Ghosts in the Garden - Holburne Museum - Bath
Splash and Ripple are the team behind critically acclaimed psychological thriller Shadows Follow and is headed up by Rosie Fairchild, a former director of 2.8 Hours Later. Their latest "game" is Ghosts in the Garden, set in the stunning grounds of Sydney Park behind Holburne Museum in Bath.
Wanting to bring interactivity to a historical visit, Ghosts in the Garden gives the group the chance to decide on the outcome of a true-life story and the fate of the characters involved. Within a few minutes of entering the grounds we had decided that we would help out the supposed bad guys and our route through the remaining 45 minutes was dictated by the choices we made along the way.
Guiding us, was our ornate looking listening device that could pick up voices and situations from the past if we stood in the same places as where these events happened years before. As we walked round the park, different voices, snatches of music and echoes of the past drifted in and out and it was difficult not to imagine we were tuning in to real ghost projections. At key moments, the box would vibrate to tell us that we were at an important plot point and we would stop and listen to the next part of the ongoing story.
We found ourselves completely immersed in the story, and as a group we worked together to decide what to do at each junction and which characters to respond to during the game. Unlike a static audio tour of a museum, the listening device gives the opportunity for the group to work together and we saw lots of families enjoying the game - all following different paths around the grounds as they made different choices and followed one of the other multiple plotlines.
Clearly the listening device and the technology inside it is the star of the show. Designed to look like an old Georgian artefact, the box is clearly hiding some GPS technology and an mp3 player, but the fact that it knows where we’ve been and what choices we have made so far, stop us from just wandering straight to a plot point without seeing the other scenes first. But the fact that the technology is hidden in a box with knobs and little brass handles helps create a more romanticised version of the truth.
Talking of "romance", we weren’t sure whether the story would be something more akin to Jane Austen but fortunately the creators have picked on a real historical tale of dark deeds, sufferring and human torment. Perfect for a Sunday morning stroll!
Of course Ghosts in the Garden was a daytime event and wasn’t designed to be scary but the game could be done at dusk or at night time which would give a whole different edge to it. The snatches of ghostly voices you hear while walking around do create an atmosphere of a garden full of ghosts, and would be very spooky in the dark. Obviously going one step further the technology could be used for a more extreme scare event with the voices being more malevolent and random screams and threats emanating from the box. Given some of the previous events that Splash and Ripple have worked on – we wouldn’t put it past them to go for something more scary next time!
As it is though – Ghosts in the Garden is a fascinating new way to get people interested in history. In this modern world where there is an “app” for everything, the technology and the gaming element of the show will draw younger people into the story without alienating older visitors. Splash and Ripple should be commended for creating something so fresh and original while celebrating the history and grandeur of the location.
Ghosts in the Garden runs at the Holburne Museum in Bath.
Wanting to bring interactivity to a historical visit, Ghosts in the Garden gives the group the chance to decide on the outcome of a true-life story and the fate of the characters involved. Within a few minutes of entering the grounds we had decided that we would help out the supposed bad guys and our route through the remaining 45 minutes was dictated by the choices we made along the way.
Guiding us, was our ornate looking listening device that could pick up voices and situations from the past if we stood in the same places as where these events happened years before. As we walked round the park, different voices, snatches of music and echoes of the past drifted in and out and it was difficult not to imagine we were tuning in to real ghost projections. At key moments, the box would vibrate to tell us that we were at an important plot point and we would stop and listen to the next part of the ongoing story.
We found ourselves completely immersed in the story, and as a group we worked together to decide what to do at each junction and which characters to respond to during the game. Unlike a static audio tour of a museum, the listening device gives the opportunity for the group to work together and we saw lots of families enjoying the game - all following different paths around the grounds as they made different choices and followed one of the other multiple plotlines.
Clearly the listening device and the technology inside it is the star of the show. Designed to look like an old Georgian artefact, the box is clearly hiding some GPS technology and an mp3 player, but the fact that it knows where we’ve been and what choices we have made so far, stop us from just wandering straight to a plot point without seeing the other scenes first. But the fact that the technology is hidden in a box with knobs and little brass handles helps create a more romanticised version of the truth.
Talking of "romance", we weren’t sure whether the story would be something more akin to Jane Austen but fortunately the creators have picked on a real historical tale of dark deeds, sufferring and human torment. Perfect for a Sunday morning stroll!
Of course Ghosts in the Garden was a daytime event and wasn’t designed to be scary but the game could be done at dusk or at night time which would give a whole different edge to it. The snatches of ghostly voices you hear while walking around do create an atmosphere of a garden full of ghosts, and would be very spooky in the dark. Obviously going one step further the technology could be used for a more extreme scare event with the voices being more malevolent and random screams and threats emanating from the box. Given some of the previous events that Splash and Ripple have worked on – we wouldn’t put it past them to go for something more scary next time!
As it is though – Ghosts in the Garden is a fascinating new way to get people interested in history. In this modern world where there is an “app” for everything, the technology and the gaming element of the show will draw younger people into the story without alienating older visitors. Splash and Ripple should be commended for creating something so fresh and original while celebrating the history and grandeur of the location.
Ghosts in the Garden runs at the Holburne Museum in Bath.
The beautiful Holburne Museum sits at the edge of Sydney Gardens
The ornate "listening device" being modelled by the reviewer!
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Other players tune into ghost voices..
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A closer view of the amazing listening device and the map
For more info about other Splash and Ripple products including the terrifying Shadows Follow and Prison Break – check out their website.
You Review
The experience as a whole, with the sound and atmosphere created was spellbinding, and something the whole family can enjoy.
You Review
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