Wild Wings of Hope in AR
An immersive storytelling experience combining papercraft, oral storytelling and Augmented Reality (AR) to bring the remarkable migration of barn swallows to life.
Caroline Parkinson Director of Creative Industries, Edinburgh Futures Institute
"Attendees responded warmly to the project's sensitive subject matter, craftsmanship and its immersive approach to storytelling."
The Brief
- Wild Wings of Hope brings together traditional storytelling and papercraft to celebrate the migration of barn swallows between the UK anf Africa.
- With £20,000 from Immersive Arts, we explored how technology could extend the papercraft and storytelling to support reflection, wellbeing and nature connection in healthcare settings.
- Working with developer Tanya Parker and storytellers Gift Amu and Cara Silversmith, we explored how digital interaction could preserve the warmth and tactile nature of the original project.
The Idea
- The experience begins with a simple postcard. Viewed through a phone, the swallow artwork comes to life through AR.
- Animation and nature soundscapes bring migration to life as the swallow travels between the UK and Africa, with spoken voiceovers from Celtic and African storytellers.
- Guided reflection and papercraft activities invite participants to slow down, create and explore their own journeys through writing.
The Result
- The first prototype was presented at the CreativeTech Scotland Gathering and is now being tested with NHS Lothian and RSPB Scotland.
- The project has also been selected for presentation at The Big Thing, Immersive Arts’ annual gathering of artists, producers, technologists, researchers and funders in Llandudno.
Bringing Migration to Life
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 long, demanding flight shape the story. Along the way, participants can reflect on their own experiences of change, uncertainty and belonging.
Connecting Physical & Digital Worlds
Through a simple papercraft activity, participants make their own paper swallow and write a message of hope for it to carry home. The experience concludes by bringing the swallow’s journey out of the screen and into the participant’s surroundings.
Guiding the whole AR experience is one underpinning principle: technology sits quietly behind the storytelling.
A Project Shaped by Collaboration
The project brings together illustration, immersive technology and oral storytelling to create a meaningful, participatory experience shaped by reflection, creativity and connection.
I shape its creative direction and visual world; Tanya Parker leads the AR technical development; and oral storytellers Cara Silversmith and Chief Gift Amu Logotse bring their voices and traditions to the work.
A Project Shaped by Personal Loss
The project grew from my own experience of loss and the annual return of swallows to my family home in Wales.
What began as a personal response to grief has evolved into a shared creative journey—bringing moments of nature, reflection and hope to people in healthcare and care settings who may need them most.