Back to the future
Come face to face with your local history via the latest virtual reality technology, as part of StoryTrails – free for everyone and coming soon to a library near you
FROM the legend of Lincoln Cathedral’s stone imp to Sheffield’s transformation from industrial powerhouse into the UK’s greenest city, some extraordinary tales are being brought to life in an exciting new storytelling project.
In 15 towns and cities across the UK, libraries taking part in the project – called StoryTrails – will be central hubs of discovery, where visitors learn the fascinating, untold stories of their communities and people using the latest augmented and virtual reality technology.
In each library, a large immersive cinema screen places viewers inside amazing “spatial maps” that combine audio stories from local people with 3D models of intriguing characters, locations and objects.
Visitors can also enjoy immersive tales using iPads and VR headsets, available at the library. Use the headset to enjoy a thrilling selection of nine interactive VR experiences.
You can put yourself into the punk past of Britain in the 1970s, or fast forward 50 years into the future to see how the world might look then.
You can start an AR StoryTrail from the library using the free StoryTrails augmented reality app, which takes you on an interactive tour of your town. Explore it yourself or go with one of the guides at the free two-day StoryTrails live events at every library (see right).
Borrow a device from the library or download the app from the App Store or Google Play. Through the app, landmarks become interactive
canvases through which you can explore historical events at or close to their actual location.
Via archive footage and recordings, you could discover Blackpool’s LGBTQ+ history, learn about Mohammed Faisel Hussain – the “Bradford Godfather” and would-be film mogul – and hear how Slough became a focal point of the space race in the 1960s! Produced by StoryFutures
Academy – run by Royal Holloway, University of London, and the National Film and Television School – StoryTrails is the latest of ten events that make up UNBOXED, a year-long celebration of creativity and innovation in the UK.
StoryTrails will, say the organisers, combine “the sort of good oldfashioned storytelling you might hear on the best radio programmes or podcasts with the latest scanning technologies and 3D models you’ll find in the top video games.”
Professor James Bennett, director of StoryFutures Academy, says, “StoryTrails aims to reignite people’s pride and passion for their hometown. We have put the promise of the 3D internet into the hands of a new generation of creatives who have reflected the full diversity of the UK in building a project unlike any before it – one that makes a magical connection between past, present and future.”