Narrative Engine
Where technical excellence meets immersive storytelling
Weird solutions for weird problems. We build the technical foundations for projects that don't fit neatly into anyone else's portfolio.
What We Actually Do
Most of our work sits at the intersection of things that don't usually go together — AI systems modelled on Victorian household hierarchies, interactive platforms for large-scale art installations, deployment pipelines that treat a dozen unrelated projects like a single organism. We build the parts that don't exist yet.
Interactive Platforms
The bit where hundreds of people interact with something simultaneously and it doesn't fall over. Real-time web systems for exhibitions, installations, and experiences that need to feel effortless.
AI & Intelligent Systems
Not chatbots. Multi-agent systems where specialised AI agents negotiate, delegate, and occasionally disagree — then get the job done anyway. AI as organisation, not just intelligence.
Cloud Infrastructure
The invisible part. AWS infrastructure that lets a dozen different projects coexist without stepping on each other — automated, isolated, and built so we can forget about it and focus on the interesting stuff.
Technical Consultation
Sometimes the most valuable thing is a conversation before anyone writes any code. We help creative teams figure out what they actually need to build — and what they don't.
Selected Work
Six Degrees
Six Degrees is a large-scale multimedia artwork exploring human connection, created by Studio EX. Narrative Engine is building the technical platform — a web-based interactive system enabling participants to engage across physical and digital spaces. The project combines real-time data, audience interaction, and networked storytelling into a participatory experience designed for public exhibition.
Holdsworth
A multi-agent AI system structured like the staff of a British country house — Butler, Housekeeper, Cook, each with their own expertise and jurisdiction. They delegate, negotiate priorities, and maintain coherence across shared objectives. It turns out that Downton Abbey is a surprisingly good organisational model for AI.
Build System
The system that runs everything else. Independent projects that share infrastructure without knowing about each other — each one buildable, testable, and deployable in isolation, or orchestrated together when needed. It's less glamorous than the AI, but it's the reason everything actually works.
About
Narrative Engine is a technical development studio that grew out of a career that went from transport data science to robotics to game design — and kept going. We work with creative studios, artists, and organisations whose projects need technology that doesn't exist off the shelf. Small studio, unusual problems, considered solutions.
More about Narrative EngineGet in Touch
If you're building something strange and need someone who won't flinch, we should probably talk.
david@narrativeengine.co.uk