Discover the Invisible Worlds App
- Published:
- 27 January 2023
Invisible Worlds is an exciting digital installation research project at Alderley Edge. The project is a collaboration between a team of researchers led by the University of Birmingham, aiming to tell the stories of this special place in a new way.
Up close and personal with the Invisible Worlds App
Download the Invisible Worlds app today and let the digital wizardry of augmented reality transport you on a creative and explorative journey around the dramatic sandstone escarpment that is Alderley Edge.
Through their smartphones or tablets, visitors and users will be able to explore Alderley Edge with augmented reality wizards, knights, and white horses appearing throughout the landscape, as well as specially commissioned soundscapes providing an atmospheric background. Perhaps most excitingly, users of the app can also explore mines underneath Alderley Edge from their own homes.
The app is part of the Invisible Worlds research project, which is led by the University of Birmingham, the University of Lincoln, and the Institute of Historical Research, School of Advanced Study, University of London, in collaboration with the team at Alderley Edge.
Dr Victoria Flood, the principal investigator on the project, said: “The app has been designed to offer visitors to Alderley Edge a new way to experience its rich, legendary history, which has shaped human relationships to the site for at least three centuries, and is rooted in regional narratives which are even older still."
The app creates an opportunity for a unique blend of local storytelling, placemaking and interactivity, giving an immersive platform for people to digitally engage with otherwise intangible histories.
Alongside the legendary content, the app shares information on the environmental history of Alderley Edge and has been designed to help raise awareness of the ecological importance of safeguarding non-built heritage sites.
Rachel Thomas, National Trust general manager for the Cheshire Countryside, said: "We hope that it will give people the chance to see the Edge in a new way and add some extra magic to their visits. We're also really excited that users of the app will be able to experience the stories of Alderley Edge digitally, even if they're unable to visit us in person."
Now it’s your turn to be the storyteller...
Share your legends of Alderley Edge through the Invisible Worlds Augmented Reality app.
For more information on how to download the app and any queries or troubleshooting, please visit the main website for the Invisible Worlds Project. You can also visit their YouTube channel for more insights and behind the scenes information.