Border Sounds: Exploring The Sights & Sounds of the Border
In 2021, the PRONI (Public Records Office Northern Ireland) team, the Nerve Centre and 21 participants from the border communities of Northern and the Republic of Ireland created a Virtual Reality film of life on the border.
Participants took part in a virtual engagement programme including a series of creative workshops, comprising Haiku Writing, Sound Recording, 3D Filmmaking and Virtual Reality Storytelling.
The program culminated, following a tour of PRONI’s archives in Belfast where participants learned more about how our shared history is preserved, in the film being shown in a 360°. immersive environment, using Occulus Virtual Reality Headsets. Viewers were take on a journey along the Irish border through haikus and sounds, following stories of everyday life by those who lived near or on the border. This video is now hosted on YouTube and since it was shot using a 360° camera, clicking/pressing and dragging the video screen below or using the arrow keys shown in the top left hand corner, you will able to look around the scene as if you were really there.
This project was a Making the Future programme led by PRONI and the Nerve Centre with the Rural Community Network. Making the Future is a project supported by the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).