Companion Novel (meSch)

A prototype system for facilitating self-guided tours of a cemetery. The system is composed of two parts. The first part is a "book-like device" that the visitor carries with them as they walk around the cemetery. The second part is a network of sensors and speakers installed around the cemetery. When the sensors detect that a visitor with a book has approached one of installation sites, the speaker plays pre-recorded audio content about that location. By placing a magnetic "bookmark" on a different page of the book, the visitor can switch between different themes for the audio content. This prototype, created as part of the meSch project at Sheffield Hallam University, was later developed into the "Voices from the Trenches" installation for a WWI battlefield cemetery.

meSch project at Sheffield Hallam University

Ciolfi, L., Petrelli, D., Goldberg, R., Dulake, N., Willox, M., Marshall, M. T., & Caparrelli, F. (2013). Exploring historical, social and natural heritage: Challenges for tangible interaction design at Sheffield General Cemetery. Proceedings of NODEM 2013. Nordic Digital Excellence in Museums.