Projects
Lough Neagh Project
Lough Neagh Project
The development of an immersive experience for young people exploring the tales real and mythical of Lough Neagh and Rams Island.
Lough Neagh Tales will be AR/Audio Site Responsive Arts experience beginning on the shores of Lough Neagh and culminating on Rams Island. We will develop an immersive production for primary school children that brings to life the stories, real and mythical, that define the Lough and the island using AR, audio design and storytelling.
We propose to bring the real history of the island to life – hiding place of famed United Irishman Wolfe Tone, WW2 American soldiers whose initials pepper the trees, the ruins of Lord O Neill's holiday home in its former glory, juxtaposing these with the rich mythology of the region that includes Finn McCool, giant eels and mermaid Li Ban. A treasure trove of rich narratives held on the island while surrounded by the lough and its history of eel fishing.
We imagine a world where we can animate the water and the island based on the these, utilising AR animation to create another layer of reality sitting beside the physical landscape.
We will begin our R&D creating one story on the island and another on the water using AR bridging the natural/digital world. We will work with local schools developing the narrative, testing the assets when they are complete, toward a full production that showcases not only the rich heritage of Lough Neagh and Ram’s Island, but the impact Augmented Reality can have on a live immersive collaborative theatrical experience
Experiment
£20,000
Aims of the Project
The aim is to test the waters to create two stories one on water one on land to test the workability of the tech for an immersive experience for audiences.
Fundamental to the project is connecting with local communities and primary schools in the vicinity to create ownership of the project development which we hope will expand into a major new work in 2026.
Furthermore Immersive Arts funding will allow for a valuable up-skilling opportunity for a talented team of artists seeking to evolve their knowledge and understanding of the storytelling assets of utilising AR and VR with their traditional practise.
How did they do that?
This experiment project will allow Prime Cut to explore the immersive elements of Lough Neagh Tales using AR and audio to explore the landscape and stories held within the folklore and history of the Lough.
The long term ambition is to create an immersive production beginning on the shore and traveling to Rams Island. The project will be designed for a young audience and we will work closely with local schools in the area to develop the imagery which will be utilised in the AR visuals.
Meet the artists
Emma Jordan
Artistic Director
she / her
Emma is Artistic Director of Prime Cut Productions and has directed a strong body of critically acclaimed plays for the company, most recently The Beauty Queen of Leenane and The Border Game [ Lyric co-productions], Darren Murphy’s X’ntigone , Fionnuala Kennedy’s Removed, East Belfast Boy (Edgefest at The MAC, Edinburgh Fringe and Island of Ireland Tour) 2018-19, Red by John Logan a Prime Cut -Lyric co-production (Winner of 4 Awards at the 2017 Irish Times Theatre Awards including Best Director and Best Production. Nominated for Best Director 2017 UK Theatre Awards), Stacey Gregg’s Scorch (winner of 7 international awards.
Her Digital work includes Father The Father MAC online, Fionnuala Kennedy’s Removed for Traverse 3 Online, SEODA Culture Ireland Showcase and Imaginate, Fintan Brady’s East Belfast Boy for Eastside Arts Festival, Carmarthen Film Festival (Winner Best Poetic Film) Maui Film Festival, Dancer From The Dance Festival at Irish Film Centre, and Sydney Opera House UK Australia Season.
Emma has also directed New Electric Ballroom [ Gate theatre, Dublin] Educating Rita, Lovers Winners and Losers and A Streetcar Named Desire [ Lyric Theatre] ,Lord of The Flies [Sherman Theatre Cardiff and Theatr Clwyd ] and A Good Turn [ The Abbey Theatre, Dublin].
