Shop front exhibition in Warwick combines history and technology to provide ‘window into town’s past’

Warwick District Council has partnered with technology company RiVR to create the interactive Windows into the Past exhibition in Market Street
The Windows into the Past exhibition in Market Street, Warwick town centre.The Windows into the Past exhibition in Market Street, Warwick town centre.
The Windows into the Past exhibition in Market Street, Warwick town centre.

A new shop front exhibition in Warwick town centre combines history and technology to provide a ‘window into the town’s past’.

Warwick District Council (WDC) has partnered with technology company Reality in Virtual Reality (RiVR) to create the interactive Windows into the Past exhibition at the retail unit formerly occupied by TSB in Market Street.

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Historic buildings and objects across Warwick have been scanned by RiVR using a process called photogrammetry, in which thousands of photos are taken from multiple angles and stitched together into a fully interactive 3D model.

The Windows into the Past exhibition in Market Street, Warwick town centre.The Windows into the Past exhibition in Market Street, Warwick town centre.
The Windows into the Past exhibition in Market Street, Warwick town centre.

The exhibition allows people to scan QR codes using their phone to interact with these models, zoom in and examine them in detail.

The Lord Leycester Hospital, Warwick Castle, Randolph Turpin’s statue, items from Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum’s collection and a full model of Warwick as it looked in Medieval times can be scanned.

People can place these models into real-world environments through ‘augmented reality’ allowing them, for example to put the Lord Leycester Hospital on their dining room table or Abraham Bloemaert’s painting The Prodigal Son on their living room wall.

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Councillor Liam Bartlett, WDC’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and leisure, said: “We’ve been presented with an opportunity to maximise our town centre spaces in new and unique ways, allowing people to explore its history and heritage with an immersive experience.

The Windows into the Past exhibition in Market Street, Warwick town centre.The Windows into the Past exhibition in Market Street, Warwick town centre.
The Windows into the Past exhibition in Market Street, Warwick town centre.

“Technology and history are the perfect pairing.

“The process of photogrammetry perfectly preserves the detail of our historical objects and buildings for future generations to enjoy.”

The project was made possible by RiVR, Littlefish Creative and with funding from the Government’s Welcome Back Fund.

The exhbition will remain in place for the next few months as part of WDC’s CultureFest, which celebrates the arts and heritage venues, artists, and creatives in the district during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

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Brothers Alex Harvey and Joe Harvey, co-founders of RiVR, added: “Having grown up in Warwick it has been a pleasure to mix work with our passion for history.

"We’re looking forward to sharing this new technology with more people, by integrating these experiences into historic locations in the area.”