An immersive storytelling experience combining papercraft, oral storytelling and Augmented Reality (AR) to bring the remarkable migration of barn swallows to life.
Developed with support from Immersive Arts / Celfyddydau Ymdrochol, the project explores how art, nature and technology can create moments of reflection, wonder and connection for people with limited access to the outdoors.
Through a printed postcard and a smartphone, participants follow a swallow’s journey between the UK and Africa, guided by the voices of storytellers Cara Silversmith and Chief Gift Amu Logotse.
The project is currently in prototype development and testing. It brings together illustration, oral storytelling, animation and interactive design, with augmented reality development by Tanya Parker.
The AR Experience (at a Glance)
An immersive, interactive story following the swallow’s migration between the UK & Africa, told by Celtic & African storytellers.
An accessible bedside activity connecting physical & digital worlds through a handmade paper swallow.
A gentle writing & reflection activity inviting participants to consider their own journeys & changing seasons of life.
AR connects the physical, emotional and digital elements of the experience, creating a shared moment of discovery & wonder.
At the heart of the experience is the story of a swallow’s migration—a metaphor for hope, connection and the paths we each take through life.
The turning seasons and the swallow’s demanding flight shape the story. Along the way, participants can reflect on their own experiences of change, uncertainty and belonging.
Guiding the whole AR experience is one underpinning principle: technology sits quietly behind the storytelling.
Viewed through a smartphone, the postcard becomes a window into the swallow’s world.
As each landscape unfolds, voices rooted in Celtic and African storytelling traditions connect the bird’s migration with human experiences of movement, memory and home.
The experience moves naturally between digital and physical forms. After completing the story, participants make a paper swallow and write a message of hope for it to carry—turning the experience into something personal, tangible and reflective.
Attendees responded particularly warmly to the project's sensitive subject matter, craftsmanship and its immersive approach to storytelling.
A Story Shaped by the Seasons
The changing seasons shape the story, interactions and emotional rhythm of the experience—creating space to reflect on change, uncertainty and renewal.
As the swallow’s journey unfolds, participants are invited to consider their own experiences of migration, memory, belonging and life’s changing seasons.
Bringing Migration to Life
Barn swallows travel thousands of miles between the UK and Africa, passing through dramatically changing landscapes along the way.
Four immersive environments trace their journey from familiar farmland across open water, mountain ranges and the vast Sahara. Illustration, animation and natural soundscapes convey the distance, transformation and challenges of migration through a simple, intuitive interaction.
As animated swallows move across the postcard, the storyteller guides participants through a wider world of migration, memory and hope. The physical and digital elements work together, allowing people to hold a piece of the story while becoming immersed within it.
Connecting Physical & Digital Worlds
Through a simple papercraft activity, participants make their own paper swallow and write a personal message of hope for it to carry home.
Designed for bedside and care settings, these gentle creative prompts offer space for personal reflection.
The experience concludes by bringing the swallow out of the screen and into the participant’s surroundings—transforming the digital story into something tangible and personal.
Future versions will gather individual messages into a growing flock, connecting participants through shared expressions of hope.
AR Experience Outcomes:
- Creative connection: Bringing papercraft, storytelling and immersive technology into care settings in an accessible, meaningful way.
- Supporting reflection: Creating gentle opportunities to explore themes of migration, belonging, loss and hope through the swallow’s journey.
- Reaching people in isolation: Extending the experience beyond group workshops to people who may be bedside, living with illness or otherwise unable to take part in shared creative activities.
- Making with meaning: Inviting participants to create their own paper swallow and share a personal message of hope for it to carry on its journey.
- Nature connection: Using the remarkable migration of swallows to foster wonder, connection and a sense of belonging to a wider living world.
A Collaborative Approach
The prototype has been shaped through collaboration. Ed Harrison leads the creative direction and illustration. Tanya Parker leads the augmented reality development, and Paul Marshall creates the animations. Cara Silversmith and Chief Gift Amu Logotse bring the experience to life through oral storytelling.
Together, the team is exploring how art, nature and technology can create accessible moments of reflection and connection in healthcare, community and cultural settings.
Through collaboration, this personal starting point opens into something shared—an invitation for others to reflect on their own journeys and find connection through the natural world.
Shaped by Love & Loss
The project grows from Ed’s personal experience of grief and loss, and his search for connection and hope through the natural world.
After the loss of his dad, the barn swallows returning each year to his family home became a powerful symbol of continuity, renewal and return.
What began as a personal response to loss has grown into a shared creative experience—offering moments of reflection, connection and hope to others navigating change in uncertain times.
Music, Making & Migrating Swifts
A three-day celebration of swifts at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, bringing families together through papercraft, storytelling, and live participatory music.
National Museums Scotland launch
A three-day celebration of papercraft, oral storytelling and conservation, marking the public launch of Wild Wings of Hope during the Scottish International Storytelling Festival 2025 and Black History Month Scotland.
