88 Constellations: Stories in the Stars

Ever wonder what stories could be told if the constellations could speak? That's the sort of idea that David Clark plays with in 88 Constellations for Wittgenstein, an interactive "slide show" presentation giving a glimpse into the life and times of Ludwig Wittgenstein, a philosopher living during World War II.
By giving us a literal map of the stars to explore, 88 Constellations is able to simulate a bigger picture than simply what is happening to Wittgenstein. Clicking different constellations gives us brief overviews of important events that happened in Wittgenstein's life, whether it directly affects him or not. The animations and audio cover a variety of different things, from Nazi Germany and Hitler to a simple yet deep conversation over coffee. Clark effectively keeps you interested and clicking, itching to find out as many little things about Wittgenstein as you can.
The correlation between constellations and clicks is an interesting way of expressing the thought process of Wittgenstein. The graphics and topics are subtle, deep, and sometimes provocative, but never dull. While it can be time-consuming trying to remember which constellations you have already clicked on or which stories you've already heard, it does pay to persevere through the entire storyline, as we find out how each mini-story is connected to the rest to create a larger understanding of Wittgenstein's life.
This type of interaction works incredibly well in a digital text that doesn't necessarily have to be presented in a linear fashion. Something along these lines may even be used in history classes of the near future in order to keep students entertained and engaged at the same time, something that could definitely fuel interest for a lot of people.