A new app has been launched to help people discover more of the city’s history thanks to a series of special walking trails.
The app, which was created as part of an ongoing collaboration between the BRLSI and Bath Spa University, contains four walks, all of which tell a little-known narrative about the city and centre upon unique objects from the BRLSI’s significant collection.
From Jurassic creatures via the Romans to the present day, some of the greatest names and most significant moments in history have come to be associated with our area.
The four stories span 4.2 billion years, from the formation of the planet to the lost worlds of extinct species, from the friendship that forged Darwin’s Origin of Species to the world’s first industrial war.
Focusing on a single artefact from the collection of the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, the trails will take you on a historical journey through the city to reveal a detailed and fascinating story about that object’s connection to Bath and BRLSI.
Each walk begins at a unique location and will lead you back to the BRLSI building in Queen Square where you can see for yourself the objects that provided inspiration for your walk on display as part of a dedicated exhibition.
Development of the BRLSI’s Bath Discovery Trails was led by Tim Vyner, Professor of Illustration at Bath Spa University with Rupert Bassett, Associate Lecturer in Graphic Communication, and Renée Binyon and Adrian Boots of TrailMakerPRO™.
Tim said: “BRLSI’s Bath Discovery Trails have been a really exciting project to work on. Working with Isabel Hurley, Maidei Kambarami, Edna Monteiro, Nicky Stevens, and Rosie Yates — all postgraduate design students at Bath Spa University — we produced unique city trails that engage new audiences with the collection.
“We worked with the Collections team at BRLSI, led by curator Matt Williams, to identify four objects that best reflect the diverse nature of the Institution, and then set out to create a digital narrative that connected each object to the City of Bath.
“The students produced many individual pieces of artwork, including illustration, photography, printmaking and typography, that have been collaged together to illustrate the unique story of each object and its close connection to the city and to BRLSI.”
Renée, from TrailMakerPRO™, added: “We were delighted to work with BRLSI and Bath Spa University to pilot our new trail app platform to provide a bespoke, licensed app which gives visitors to the city a unique and engaging way to interact with the BRLSI collection”, and BRLSI certainly hope that visitors will be encouraged to see what these young female creatives have come up with.
Bath MP Wera Hobhouse praised the project and said she is looking forward to completing one of the trails.
She said: “It is great to see students in Bath create such an innovative and unique experience. This app is a real asset, and it will enrich tourists’ experience whilst visiting the city.
“It will provide a unique experience and will teach people about Bath’s colourful history. I’m looking forward to completing one of the trails to learn more about the history of Bath.”
The app and exhibition have been made possible thanks to the support of the Art Fund, which awarded the BRLSI a grant through their Respond and Reimagine programme.
The Bath Discovery Trails app is available for both Android and Apple smartphones. To download the app, follow the relevant links at http://brlsi.org/app.
The trails are designed for adults and children aged 10 and over, and are intended to be as interactive as possible, inviting walkers to engage with their natural surroundings through the provision of a ‘picture challenge’ where images are uploaded to a gallery on your phone.
Each route is distinct and takes between 90 and 120 minutes to complete.
