Groundbreaking AR project launches in Grimsby

A groundbreaking new multimedia experience launches in Grimsby today (Sept 12th) – transforming the town into an open air gallery, using the latest technology to deliver a unique blend of community video operas, interviews and art to your mobile phone.

Coastal Voice, a project by the award-winning charity Music In Mind and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, has been developed into a new Augmented Reality experience. The The unique AR digital gallery, developed by Gazooky Studios and the European Space Agency, uses QR codes to instantly deliver content to your digital devices and follows a 3 year partnership between North East  Lincolnshire Council and Music in Mind.

By simply scanning a QR code, people can access the specially created works, inspired by the people, history and landscape of Grimsby and North East Lincolnshire.

The trail uses content from the Coastal Voice project, a year-long series of interviews, workshops and creative sessions in Dover, Grimsby and Sefton.

Coastal Voice aimed to capture the accent, identity and natural environment of the coastal towns and includes interviews with people from Grimsby and artwork from local school children. The interviews were set to music in a full-length video opera, performed by musicians from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

The immersive content is free to access, and posters for the project, including the QR codes, have been placed at:

• Fishing Heritage Centre
• Freeman St Market
• Central Hall

John McHugh, Artistic Director of Music in Mind, said: “Coastal Voice has been a highly enriching project. We worked with 900 people across the three areas of North East Lincolnshire, Dover and Sefton and it’s really exciting to see the augmented reality experiences come to fruition for the public to enjoy.”

Rose Kay, CEO of Gazooky Studios, said: “We’re delighted that our technology is being used for this groundbreaking project. This pioneering tech allows us to bring a new art form to life in Grimsby, making storytelling and cultural experiences easy for local people and tourists to access right on their personal devices.”

Cllr Hayden Dawkins, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Heritage and the Visitor Economy at North East Lincolnshire Council said “It’s great to see this unique collaborative work come to life, something that’s based around Grimsby people, and in our towns of Grimsby and Cleethorpes. I’d like to thank Music in Mind, East Marsh United and all those who took part to make this happen.”

For more details on the Coastal Voice project, please visit: www.musicinmind.org.uk