Exploring time & transformation: journeying into immersive design via ancient Irish mythology

by Gary Moynihan, Immersive Creative

Ever had one of those long-haul flights that somehow felt like a quick hop? You know, the kind where you blink and suddenly you’re landing, wondering where the hours went? Or, on the flip side, have you experienced a short flight that felt like an eternity, like you’ve been stuck in the air for 17 hours?

And then there’s the infamous spin class that refuses to end. You glance at the clock, and what feels like an eternity has passed, but it’s only been 10 minutes. It’s as if time has decided to play a trick on you, stretching or shrinking hours at will. It’s a strange phenomenon, but it happens to the best of us. And it doesn’t just happen on flights and in workouts. Immersive experiences can have the same effect, making time feel like a flexible, bendable thing.

I’ve been fascinated by how immersive experiences can bend our perceptions of time and space. It wasn’t until I was listening to my favorite podcast recently, The Blindboy Podcast, that I began to see striking parallels between ancient Irish mythology and the modern immersive experiences we create.

Growing up in Ireland, tales of mythical lands and enchanted ‘other worlds’ are part of the fabric of our national identity. We are indeed a land of storytellers. What are immersive experiences if not other worlds manifested to create memories and transformations?

Rooted in an ancient oral storytelling tradition that predates Christianity, these narratives have been passed down through generations. They speak to universal themes of time, change, and the fleeting nature of human existence, resonating as deeply today as it did in ancient times.

Rethinking time in immersive experiences

Immersive experiences today—whether they’re VR installations, interactive museum exhibits, or immersive theatre productions—are not just about stunning visuals or clever narratives. I believe they’re about reconfiguring our relationship with time itself. In traditional storytelling, time marches forward linearly. But in many immersive environments, time can be warped, layered, or even experienced simultaneously.

My fascination with temporal distortions began to take shape during long commutes through Melbourne, as Blindboy’s words echoed in my mind.

His insightful connections between Irish folklore and quantum physics made me realise that our manipulation of time in immersive experiences isn’t purely a contemporary innovation. Instead, it draws from a much older storytelling tradition—one deeply embedded in ancient mythologies, particularly those of Ireland.

When I experienced Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More in New York a few years ago, I navigated through fragmented timelines and interconnected spaces, piecing together the narrative. This narrative fluidity is reminiscent of the timeless, cyclical, and often paradoxical nature of time depicted in Irish myths.

Non-linear storytelling

In the realm of immersive experiences, both the duration and the quality of engagement play pivotal roles in shaping visitors’ perceptions of value. Determining the duration or dwell time is a foundational step in developing any location-based immersive project, primarily due to the significant logistical and real-world implications.

In fact, I often see duration as one of the only solid parameters stated in a project brief!

Visitors often equate longer experiences with greater value, operating under the assumption that extended time justifies higher costs. However, this is not a universal truth. While the variety of activities can enhance perceived experience value, investing excessive time can lead to diminished returns, as prolonged durations may cause fatigue or reduced interest.

The quality of an experience can significantly influence perceived value, I would argue even more than its length.

Research has shown that the “sense of presence” in VR environments is significantly enhanced when time and space are treated as malleable constructs. This is something I try to now advise on in my practice—using non-linear storytelling to transport participants into realms where the rules of time seem to dissolve.

Ancient Irish mythology: a gateway to the other world

In Ancient Irish mythology, the concept of time is anything but linear. In these stories, the “Otherworld” is a realm where time flows differently. It’s a place where the boundaries between past, present, and future are blurred.

The story of Oisín and Tír na nÓg is one of Ireland’s most famous legends. Oisín, a warrior and poet, encounters Níamh Chinn Óir, a beautiful woman from the mystical land of Tír na nÓg, where no one grows old or dies. She invites him to join her, and he travels across the sea on her magical white horse.

In Tír na nÓg, Oisín lives in happiness for what seems like only a few years, but eventually, he longs to see Ireland again. Níamh warns him not to dismount his horse when he returns to Ireland, as touching the ground will break the magic. However, when he returns, he is devastated to find that centuries have passed. He falls from his horse, instantly dissolving into dust.

Going in the other direction, in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll famously contrasts Alice’s subjective experience of time with its objective passage. While journeying through Wonderland, Alice is in a realm where moments stretch, shrink, and twist into forms that defy conventional logic.

Time in this fantastical space is fluid and unpredictable. Yet, when Alice awakens, she discovers that the clock in the real world has barely moved; it is still the same afternoon.

The idea that crossing into another realm can dramatically alter our perception of time is a theme that resonates deeply with modern immersive experiences. This striking discrepancy highlights a fundamental tension: the internal, dreamlike perception of time versus the steady, unyielding march of real-world time.

In Tír na nÓg and Wonderland, time is almost a living element, manipulated by the bizarre logic of that world.

See also: Educating the future of immersive media: building talent for an expanding industry

The trifecta of immersive experiences

By crafting environments that deliberately distort or expand perceived time, through sensory manipulation, non-linear storytelling and wonderful sound design, designers can evoke a sense of entering another realm. In commercial immersive experiences, the duration and dwell time are pivotal in shaping visitor satisfaction and meeting stakeholder revenue expectations.

However, shorter experiences that are highly immersive and emotionally resonant can offer substantial value, potentially surpassing longer, less engaging ones. Therefore, designers and stakeholders should, I believe, focus on creating rich, immersive content that captivates visitors, ensuring that every moment spent contributes meaningfully to the overall experience.

Successful commercial immersive experiences must strike a delicate balance between duration, engagement quality, and operational efficiency. This trifecta is key to maximizing both visitor satisfaction and financial returns. The optimal duration isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution; it varies depending on the specific experience, target audience, and broader business goals.

In the end, the most successful immersive experiences are those that make us forget about time altogether. They are the ones that transport us to another world, engage us deeply, and leave us wondering where the time went when we finally emerge. And isn’t that the true magic of immersion?

To step out of time, if only for a moment, and experience something truly extraordinary that helps us form memories and leads to transformation.

By embracing these ancient storytelling devices and integrating them with modern immersive methodology, I believe we can create experiences that can transform visitors’ understanding of time, space, and their place within both.

The journey into the other world is not just a relic of myth; it is an ever-present invitation to explore, to question, and to imagine anew.

Featured image “Emergent Melbourne” by Simon Burgin, courtesy of the artist.