ecuadorian Embassy
The Tritome was presented at an event attended by more than 300 guests and dignitaries, providing an opportunity to introduce the project to an international audience and demonstrate how research could be transformed into an engaging public experience.
The installation was designed not simply to be viewed, but to be explored.
Visitors could interact with the displays, examine the vessel, watch documentary content, and engage with stories about cacao and the people who cultivate it.
05 — BEYOND THE EVENT
From Exhibition to Traveling Platform
The Tritome was designed to exist beyond a single event.
Following its presentation at the Ecuadorian Embassy, the installation traveled to multiple locations as a portable platform for public engagement and storytelling. Its modular format allowed the experience to move between environments while maintaining its core visual and interactive story.
The Tritome is now positioned for a permanent home at the Ecuadorian Embassy, while the larger Arboretum concept continues to represent a pathway toward a permanent, solar-powered experiential installation.
What began as an idea for a website evolved into a multifaceted public experience spanning digital storytelling, graphic design, video, interactive media, physical installation, and experiential design.
Making Research Experiential
Spirit of Chocolate demonstrates how a complex research story can evolve across formats while maintaining a cohesive visual and narrative experience—from digital content and documentary storytelling to physical artifacts, interactive media, and immersive environments.
The result was not simply a way to tell the story of cacao. It was a way for audiences to enter the story.