Traces Olion
Traces is not an audio guide. Nor is it a tourist guide. It is a companion telling you a story that reveals fragmented moments of intertwining fact and fiction inspired by St Fagans; the space, it’s stories and archives. It is for the curious. For the seekers of mystery. And for those who are willing to get lost in the traces of a story.
Traces | Olion was a collaboration between the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff University and yello brick with the aim of looking at new methods of engagement for heritage sites. The Museum was interested in how they could make meaningful connections between people and place and attract new audiences to St Fagans National Museum of Wales through an engaging digital experience.
We worked with the staff at St Fagan's to understand the site, it’s stories and current audience behaviours to inform the development of the experience.
“there were moments when i recognised myself in the stories and felt connected to st fagans in a new way. loved it!”
In response to the brief we created a site specific bilingual audio app designed as a single experience (which follows an accessible route) or an experience that could be shared with a partner. Split into chapters, participants are taken on a journey around the site framing the space in a new way through narrative and composition. Traces is mindfully designed to encourage participants to put their phone in their pocket once they start their journey and take in their surroundings.
A mix of storytelling, game and meditation, it is both playful and thoughtful. Rich in poetic narrative and composition designed to help you escape into the beauty of the landscape. Sometimes you are a listener, sometimes an invisible actor or the central person in a fragmented and fleeting narrative. Moments come into focus then fade and blur as you transition between chapters of a story told by an anonymous narrator.
“the app’s focus on feelings, not facts is a departure for us in terms of our organisational culture – and is an important acknowledgement that our museums are repositories for memories, feelings, stories as well as information.”
The collaboration generated interesting discussions of what future engagement for the Museum and the broader heritage sector could look like and more importantly feel like. The partnership with Cardiff University enabled an understanding of the impact of the project through a study that examined the experience from the audience’s perspective.
Traces | Olion has received high acclaim within the heritage sector and in academic circles. Traces has been featured in Heritage & Museums Conferences both in the UK and abroad.
“i loved doing the partner experience, it was nice to share a secret experience with someone”
Traces was created for St Fagans National Museum of Wales in collaboration with the National Museum of Wales and Cardiff University academic Jenny Kidd. The creative dream team consisted of Producer Alison John, writer Sara Lewis, composer Jak Poore, actor Natalie Paisey and technical developers Hoffi.
