National Lottery backs University of Chester project to recreate Roman amphitheatre in VR
The University of Chester has won National Lottery funding to build a virtual reality experience of the city’s Roman amphitheatre, with the public invited to try it at this year’s Chester Heritage Festival.
The project, called Our City, Our Story: Deva Victrix in VR, will let users step inside a digital reconstruction of one of the most significant Roman sites in northern Britain.
Funding has been awarded through Arts Council England, which distributes National Lottery money to arts and heritage projects.
The amount awarded has not been published.
The experience has been built around a 3D model of the third century amphitheatre, originally developed by reconstruction artist Julian Baum and Tony Wilmott of Historic England, who was one of the site directors of the original excavation 20 years ago.
Users will be able to walk through the arena, up into the walkways and seating banks, and view it from the same perspective as audiences nearly 1,800 years ago.
They will also be able to handle virtual objects and meet characters based on real people known to have lived in Roman Deva, the Roman name for Chester, including a soldier, a trader, a gladiator and a Romano-British woman.
The project has been developed by the University of Chester with immersive design firm IMITO and Take27, the studio run by Julian Baum, who specialises in reconstruction of Roman Chester.
Caroline Pudney, senior lecturer in archaeology at the University of Chester and project lead, said: “This experience puts people at the heart of history. We’re inviting the public to step inside a carefully researched digital reconstruction of the Roman amphitheatre, meet characters inspired by those who once lived in Deva and tell us what they think. Their feedback will be vital in helping us develop an experience that both enchants and informs.”
Jacob Dale, chief executive and co-founder of IMITO, said: “At IMITO, we are driven to redefine how audiences connect with history. We believe that heritage should be something you can walk through, experience, and feel. In working on this project, we are incredibly proud to be bringing Deva Victrix back to life.”
The VR experience will be shown at the Chester Heritage Festival and the University of Chester’s Festival of Ideas, with dates and locations still to be announced.
Visitors will be able to give feedback during the trial sessions, which the project team said will help refine the build for future audiences.
More information on the University of Chester’s Festival of Ideas is available at www.festivalofideas.chester.ac.uk and on the Chester Heritage Festival at www.chesterheritagefestival.co.uk.
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