Riot 1831!

riot1831queensq Riot 1831! is an audio installation created in June 2004, a world-first voice-play for mobile computer technology. Each scene is written for a specific location within Queen Square. As visitors move around the square with a GPS-connected mobile computer and headphones they access one of the multiple scenes allocated to that location. In this way they become immersed in the riots in the very place were they took place more than 170 years before.

1831 Riot! was commissioned as one of the flagship projects of Mobile Bristol, an ongoing research project run jointly by Hewlett Packard Laboratories and University of Bristol to push the creative boundaries of mobile computer technology and to test users’ responses.

Six actors were hired to record the play. The writers arranged the recording schedule and a sound engineer (me) produced all of the recording and sound effects. The quality of the sounds was a major factor in the success of the piece and was frequently commented on.

Riot 1831! was shortlisted for the New Media Awards (2005) and was a finalist with Hewlett Packard’s Mobile Bristol in the Computing Awards for Excellence (2004).

Reviews

“…the sound quality was great, as people imagined the Dragoons charging or even jumping in surprise at some of the louder pieces of audio.” – BBC Bristol

“It’s not like listening to the radio – you are more in it. You are in the actual area and feel part of it.” – BBC Bristol

“…the first ever located radio play, designed to unfold as you walk around Queen Square.” – Guardian

“If you think history and technology don’t mix, this might just change your mind.” – BBC Points West

Audio Clips (this is a selection of ten of the 150 audio files used in Riot 1831!)

Custom House Burning: