Cronus Throne
A 3×3m room-scale Mixed Reality experience blending real mirrors, virtual projections, and a rocking throne across shifting timelines.
About the Project
A Room Where Time Breaks
Cronus Throne is a 3×3 metre room-scale Mixed Reality installation. At its centre stands a rocking throne flanked by a real mirror and a transparent volumetric clock. Virtual mirrors project overlapping scenes from alternate timelines across the walls.
Built in Unreal Engine with real-time volumetric video capture and AI-driven timeline management, the room constantly shifts between past, present, and future — creating an environment where perception and reality are indistinguishable.
Mechanics
The Game Logic
Balance
The room begins in a state of equilibrium — timelines aligned, mirrors reflecting the present, the throne at rest.
Disruption
Touching the clock disrupts the timeline. Mirrors fracture, projections shift, and the throne begins to move. Past and future collapse into the now.
Harmony
The goal: restore harmony. Solve the spatial puzzles embedded in the room to re-align the timelines and return the throne to stillness.
Philosophy
“Time is not a river that flows in one direction. Cronus Throne makes that felt in the body, not just the mind.”
Rooted in interdisciplinary R&D at the intersection of presence and projection, Cronus Throne explores time and cognition as experiential phenomena. Drawing on philosophy of mind, game theory, and spatial computing, the project challenges our assumptions about causality and self.
The throne itself is a symbol — the seat of authority over time. Yet in Cronus Throne, no one truly controls the timeline. The player discovers that agency and surrender are the same act.
Phase I
The Magic Mirror
Phase I of the Cronus Throne project is the Magic Mirror — a standalone interactive artwork and research prototype. Driven by a webcam, the mirror processes the viewer's live image in real time, applying three transformations simultaneously.
- Reverse timeline — showing moments from seconds ago
- Horizontal flip — creating an uncanny reflection
- Face-swap — overlaying faces from recorded footage
Deliverables
Final Outcomes
MR Escape Room
A fully realized 3×3m Mixed Reality escape room experience built in Unreal Engine, ready for installation in cultural venues, festivals, and XR exhibitions.
Cronus UE Plugin
An open Unreal Engine plugin named Cronus, featuring a ring buffer time-control system and real-time volumetric video tools — extensible by other developers.
Interested in hosting or collaborating?
Cronus Throne is scheduled for Q3 2026. We are currently exploring venue partnerships, festival placements, and research collaborations.
Get in Touch