Now one can easily experience their local history through an offering known as StoryTrails. It is a free feature that can be experienced at libraries across many UK locations by visitors. As part of an innovative endeavour in technology-driven storytelling, An exciting new storytelling project is bringing some incredible narratives to people’s lives, from the tale of the stone imp at Lincoln Cathedral to the metamorphosis of Sheffield into one of the greenest urban centres in the UK from an erstwhile factory town.
Libraries participating in the StoryTrails endeavour will be central hotspots of exploration in 15 urban centres across the UK. Visitors to these locations will get the opportunity of uncovering some of the most fascinating untold accounts of local communities with virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology.
Users can get vivid virtual representations of the past of their local areas through a collection of accounts from others who lived in the same area. StoryTrails has accomplished this by conducting interviews within every area and establishing a visual 3D realm advised by the incredible messages of interviewees and their accounts of remarkable characters.
Guests can appreciate engaging narratives by using VR gear and iPads present at the libraries. Donning the VR headsets lets them experience a vast collection of nine different immersive VR interactions. Some of the experiences include an exploration of the SE Asian rave scene, and exploring the world of a teenage girl who is having her first bit of exposure to punk culture.
Visitors to these libraries have the option of picking out which experience they want to delve into.
The StoryTrails AR application, which is available free of cost, takes participants on a private interactive tour. They can download and use the application to begin an AR StoryTrail from whichever affiliated library they are in. There is the option of enjoying the tour without any assistance or getting help from a guide during one of the live events organised by StoryTrails.
The different places covered with the application are arenas for interaction for users. These enable them to get an essence of major historical happenings close to the locations they are at.
Through old footage and archives, participants can learn about the LGBTQ+ heritage of Blackpool, know more about Mohammed Faisel Hussain, who was called the “Bradford Godfather” and learn the reasons why Slough became a focal point of the Space Race in the 1960s, and come across Ethel, also the “Green Queen of Sheffield.” StoryFutures Academy, which is operated by Royal Holloway, and the University of London, has collaborated with the National Film and Television School for hosting the event. It is the 10th and newest event within the UNBOXED itinerary, a year-long celebration of innovation and imagination in the UK.
According to the event’s organisers, Storytrails is offering up a blend of classic storytelling that many are familiar with, and three-dimensional models that are commonly seen in games.
