‘StoryDreamer’ in Belfast held earlier this month let the public enjoy an immersive, public installation exploring the city's diverse stories.
StoryDreamer was developed collaboratively by Hamilton Robson, Nerve Centre and 1 Up Studios in response to the Augment the City industry competition which is funded by Belfast Region City Deal and Belfast City Council.
Luke McNeice from Hamilton Robson explains: “StoryDreamer brings to life the voices and experiences of Belfast's people through film, sound, archive material and digital interaction. We’ve used cutting edge technology to celebrate how powerful storytelling can be in connecting people and sparking curiosity.
StoryDreamer offers two engaging experiences:
- Meet the holographic story gatherer — powered by advanced AI technology, the holographic StoryDreamer guides you through a storytelling journey, inspiring you to craft and share your own story.
- Explore a galaxy of stories — in an interactive space, projection mapping and motion gestures allowed users to unlock a universe of interlinked tales, revealing rare archive films and imagery that showcase Belfast’s creative spirit.
Chair of Belfast City Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, Councillor Natasha Brennan, said: “StoryDreamer was developed thanks to our ‘Augment the City’ industry competition which challenged local innovators to explore how immersive technologies could aid story collection, particularly from lesser heard voices across our city. They’re giving us an insight into how immersive technologies could enhance world-class visitor attractions of the future, including our own Belfast Stories public space, visitor experience and creative hub, which will open on Royal Avenue in 2030."
The Augment the City Challenge Fund is part of Belfast City Council’s XR Belfast programme which provides a range of funding, skills development and business support to people working in Belfast’s innovation and creative industries sectors to help build their capacity in using and exploiting emerging technologies.