The Forge at Link Studio

Visitor's Guide

The Forge

A creative kiosk you talk to. No keyboard. No menus.

You walk up. You speak. The room helps you make a song, a short movie, or an artwork.

Two more paths never make it onto the screen: it can code a game with you, or walk you through real data. You just have to ask.

Pick a path

Quick tips

  • Speak normally.

    Full sentences, hedging, "actually…" — it all works.

  • Pauses are fine.

    The Forge waits.

  • Wander off-topic.

    It will gently steer back.

  • Change your mind.

    Any time. Just say so.

  • Renders take a minute or two.

    The screen stays alive while you wait.

  • Curious how it works?

    Ask. "What models are you using?" — it'll tell you, then get back to making.

Waking it up

The screen breathes. Welcome to the Forge. Three ways in:

Say it.

"Let's create."

Step up.

Stand close to the camera.

Tap the pill.

On touch installs.

It greets you. Asks your name. Then three columns slide in — song, movie, or artwork. Tell it which.

Song

5–10 min talking · 1–3 min rendering

A memory, a feeling, a person — anything becomes music.

What to expect

  1. 1

    Story.

    It asks what the song is about. A memory, a feeling, a person — anything.

  2. 2

    Word storm.

    Phrases from your story swirl overhead. Just a mirror.

  3. 3

    Synopsis.

    It reads your story back. Nudge it: "More about hope, less about loss."

  4. 4

    Intake board.

    12 cards bloom in: genre, era, emotion, energy, instruments, vocal style, language, lyrics, and a few more. Don't fill them all — just talk.

  5. 5

    Generation.

    Image board drifts past. It chats with you while several versions render in parallel.

  6. 6

    Reveal.

    Title forms from the dust. Music starts. Ambient video plays behind the album art.

  7. 7

    Yours.

    "Save it." — QR code on your phone.

Tips

  • "Show me some genres."

    Pulls up genre picks.

  • "Sounds like Joni Mitchell."

    Name artists, it understands.

  • "Slower." / "In Spanish." / "Mention the mountain."

    Refine after the reveal.

  • "Play the country one."

    Switch to a variant.

Movie

5–10 min talking · 3–5 min rendering

Movies are the slowest — and worth it.

What to expect

  1. 1

    Pitch.

    Big or small. "A kid finds a door in a tree."

  2. 2

    Word storm.

    Phrases swirl while you talk.

  3. 3

    Intake board.

    9 cards: story, genre, emotion, era, visual style, color, setting, characters, camera style.

  4. 4

    Generation.

    Phrases from your pitch swirl overhead while it works. It renders your film in three quality versions at once — they finish one by one.

  5. 5

    Reveal.

    Title forms. Each version plays as it's ready — panoramic on triptych installs, full-frame elsewhere. Watch them all, or ask for a particular one.

  6. 6

    Yours.

    "Save it." — QR code grabs the versions you watched.

Tips

  • "Make it darker." / "Happier ending."

    Full re-render.

  • "More handheld." / "Slower camera."

    Re-render.

  • "Play the next version." / "Show me the first one again."

    Step through the versions.

  • "Show it again."

    Replay.

While you wait: early on, the camera grabs a quick candid of you. As the film renders, that snapshot becomes you — an animated character in a few short, playful clips. It'll offer to play them. Camera installs only.

Artwork

3–6 min · bring a phone with a photo

Your photo becomes a painting, a sketch, a dream.

What to expect

  1. 1

    QR code.

    Scan with your phone. Pick a photo or take a new one. Upload.

  2. 2

    Your photo.

    Lands in the center of the screen.

  3. 3

    Intake board.

    8 cards on either side: art style, technique, mood, color palette, lighting, era, texture, subject focus.

  4. 4

    Generation.

    Three things render: a still of your photo in the new style, a gentle animated version with its own ambient soundtrack, and a morph video of your photo becoming the artwork.

  5. 5

    Reveal.

    Still first. Then the morph plays.

  6. 6

    Yours.

    "Save it." — QR code grabs them all.

Tips

  • "Turn it into a Van Gogh." / "Charcoal sketch."

    Natural style names work.

  • "Send a different photo."

    Brings the QR back.

  • "More vivid." / "Try oil paint instead."

    Re-render.

Your photo never leaves your session.

Game

Off the menu · just ask

It writes a game with you, live. You play it with your hands.

What to expect

  1. 1

    Ask.

    "Can we play a game?" It's never offered — you have to ask.

  2. 2

    Intake board.

    6 cards: genre, mechanic, theme, difficulty, win condition, twist.

  3. 3

    It writes the game.

    The wait screen shows the code being typed live — the design in words first, then the real code retyping over it, with the sprites appearing alongside.

  4. 4

    A test you don't see.

    It plays the game itself before you do. If something's broken it rewrites once.

  5. 5

    You say when.

    No Start button — "I'm ready."

  6. 6

    Play.

    Both hands in the air. Stand back so the camera sees you.

Tips

  • "Make the ball bigger." / "Add a second opponent."

    It rewrites the game in place.

  • "Play again."

    Instant, fresh round from zero.

Needs the camera — you play with your hands. Camera installs only.

Data

Off the menu · just ask

Real numbers, not invented ones.

What to expect

  1. 1

    Ask.

    "Show me birth rates since 1960." Or browse the library. It's never offered — you have to ask.

  2. 2

    Intake board.

    6 cards: topic, timeframe, geography, comparison, chart style, source.

  3. 3

    It finds real data.

    World Bank, WHO, Our World in Data, FRED, SEC EDGAR, Google Data Commons.

  4. 4

    A tour.

    Charts play themselves, captions carry it. It stays quiet and lets you watch.

  5. 5

    A dashboard.

    Steer it by voice when the tour ends.

Tips

  • "What's in the library?"

    Ready-made analyses are waiting — say "open the power one."

  • "What about Japan?" / "Show me that as a map."

    Steer the dashboard by voice.

Hand signals

Some things don't need words. On camera installs, hold a shape toward the camera for half a second:

Pause

A fist. The song or movie stops.

Play

An open palm. Playback resumes.

Mute

A peace sign. The mic stops listening.

Unmute

A thumbs up. It hears you again.

Your hands are read on the device — the camera feed never leaves the room. While a game is on stage, the camera belongs to the game.

Saving your work

  1. "Can I save this?"
  2. A QR code appears.
  3. Scan it with your phone.
  4. Files download to your phone.
  5. Works for a short while after the session ends — no rush.

Ending

Three ways:

Just leave.

Idle after ~10 min of silence.

Say so.

"I'm done." / "That's all."

Save first,

then leave.

The next visitor lands on a fresh Welcome to the Forge.

Troubleshooting

It's not hearing me.
Speak closer. Slower. Background noise can drown a quiet voice.
It misheard my name.
"Actually, call me Jamie." It updates.
Render seems stuck.
"Is it still going?" — it'll tell you. Movies and songs need a few minutes; the swarm means it's working.
Wrong photo.
"Can I send a different one?"
The hand signs aren't working.
Face the camera and hold the shape steady for a second. During a game the camera belongs to the game — use your voice instead.
Start over.
"Forget everything and start over." Back to the picker.