A new, immersive, public installation called ‘StoryDreamer’ exploring Belfast’s diverse stories through imagination, memory and creativity has arrived at 2 Royal Avenue.
Open daily from 10am–6pm until 10 December at 2 Royal Avenue (and until 9pm on Thursday 4 December as part of Late Night Art), StoryDreamer is free to the public, and there is no need to book, however, users must be aged 18+ to take part.
StoryDreamer has been 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.
“People are invited to reflect on their own experiences and contribute to Belfast’s growing story by sharing personal memories, hopes, and dreams for the city’s future. StoryDreamer is fun to use, and it gives an exciting glimpse of how we can harness cutting-edge tech to enhance cultural and tourism experiences.”
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 allow you 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, “I’m excited to see people try out StoryDreamer, 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.”
Brennan continued, “We’re so impressed by the resulting prototypes – 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.”
