Siddhartha AR Experience

 

The Siddhartha AR project is a multi-sensory animated experience based on the musical interpretation of Hermann Hesse’s classic novel Siddhartha. Commissioned by Touchwood Animation's Andy Frain and supported by BMG, the project fuses illustrated storytelling, original music composed by Pete Townshend and Rachel Fuller, and augmented reality technology. I was brought on board alongside my brothers and animation team to explore and design a proof-of-concept and broader strategy for translating this powerful narrative into a fully animated, interactive format.

The project began with Andy reconnecting and inviting us to evaluate the creative and technical feasibility of animating 29 illustrated scenes, each synchronized with music and narration, as part of a potential AR book. The assets we received included stunning artwork panels, full lyrics and narration scripts, the album cover, edited audio files, and footage from live performances. The overall creative brief was both ambitious and compelling: to produce animated vignettes for each of the 29 scenes and allow viewers to experience the story as an augmented reality journey triggered by the book's pages or artwork.

From the outset, the visual tone and spiritual depth of the work struck a chord with me. The illustrations were rich in symbolism and aesthetic subtlety, while Rachel Fuller’s compositions paired with Pete Townshend’s musical direction created a moving, immersive sonic world. After reviewing all materials and initial scene edits, especially early versions like Songbird and New Boatman, we began detailed breakdowns of each frame, evaluating level of animation complexity, production time, and cost. We proposed creating a short, high-quality AR demo as a proof-of-concept to present to BMG and the artists.

As the project progressed, I was closely involved in creative conversations with Andy, Bruno Tilley, and Marc Marot. These included evaluating musical edits, narrative pacing, and the feasibility of trimming music-narration sequences to fit within AR-friendly durations (roughly 60–90 seconds per scene). Beyond budgeting and scheduling, I also contributed visual and symbolic development ideas, including animated motifs around water, the lotus flower, the Atman symbol, and celestial imagery inspired by the cosmic climax of the book. Themes of the sacred feminine and the inner journey of enlightenment were also explored as narrative layers in the visual treatment.

The collaboration was fluid and responsive. Andy encouraged the team to bring their own ideas to the table and adapt the visual storytelling to suit AR interactions—whether in the context of an AR book, gallery exhibition, or even wearable merchandise like animated T-shirts and posters. Several iterations were developed, and route sheets were continuously refined to reflect creative direction changes, audio revisions, and technical considerations.

What we proposed was not just an animation project but a cross-platform AR media experience, where viewers could hold up a device and watch the illustrated story come alive with voice, music, and animation, creating a deeply personal and contemplative journey, in harmony with Hesse’s message.

Working on Siddhartha has been an opportunity to combine storytelling, spiritual narrative, and emerging technology in a meaningful way. It represents a new form of media experience, one that invites stillness and reflection rather than speed or spectacle. This project also aligned naturally with my ongoing interest in meditative animation, symbolism, and interactive design.

Created with respect to the legacy of Hermann Hesse and in celebration of visual storytelling in the age of immersive media.