We brought history to life with a cutting edge interactive installation in this 1,000-year-old fortification.
Colchester Castle had just acquired a replica of a 2,000-year-old Ballista; an enormous crossbow well over six feet long and wide.
The curators of the museum had a vision that the Ballista would be more than just a showpiece. They wanted visitors to be able to get hands-on with history (digitally, of course). And so we were given a unique challenge and a deceptively simple sounding brief: to bring history to life.
We decided the best way to achieve the brief was to introduce two types of technology never before seen in the museum: RFID activation and touchless swiping. This would give visitors the most immersive projection experience possible, allowing them to get hands on with the installation. Projecting animated graphics onto a custom-built hub for locking, loading and firing a digital bolt across the castle was only the beginning of our vision for a real ‘wow’ experience.
From placing an interactive token to swiping back a hand and watching as a whole two-storey internal wall becomes the target, we transported people back a millennium with this projection!
One of the ways we judge how successful we’ve been with a family-based interactive is by watching the faces of the people as they use it, and the joy and wonder the Ballista Interactive has brought to the castle’s visitors is easy to see.
We’re delighted that the Ballista has become a firm favourite at Colchester Castle, bringing people back to the museum so they can use it time and time again. Donations to the castle significantly increased, and the installation was a great marketing tool, creating a stir across all forms of media.
bringing history to life through interactivity
“The museum has been able to use the impressive visuals & exciting new technology as a great marketing tool”
COLCHESTER + IPSWICH MUSEUMS
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