Cemeteries like Fawkner Memorial Park are troves of history – filled with reminders of extraordinary lives and cultural touchstones. The Discover Cemeteries app lets visitors bring these stories to life while they walk through the park, using a mix of animation, audio, video and augmented reality (AR).
As the first ever use of AR technology in a cemetery setting, this is a groundbreaking project that GMCT hopes will lead the way for other organisations in the sector.
AR allows a uniquely immersive, interactive experience. In one example, visitors will see images inspired by the paintings of Noongar artist Revel Cooper overlaying and blending in with the landscape that surrounds them through the screen of their phone. “GMCT has a wealth of history and heritage resources and we’re always looking for new and innovative ways to share these with the community,” said CEO Andrew Eriksen.
Visitors can download the app for iOS at the App Store and take two self-guided tours of Fawkner Memorial Park, where they will see the resting places and learn the stories of ordinary people who led extraordinary lives.
One stop on the tour tells the story of Bill Bull, a Gunai/Kurnai man whose gumleaf street music enthused audiences as much as it landed him in trouble with the law. Another introduces visitors to Bill Edwards, a transgender man in early 20th century Melbourne who told his own story in a scintillating memoir. Also featured are football hero John Coleman, trailblazing war hero Kathleen Best and Melbourne’s original king of jazz, Frank Traynor.
While some names are little known today, all of them have fascinating stories to tell. The variety of stories on offer reflects the diversity and richness of Melbourne’s history. GMCT is proud to play a role in preserving the cultural memory of the invaluable heritage in its care, which can all too easily be forgotten.
GMCT is also proud to partner with the Melbourne-based video, animation, AR and virtual reality studio Creativa in presenting a visionary project that demonstrates how new technologies can revitalise history and help create a modern, living cemetery where visitors are empowered to reflect, learn and explore.
The launch coincided with GIS Day (16 November), which celebrates applications like Discover Cemeteries that use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to enhance and enrich people’s lives. The event was be held at the Fawkner Memorial Park Tearooms. GMCT CEO Andrew Eriksen spoke at the launch, explaining the importance of the app for our commitment to maintaining and sharing the cultural heritage in our care.
You can download the app and experience it yourself for iOS at the App Store. Click here to learn more.