The history and archaeology of Lewis is the latest to benefit from augmented reality following the launch of a new immersive experience at Loch an Dùin.
Developed by the UHI Archaeology Institutes Dr Rebecca Rennell and Dr Emily Gal, in partnership with the Point and Sandwick Trust (PST) and heritage society, Comann Eachdraidh an Rubha, Lewis Unearthed uses augmented reality in a free app that reveals how people may have lived at Loch an Dùin from the Neolithic through the Iron Age and into medieval times.
The new experience was launched on Tuesday at Ionad Stoodie in Point at 2pm, followed by a visit to Loch an Dùin where guests were able to experience the digital reconstructions within the landscape that inspired them. Lewis poet Anne Frater, who was commissioned to write a poem inspired by Loch an Dùin for the project, also attended the launch and read the poem as part of the afternoon.
Speaking at the launch last week, Dr Rebecca Rennell said: “We were delighted to be approached by Point and Sandwick Trust and Comann Eachdraidh an Rubha last year to help develop this new archaeology trail in Lewis.
“Community engagement and co-production have always been at the heart of the Unearthed projects at UHI North, West and Hebrides. However, this project represents an entirely new approach to partnership working for us, with the collaboration initiated and led by a community organisation.
“It’s been fantastic working together and we’d love to develop similar partnerships with other groups across the Outer Hebrides interested in adding their archaeological heritage to the Unearthed archaeology trails.”
D.J. MacSween, the general manager of the Point and Sandwick Trust, added: “Improving local and visitor access to the rich archaeology of the Point and Sandwick area has been one of the key objectives in our development plan, and Lewis Unearthed is an exciting way of helping us to do that.
“We hope Loch an Dùin is just the start of improving understanding of and access to other archaeological sites across our area. We’re delighted that the next potential phase at Eaglais na h-Aoidhe is already being explored and look forward to seeing how Lewis Unearthed can develop from here.”
Lewis is internationally renowned for archaeological landmarks including the standing stones at Calanais, the broch at Càrlabhagh and the blackhouses at Àrnol, but hundreds of other significant archaeological sites can be found across the island.
Lewis Unearthed aims to make some of this lesser-known heritage more visible and accessible, using archaeological research and digital technology to allow people to experience the past in the places where it happened.
Drawing on decades of research, the free Outer Hebrides Unearthed app allows users at Loch an Dùin in Pabail (Bayble) to explore life-sized augmented reality reconstructions showing how settlement at the site may have changed over around 5,000 years.
Users can explore reconstructed buildings, look inside them and hear the crackle of fires as they experience interpretations of Loch an Dùin during the Neolithic, Iron Age and medieval periods. Islet sites such as Loch an Dùin also provide evidence of how communities returned to and reused places that already held significance, sometimes thousands of years after their original occupation.
Local archaeologist and Point resident Carol Knott provided the academic research underpinning the Lewis Unearthed models and interpretation. Following the site visit, guests heard from Dr Rennell, who presented proposals for Eaglais na h-Aoidhe as a potential future phase of Point and Sandwick Trust’s involvement in Lewis Unearthed.
Lewis Unearthed builds on the award-winning Uist Virtual Archaeology Project and the subsequent Barra and Harris Unearthed projects. The Uist Virtual Archaeology Project received three Archaeological Achievement Awards in 2022 – for Outstanding Achievement, Innovation, and Public Dissemination and Presentation.
