PARSONS SCHOOL OF
DESIGN PRESENTS:

Twice Upon A Time

Christine Chang

AI Storytelling Technologist & Creative Coder
Chris is an artist and designer with a background in design and technology. She specialize in creative coding and AI-driven storytelling. Chris has honed problem-solving skills using HTML, machine learning, AI, and JavaScript, and has explored storytelling tools such as p5.js and Unity. Her education and training inspire them to blend technology with a unique storytelling style.
Thesis Faculty
Jesse HardingBrad MacDonald

ABOUT

Twice Upon A Time is an interactive storytelling experience that combines physical computing with AI-driven voice cloning, creating an intimate, personalized storytelling experience.

Designed for a single participant—while inviting others to observe—the experience begins when they first interact with a treasure chest. This chest connects two stories, “The Golden Key” and “The Puppet-Show Man,” in a symbolic way.

[Read more about Twice Upon A Time on my portfolio website!]

THE GOLDEN KEY

The Golden Key, being the final tale in Grimm’s Fairy Tales, is also one of the shortest. It ends on an open note, inviting the reader to imagine what “the wonderful things” inside the chest might be. I found that gesture deeply inspiring. [read the original story]

With Twice Upon A Time, I want to extend that invitation to my audience—to show them what I imagine is inside the chest: a reimagined version of The Puppet-Show Man, rewritten to reflect my own life story.

THE PUPPET-SHOW MAN

In its original form, The Puppet-Show Man tells the story of a cheerful puppet-show owner who comes to appreciate his simple, happy life after a magical experience shows him the troubles of managing puppets that have turned into real actors. [read the original story]

I adapted the story to end on a more hopeful, affirming note. In my version, after speaking with each of the puppets, the puppeteer feels reassured and satisfied—grateful for every stage of life they’ve experienced.

Two stories, one chest, and a journey through past and self—Twice Upon a Time awaits.