17
May
18
When Technology Meets Storytelling
Storytelling has always adapted to the tools available, from ink on paper to digital streaming. In 2025, filmmakers are exploring even more unconventional mediums, bridging technology and narrative in ways that feel playful, yet meaningful. Christian Svanes Kolding exemplifies this approach. By embedding a crossword inside a QR code for his film The Things We Keep, he not only guides viewers to extra content, but also transforms the act of scanning into an intellectual and tactile experience.
The audience doesn’t just watch — they engage, decode, and explore the story on a meta level. This intersection of cinema and interactive design is what makes modern storytelling so compelling. It’s not about replacing traditional media, but rather about creating new dimensions where the audience becomes a part of the narrative’s structure.
Christian Svanes Kolding’s Puzzle Innovation
At MoMA’s recent Talk to Me exhibition, Svanes Kolding offered visitors a unique opportunity: the chance to interact with his film through a QR code that doubled as a crossword. The puzzle wasn’t random — each clue highlighted specific themes, characters, or objects from the film, creating a layered narrative experience. As Svanes Kolding noted, crafting matrices of two- and three-letter words that fit the puzzle while staying faithful to the film’s content was a painstaking task.
Yet the effort transformed a simple QR code into a commemorative object, blurring the lines between souvenir, narrative, and game. Visitors didn’t just leave with information; they left with an artifact that embodied the story. In a world oversaturated with digital media, this tactile engagement felt refreshing — something between a riddle and a film frame that you could carry with you.
QR Codes: From Automotive Tool to Artistic Medium
Originally invented by Toyota’s Denso Wave in 1994 to track vehicles on the production line, QR codes have evolved far beyond their industrial roots. Today, they appear on menus, posters, and even murals. However, most usage remains transactional — a quick link to a website, an app download, or a payment screen. Svanes Kolding’s project illustrates the untapped creative potential of QR codes and how they can serve as vessels for storytelling rather than mere gateways.
By embedding a crossword puzzle, he turns a functional tool into a medium for artistic exploration. The design isn’t merely aesthetic; it’s an interactive dialogue between the creator and the audience, inviting engagement that a conventional QR link could never achieve. The act of scanning becomes an act of curiosity, participation, and reflection — the kind of experience that art should always aspire to provoke.
Challenges Behind The Code
Creating a crossword inside a QR code is far from trivial. Beyond the mathematical precision needed for scannability, each word had to align with thematic intentions, fit into a grid, and remain legible to smartphone cameras. Svanes Kolding himself admitted the process consumed considerable time, emphasizing that the complexity lies not in encoding data but in crafting a meaningful, playable experience. The project became a test of both patience and discipline, balancing form, function, and emotional narrative.
It’s a rare fusion of algorithmic rigor and creative intuition — where the designer must think like both a coder and a poet. Every square in the grid carried meaning, and every clue carried emotion. The result is not just an artifact but a proof of concept that technology, when used imaginatively, can become poetry written in pixels.
The Dialogue Between Film and Viewer
What makes this approach so fascinating is its subtle encouragement of exploration. Instead of passively absorbing content, viewers must actively engage with it, using logic, memory, and curiosity to solve the puzzle. In doing so, they internalize the film’s themes more deeply, creating a personal connection to the story. Svanes Kolding sees QR codes not as isolated utilities, but as conversation starters — small nudges that spark curiosity and reflection.
When executed thoughtfully, the intersection of code and narrative can transform storytelling into a participatory experience. The viewer becomes an investigator, the film a labyrinth, and the QR code a doorway into meaning. It’s design as dialogue — where each interaction builds a shared story between creator and observer.
Future Possibilities and Design Reflections
The potential for QR codes in creative and design contexts is immense. Beyond crosswords, we can imagine scavenger hunts, layered visual puzzles, or interactive narratives that unfold across locations and screens. For filmmakers and designers alike, QR codes offer a canvas to extend storytelling, deepen engagement, and challenge audience expectations. They can bridge the physical and digital worlds in ways that feel both intimate and inventive.
As designers, our challenge is to move past predictable applications and explore the nuances of interaction, perception, and memory. Svanes Kolding’s work reminds us that even small tools — a black-and-white square of data — can hold worlds inside. It’s up to us to decide whether we use them as shortcuts or as invitations to think, play, and feel.
