How can design help to focus on introspection?

Alchemy was, in the past, both a precursor of modern chemistry and a path through which alchemists investigated themselves and their inner transformations. Nowadays, it is mainly remembered for its magical and occult character, often reduced to its most sensational and mysterious aspects, without considering its symbolic and philosophical complexity.

In this thesis, the topic is reanalyzed in depth, focusing on its historical depth and psychological meaning, through a boxed set composed of three choose-your-own-adventure gamebooks.

Each volume represents one of the three main phases of the alchemical process and constitutes a narrative journey through the psychological transformation associated with each of them.

Alongside the immersive and interactive aspect of the project, there is also a more informative component, in which details about the history of alchemy and the texts related to it can be found.

The project aims to stimulate the reader’s curiosity and awareness, both through the narrative dimension and through the explanation of the psychological meanings connected to alchemical symbols, attempting to foster in the reader an interest in a secular form of rituality in which, as in the past, a person seeks to know themselves better through self-observation and reflection.