Wearing headphones, children hunt for traces of everyday magic and miracle in the grounds of a museum, park or cultural space. Guided by a narrative voice and intricate soundscapes (triggered by GPS): they unearth hidden treasures and artefacts discovered by The Society for the Protection of Magical Creatures.
Think: an artistic interpretation of “Geocaching”. Hidden Treasures is a game-like, theatrical experience that bridges digital and real world play creating an augmented audio reality to delight both adults and children. Perfect for the museum/theatre-shy, this outdoor audio adventure weaves in both natural and social histories by stealth, sparking imagination, conversation and wonder.
PHASE ONE: We were delighted to make Phase One in residence at Museum in the Park working with a group of test families and then sharing the prototype experience publicly in Stratford Park, Stroud in February 2022. We successfully worked with diverse families and local schools to encourage new families into the arts and into the Museum. We had 100% engagement in the piece and in school. After weeks of rain and gales, it seemed the world smiled on us as the sun shone and we received beautiful feedback and responses.
PHASE TWO: We see this as a permanent installation that can be made bespoke for Museums, Cultural Centres, Parks and Festivals around the country. We want to develop an app that seamlessly combines the analogue tech and multiple platforms of our prototype into one game-like interface whilst maintaining the phone in pocket experience and “log-book-charm”. Email us if you’re interested in becoming a partner for this next phase.
Concept, Script, Performance & Direction: Lucy Cassidy
Designer, Illustrator and Fabricator: Martha Lightfoot
Sound Designer & Composer: Joseff Harris
Web Designer & User Experience Consultant: Hannah Jackson
Emerging Producer: Julie Farr
Production & Participation Coordinator: Abigail Large (Museum in the Park)
Object Information: Abigail Large and Georgia Jamison at Museum in the Park
Workshop Participants and Testers: Amie, Emalya, Evelyn, Flora, Florence, Jordan, Lilah, Magnus, Nic, Rebecca, Robin, Ros, Rowan, Stasia, Tasha and Thea
Creative Producer: Katy Costigan
With Thanks to Josh and Tina at Echoes.xyz for their support