Two Lewisham digital creatives have been recruited to work on an immersive storytelling experience about the history of the area.

Michelle Hudson and Nina Perry are representing Lewisham in StoryTrails in what is claimed to be the UK’s largest ever immersive storytelling project.

Lewisham will host a weekend of augmented and virtual reality events exploring the area’s historical stories.

On September 17 and 18 people can take part in an immersive tour of Lewisham via a series of installations.

Materials from the British Institute of Film, the BBC and other national and regional archives will be used in the projects to assist in the storytelling.

Professor James Bennett, Director of StoryTrails, said: “StoryTrails is a massively ambitious project as we travel across the UK to discover unknown, surprising and intriguing stories from local communities.

“We’re excited to work with local creative talent like Nina and Michelle to uncover and bring these hidden histories to life, creating a new sense of belonging and immersing audiences in an amazing new way to see themselves, their communities, their towns and country.”

Outside Lewisham Library, participants can experience a virtual story via a free mobile AR app, along with local performers to guide them.

Augmented reality (AR) is the modification of a real-life environment by the addition of sound or visual elements.

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People will be able to witness historical events on the streets where they originally happened.

Michelle Hudson, a multimedia storyteller, has lived in Lewisham since 2014 and will be working on this AR trail of the borough.

Michelle said: “Lewisham is the most diverse place I've ever lived and has a sense of community that cuts across class and race.

“Coming from small-town Canada, I love the energy of the place and how people look out for each other, despite living in such a big city.

“I can't wait to learn relevant technical skills and to develop a much deeper understanding of how these new technologies can tell stories in novel ways.”

Inside the library, people can walk around a virtual map of the town which will include 3D models and audio stories.

Further virtual reality experiences will be available for the public to explore.

Virtual reality (VR) is a completely immersive experience that replaces a real-life environment with a simulated one, usually via a VR headset.

Nina Perry, a creative freelancer, has lived in Lewisham since 2005 and will be making this immersive map of the borough.

She said: “I love that Lewisham is home to a full rainbow of humanity, and it has the best green spaces.

“It's enlivening but you can always find pockets of peacefulness.

“StoryTrails gives me the opportunity to explore the potential of how new technology can be creatively utilised to share stories within my own community.”

StoryTrails is led by StoryFutures Academy, the UK’s National Centre for Immersive Storytelling and will visit 15 locations across the UK.

TV presenter and historian Professor David Olusoga, Executive Producer for StoryTrails, said: “I am thrilled to be working with StoryFutures to help bring about change in the diversity of our creative industries.

“By enabling 50 diverse creative voices to create compelling stories that combine past, present and future through the magic of immersive technologies, we’ll be mapping a new path for creativity in this country.

“StoryTrails will set the public’s imagination alight with experiences that use the poetry of history to inspire a new vision of our future.”

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