Stories of Italian immigrant and Windrush families featured in ground-breaking UK-wide immersive storytelling experience as it launches in Wales

The stories of two immigrant families who used their passion and drive to become central figures in their adopted communities are told in a completely new way, in English and Welsh, through an augmented reality trail around Newport and Swansea this August, as part of StoryTrails, the UK’s largest immersive storytelling experience.

For Windrush family, the Freckletons, music was central to establishing themselves in Newport, while Joe Cascarini and his sister triumphed over hardship to establish the renowned ice cream brand Joe’s Ice Cream, now in its 100th year. The stories, narrated in English by actresses Michelle McTernan (Swansea) and Adeola Dewis (Newport) and in Welsh by Tonya Smith, are among hundreds told through ground-breaking multimedia technologies this summer. 

StoryTrails is part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK and features digital experiences that invite residents to experience Swansea and Newport like never before through augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and an immersive map of the city. Centred around Swansea Library on 10 and 11 August and Newport’s Kingsway Centre on 13 and 14 August as well as on the streets of both cities, the experiences are among 15 locations around the UK to host StoryTrails this summer. 

The augmented reality trail in Swansea, accessed through mobile devices, invites visitors to discover Joe Cascarini’s route to building the now famous Swansea ice cream brand, including his arrival from Italy in the 1920s, his supportive relationship with his sister and 2022’s digital centenary party to which everyone is invited.

The Freckletons arrived at the Newport neighbourhood of Pill in the 1950s, drawing local crowds to their home-based church and meeting place. Visitors witness them decamp to a bigger congregational space with tambourines soon joined by guitars, banjos, and drum kits.

The trails were created using film from BBC, British Film Institute and local archives to present a window into the past. Visitors can borrow devices from the library and follow guided augmented reality trails across the two-day event, or follow the route independently by downloading the StoryTrails app onto their own devices. 

Inside the library and Kingsway Centre, immersive maps reveal stories of local people and familiar landmarks, such as Mumbles Pier, Swansea.com Stadium, and the National Waterfront Museum, Tredegar House, Newport Transporter Bridge, and Gilligan’s Island. The maps were created by Owen Richards in Swansea and George McDonagh in Newport by 3D scanning the people and buildings that build up a picture of the life and heritage of each location. The 15-minute films play on a loop throughout the day and a further 20 stories can be viewed on iPads in the library.

Owen and George, and Jay Bedwani and Mohamad Miah, who created the AR trails in Swansea and Newport respectively, are four of 50 emerging creatives from around the UK selected to take part in the development of StoryTrails and benefit from expert training and mentoring opportunities from StoryFutures Academy, the National Centre for Immersive Storytelling, the team behind StoryTrails. StoryFutures Academy is run by Royal Holloway, University of London and the National Film and Television School (NFTS).   

Mohamad said: “It’s taken months of work to get to this point and we can’t believe we finally get to share it with everyone. It’s truly been a project by Newport, for Newport, created in Newport. We’ve unearthed incredible stories of powerful local characters that deserve to be told. We’ve worked closely with BFI and BBC archives to help tell those stories and we’re using new technologies like AR to bring them to life in a way that makes them accessible to all. If you don’t have a smart phone you can borrow one on the day – come along to the library on the 13-14 August and you’ll be able to give it all a go, for free.”

Time travel continues inside the library and Kingsway Centre across the live event days, when visitors enter digitally created worlds using a virtual reality (VR) headset. They can expect to find themselves in the shoes of a rebellious teenager as she discovers her mother’s punk past; take part in one of the many South Asian daytime raves that took place across the UK in the 1980s and 1990s; and hear what earlier generations thought life would be like today. All the stories featured on the VR headsets are available at every stop on the StoryTrails UK tour.

Historian and television presenter David Olusoga, familiar to viewers of the BBC’s A House Through Time, narrates a further AR experience that invites visitors to turn a dial on a virtual giant radio and travel back in time. From Beatlemania and the flares and haircuts of the swinging sixties, to dancing to the end of the millennium in crop-tops and trainers, audiences will experience a potted history of the UK through the decades.

This innovative project is led by StoryFutures Academy, the National Centre for Immersive Storytelling. It was developed by teams of leading technologists and creatives, brought together for UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, a UK-wide celebration of creativity taking place in 2022, including immersive animation pioneers, ISO Design and Nexus Studios, and the company behind Pokémon GO, Niantic. It is brought to life in The Reading Agency’s national network of libraries and by event-making specialists ProduceUK.

Professor James Bennett, Director of StoryFutures and StoryTrails, said: “This is about getting people excited about where they live – helping them connect with stories of their towns and cities from the past and present through a new lens. New technologies like AR and VR can help build these connections and reignite people’s passion for the past. These technologies are for everyone – we want to find ways to engage people from all generations and spark a genuine celebration in each of our incredible locations.”

Martin Green CBE, Chief Creative Officer UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, said: “StoryTrails is one of ten ground-breaking UNBOXED projects taking place in 2022 that demonstrate the power of creative collaboration across science, technology and the arts to create extraordinary and never-seen-before public experiences. StoryTrails uses cutting edge technology to offer people the opportunity to hear about the places they live – the stories of individuals and communities – in a way that has not been done before.”

StoryTrails’ 15-stop UK tour runs from 1 July to 18 September 2022 and culminates in a new film presented by David Olusoga that will screen in UK cinemas and BBC iPlayer. The StoryTrails app, augmented reality story trails and immersive maps will be available throughout 2022. The Reading Agency’s annual Summer Reading Challenge, for children aged 4 to 11, takes a StoryTrails theme.

UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK is funded and supported by the four governments of the UK and is commissioned and delivered in partnership with Belfast City Council, Creative Wales and EventScotland.

StoryTrails Swansea

10 & 11 August 2022, 9am-6pm

Swansea Central Library, Oystermouth Road, Maritime Quarter, Swansea SA1 3SN

StoryTrails Newport

13 August 2022, 10am-6pm & 14 August, 11am-5pm 

Unit 12, Kingsway Centre, John Frost Square Newport NP20 1PA

The StoryTrails app will launch on the App Store and Google Play to coincide with the event and is available online throughout 2022 along with other trails from the series. 

story-trails.com

Facebook and Instagram @StoryTrailsProject. Twitter @StoryFuturesA