Features / Bristol Open Doors 2018
The app developers revealing the past
Over the weekend of September 14 to 16, Bristol Open Doors will attract people from all over the city into spaces and buildings they’ve never been to before.
Alongside the caves, churches and libraries flinging open the doors, a small team from Bristol-based immersive media company SATSYMPH will be bring Queen Square’s history to life, “opening doors to an event in Bristol’s history” as they put it.
The experience they’ve devised, called 1831 RIOT! is a free app that tells the story of the riots that took place in Queen Square on October 29 1831.
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The riots followed a decision in the House of Lords to reject the second Reform Bill, which would have given Bristol greater representation in the House of Commons. At the time, only 6,000 of Bristol’s population of 104,000 was able to vote.
A depiction of the Bristol Riots showing the 3rd Dragoon Guards violently suppressing protestors in Queen Square
An original audio play based on the events of the riot was developed 15 years ago for Mobile Bristol with HP Labs and the University of Bristol.
The play, written by freelance writer Ralph Hoyte and filmmaker Liz Crow, used very early GPS technology to create an immersive experience for listeners as they walked around Queen Square.
“Not many people had smartphones 15 years ago, the play was originally made for the HP Palmtops which needed were few and far between in 2004,” Ralph told Bristol24/7.
Aware of the limited accessibility of the original app, Ralph and the project’s sound designer Phill Phelps with the help of UWE Bristol students have remade 1831 RIOT! for a 2018 audience.
Using the original 106 recorded sound files, the whole play has been broken down into 14 mini-plays which each has their own timeline. Each story has a natural climax and resolution to encourage exploration around Queen Square.
Phill says: “Most people think as Bristol Open Doors as a chance to explore buildings they’ve never been to before, but we want to explore a time in history in a place they have been before.”
Download the 1831 RIOT! app via Google Play or the App Store.
The makers of the app will be at Thunderbolt Square, on the corner of Prince Street and King Street, to meet and talk about the project between 10am and 4pm on Saturday, September 15. For more information, visit www.bristolopendoors.org.uk/events/1831-riot
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