StoryTrails — The Gallovidian Way

StoryTrails is the UKs groundbreaking, multiple award winning, immersive storytelling project, bringing together the past, present and future through the latest technologies.

It is a unique immersive storytelling experience, where untold stories from the past are brought to life by harnessing the magic of Augmented (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) = Extended Realities (XR), to reanimate public spaces in towns and cities across the UK. Led by StoryFutures Academy, run by Royal Holloway University of London, and the National Film & Television School.

StoryTrails is delivered by legendary Executive Producer, broadcaster and film-maker, David Olusoga, in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI), and leading immersive specialists ISO Design, Niantic + Nexus Studios.

Audiences get to time travel through the wonders of these new technologies, to experience untold local histories where they happened.

The Gallovidian Way’s Creative Director DJ McDowall was selected to be 1 of 15 Cultural Producers across the UK working on the project. They worked with the partners above to design and create an AR (Augmented Reality) Trail for Dumfries Town Centre which explores and Re:Presents lesser known local HerStories (women’s histories).

Dumfries’ ‘Queens of the South’ AR immersive experience, narrated by the one and only Joanna Lumley, transforms Dumfries Town Centre’s Fountain, Midsteeple, Ewart Library, Devorgilla Bridge + Catherine Street Inclusive Play Park into virtual portals through which to explore these HerStories..

STORYTRAILS AWARDS

Winner of The International Council of Museums’ Best in Heritage “Project of Influence’ Award 2024

Winner of Museums + Heritage Awards, for ‘Best Use of Digital in the UK’ 2023.

Winner of Focal International Awards, ‘Best Use of Footage on Innovative Platform’ 2023

Nominee at SXSW Innovation Awards 2023 for ‘Best Immersive’

Honoree at 2023 Webby Awards in their Immersive & Virtual – Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Category

If there was ever a town full of Queens, Dumfries is it!

Working with the incredible talent at Niantic,. Nexus Studios and Storyfutures Academy, DJ researched and crafted a story arc that unfolded across Dumfries Town Centre, ensuring it was community driven, educational and entertaining. Then using 3D technologies, they designed and produced an AR trail which integrated the use of archive materials provided by the British Film Institute (BFI), the BBC, Dumfries & Galloway Archives, and the National Library of Scotland.

Voiced by the inimitable celebrity royalty that is Joanna Lumley ‘Queens of the South’ tells the story of several unsung women’s contribution to Dumfries, those who have quite literally changed the face of Dumfries and those who've changed the world as we know it.

Queens of the South includes Lady Devorguilla, Dr Flora Murray, Jessie McKie, Angela Gilmour and many other local unsung Queens.

Starting at Dumfries’ Ewart Library, audiences walk in a loop around Dumfries Town Centre, via Midsteeple, Fountain, Devorgilla Bridge, back to Catherine St Inclusive Play Park for its interactive finale, where you decide what kind of Queen you will be before you are crowned Queen of the South!

Unseen archive footage, bleeding edge technology, gaming mechanics and compelling storytelling combines in an immersive way on this Augmented Reality Trail to bring these unsung Queen’s stories to life so they can take their rightful place in our local history.

Come learn from current and past Queens of the South, rebel queens the Suffragettes, and modern day community queens, will help you uncover your own inner Queen! Your Throne Awaits . . .

Rebel Queens of the South

The Community Engagement began the project as DJ met with local community members, and undertook local online consultations to gauge which women the good people of Dumfries felt were under recognised. and were languishing in the archives.

After generous amounts of suggestions, research in the archives and quality time with local experts, DJ refined the content and crafted the focus of the story arc to include gaming mechanics which allowed an array of local under represented Queens of the South to step up to be crowned.

This created participatory opportunities for a wide spread of members of the local community to see themselves, friends, family members, familiar faces represented in the project.

Due to this thorough engagement process there was critical buy in, involvement and interest in the progress of the project, and its final product. Thus resulting in a massive turnout at Ewart Library, Dumfries on the incredibly successful launch days, with oversubscribed sold out guided tours, queues to get in, and standing room only in the library.

StoryTrails entered the wider world when it was formally launched by our Executive Producer David Olusoga at a sold out event at Sheffield Doc Fest in July 2022. From there we rolled out the Trails experience with audience members in Sheffield over the weekend of the Festival.

StoryTrails then went on a UK Wide Tour, with special live immersive 2 day local launch events held in each of the 15 locations featured in the Trails.

The engagement didn’t end there. The legacy roll out of StoryTrails resulted in targeted group sessions, presentations at events, and a range of curated activities for the local community, such as themed workshops for LGBT History Month / Women’s History Month; and group guided walking tours, all based out of the Ewart Library (from its new StoryTrails Station). In addition to this we delivered outreach sessions with the StoryTrails kit to other projects, including a trip out to Caerlaverock Castle, where we weaved an experience for a youth group, visitors and Historic Environment Scotland site staff that fused Virtual and Actual Reality to encourage learning about the natural environment surrounding the castle. Exemplifying the possibilities that this kind of 3D immersive tech can harness.

The Engagement . . .

More Photos. . .

PHOTOS OF SCANNINg

STREET SHOTS

ais / chris

Download the FREE StoryTrails App here to experience DJ’s ‘Queens of the South’ trail, from the comfort of your home, and explore history where it happened!

bringing out the kit to your group / place

OR get in touch with DJ via DJ@blether.scot to arrange a guided session with the StoryTrails kit at Dumfries’ Ewart Library.

OR get in touch to arrange an outreach session where DJ will bring the kit out to your group / space.