Experience the world-premiere of Joe Ice Cream’s story trail in Swansea

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Joe’s Ice Cream Centenary: Experience the world-premiere of Joe Ice Cream’s story trail in Swansea

Brought to life for the first time, experience the beloved story of how Joe from Joe’s Ice Cream came from Italy to build Wales’ oldest Ice Cream parlour, through ground-breaking stortytelling technology

When: 10 August 2022, 9am-5pm (advanced media entry available).

Where: Swansea Central Library, Oystermouth Road, Maritime Quarter, Swansea SA1 3SN 

What: StoryTrails will allow the Swansea community to experience local stories and histories through the magic of augmented and virtual reality. Brought to life in the places where they happened, this experience – created with the community, for the community – reimagines public spaces, creating a free, entertaining, and playful family-friendly experience.

Who: StoryTrails will bring to life the story of Joe’s Ice Cream – from Joe’s journey as an Italian immigrant arriving in Swansea to becoming a beloved household name – narrated by actress Michelle McTernan, the whole family can get involved!

The story of Joe’s Ice Cream – from Joe’s journey as an Italian immigrant arriving in Swansea to becoming a beloved household name – is being featured in a ground-breaking immersive storytelling experience this August.

Told through a special augmented reality trail around Swansea, and narrated by actress Michelle McTernan, the whole family can get involved.

The experience, which includes augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and an immersive map of the city, is inviting residents to experience Swansea like never before.

For the first time, the story of Joe’s Ice Cream – who used their passion and drive to become central figures in their adopted community – is being told through an augmented reality trail around Swansea this August.

Centred around Swansea Library on 10 and 11 August and the streets of the city, residents are invited to experience Swansea like never before, through augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and an immersive map of the city.

The augmented reality trail, accessed through mobile devices, invites visitors to discover Joe Cascarini’s route to building the now famous Swansea ice cream brand, including his arrival from Italy in the 1920s, his supportive relationship with his sister and 2022’s digital centenary party to which everyone is invited.

Narrated in English by actress Michelle McTernan and in Welsh by Tonya Smith, the story is among hundreds told through ground-breaking multimedia technologies through StoryTrails this summer.

The trails, created using film from BBC, British Film Institute and local archives, present a window into the past. Visitors can borrow devices from the civic centre and follow guided augmented reality trails across the two-day event, or follow the route independently by downloading the StoryTrails app onto their own devices. 

Inside the library, immersive maps reveal stories of local people and familiar landmarks, such as Mumbles Pier, Swansea.com Stadium, and the National Waterfront Museum. Created by Owen Richards by 3D scanning the people and buildings that build up a picture of the life and heritage of each location, the 15-minute films play on a loop throughout the day and a further 20 stories can be viewed on iPads in the library.

Owen, alongside Jay Bedwani who created the AR trails in Newport, are two of 50 emerging creatives from around the UK selected to take part in the development of StoryTrails and benefit from expert training and mentoring opportunities from StoryFutures Academy, the National Centre for Immersive Storytelling, the team behind StoryTrails.

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Time travel continues inside the library across the live event days, when visitors enter digitally created worlds using a virtual reality (VR) headset, to hear stories from the 1980s, 1990s, and what earlier generations thought life would be like today. All the stories featured on the VR headsets are available at every stop on the StoryTrails UK tour.

Historian and television presenter David Olusoga, familiar to viewers of the BBC’s A House Through Time, narrates a further AR experience that invites visitors to turn a dial on a virtual giant radio and travel back in time.

StoryTrails, part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, is the UK’s largest immersive storytelling experience, taking place at 15 locations around the UK this summer. This innovative project is led by StoryFutures Academy, the National Centre for Immersive Storytelling. Professor James Bennett, Director of StoryFutures and StoryTrails, said:

“This is about getting people excited about where they live – helping them connect with stories of their towns and cities from the past and present through a new lens. New technologies like AR and VR can help build these connections and reignite people’s passion for the past. These technologies are for everyone – we want to find ways to engage people from all generations and spark a genuine celebration in each of our incredible locations.”

Martin Green CBE, Chief Creative Officer UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, said: “StoryTrails is one of ten ground-breaking UNBOXED projects taking place in 2022 that demonstrate the power of creative collaboration across science, technology and the arts to create extraordinary and never-seen-before public experiences. StoryTrails uses cutting edge technology to offer people the opportunity to hear about the places they live – the stories of individuals and communities – in a way that has not been done before.”