My idea is to take the spool and create a chest of drawers out of it. Each drawer will have a little plaque on it that has a different number or symbol. When you open a drawer, an AR icon will be on it (the drawers will not be hollow but flat on top) and you can use your phone to view an animation. Inside the animation there will be a hidden number or symbol that will lead to the next drawer to open. As you open the drawers, the animations will show a story that unfolds about sustainability or something.
Above you can see my concept sketches. The first is of how the drawers would look. I would also add legs to the bottom so it would look kinda like a night stand. The drawers are not latched, nor are they restricted. If you pull on one it will come all the way out. The second image is the drawer in action. On top of it is a symbol that Unity AR would be able to recognize and through your phone camera you would see an animation on top of the drawer.
Something else is, if you pull a drawer out and flip it over it will be hollow like a normal drawer so this spool could function normally if you wanted it to.
Important note: This spool idea will not work with the rotation device, nor should it. It should be a standalone exhibit, that only requires a phone to use.