Visitors had the chance to immerse themselves in Belfast’s waterfront heritage through AI and virtual reality
Have you ever thought of being able to speak with a historical character?
Well, a few days ago locals and tourists visiting Belfast’s Maritime Mile had the chance to spend a special day. Three of the experimental projects financed within the HUB-IN project went live to gift people with a range of experiences powered by artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality.
“HUB-IN is helping to nurture exciting new relationships between Belfast’s heritage and creative industries sectors, communities, and businesses along the Maritime Mile, and supporting people to develop valuable entrepreneurial and digital innovation skills. It’s fantastic to see these proposals come to life along the Maritime Mile.” – Christina Black, Chair of Belfast City Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee
Maritime Echoes: An AI Voyage to the Past
Visitors tried out “Maritime Echoes: An AI Voyage to the Past” developed by local innovator Darin Smyth. Using the power of AI and Unreal Engine 3D software, pivotal historical figures from Belfast’s rich maritime past, including Mary-Ann McCracken, Lord Pirrie and William Ritchie, were brought to life again.
3D Virtual Reality Rooms
Visitors got an exclusive preview of interactive 3D virtual reality rooms developed by Flax & Teal in partnership with the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI). The virtual reality experience gave people a unique perspective on the Belfast waterfront area’s evolution by showcasing the stories of past generations through images, video, audio, and historic maps.
Memory Anchors
Visitors gathered at St Joseph’s Church to discover “Memory Anchors”, a collaboration between digital artist Katya Solomatina and the Sailortown Regeneration Group which aims to preserve the heritage and local stories of Sailortown through interactive digital sculpture and storytelling. Visitors saw virtual art pieces developed using augmented reality and listened to stories created by the Sailortown community.
A new Treasure Hunt Quest will also run till 31 August 2024. Starting at the Big Fish sculpture, visitors can use their mobile phones to follow the route towards Sailortown and discover hidden virtual objects created by the Sailortown community.
These three projects are among the six creative and digital businesses, artists, and innovators awarded £120,000 from Belfast City Council within the HUB-IN project to collaborate with local heritage organisations and communities to develop new prototype visitor experiences that animate and enrich the city’s iconic waterfront.
“It’s fantastic to see young creatives working with some of our oldest communities on innovative technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality, to provide new ways to explore our rich maritime heritage and stories along Belfast’s Maritime Mile. This is only the start of a pilot initiative, and we are looking forward to building on its success in the future”. Kerrie Sweeney, Chief Executive of Maritime Belfast
Find out more on the Belfast’s HUB-IN here!
