Leonardo Living Machines

Premise

A biography that behaves like an engineered exhibit

Leonardo is presented as a systems thinker rather than a static historical figure. The experience connects military machines, flight, hydraulic engineering, anatomy, painting, and notebooks into a navigable cinematic structure.

• Built around source-like artifacts and interactive chapters.
• Uses motion and state changes to make mechanical ideas feel active.
• Prioritizes atmosphere, pacing, and legibility over a generic timeline.

System Design

Chapters, artifacts, and motion as product architecture

The project treats each theme as a room in a larger machine: Sforza letter, machines, flight, water, anatomy, paintings, and codices. The interaction model makes the viewer move through an authored sequence while still feeling exploratory.

• Chapter-based information architecture.
• Canvas-driven visual moments for movement and atmosphere.
• GSAP timing for cinematic section transitions.

Engineering Challenge

Keep the spectacle readable

The hardest constraint is balancing a dramatic cinematic interface with the clarity expected from a serious portfolio piece. The interaction has to feel premium without hiding content behind novelty.

• Preserve readable text rhythm across desktop and mobile.
• Use motion as guidance, not noise.
• Keep the live route isolated from the new portfolio until production migration.

Next Iteration

A reusable format for interactive research

Leonardo becomes the model for future interactive research pages: deep subject matter, visible technical craft, and a polished story system that can support more historical, AI, or engineering narratives.