A work of fiction for VR exploring climate change, displacement and AI
Created by Andy Campbell and Judi Alston with funding and support from XR Stories, The Abandoned Library is a short VR experience and immersive digital art installation that premiered at The Art House Gallery in Wakefield and The British Library's MIX Conference in 2023. It was also showcased at the Beyond Conference in London in 2023.
In a future devastated by climate change, CJ, a young poet working as part of an environmental clean up operation on the flooded east coast of Northern England, tries to make sense of the fragmented world around her.
A multi-layered work featuring spoken word poetry performed by Toria Garbutt, archive film from the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive, an entity called The Librarian (Dr Guddi Singh) and advanced realtime 3D weather and water simulations, The Abandoned Library won the Game Republic Award for Most Innovative Use of Technology in 2023 and has appeared at numerous international festivals.
Available now for PCVR, Quest 2/3 as an immersive 360 video. To enquire about screenings and workshops please contact us
"The Abandoned Library uses tech to create a moving and powerful experience dealing with environmental disaster. It has widened access to immersive technology and raised awareness of global issues at the same time.”
- Neil Parmar, Escape Technology
"Exquisite storytelling... incredible attention to detail... beautifully written... very moving and powerful."
- MIX Storytelling in Immersive Media Conference, The British Library 2023
Production Team
Written, directed and produced by
Andy Campbell and Judi Alston
CJ spoken word written and performed by
Toria Garbutt
The Librarian
Dr Guddi Singh
Director of Photography - The Librarian
Dean Hinchliffe
Soundscape
Barry Snaith
3D artist and motion capture model
Tiara Ashworth
Music
Gesang Kangsa
Illustrations & Artwork in the Library
Evie Godfrey
Madison Newbound
Holly Snaith
Archive Film
Yorkshire & North East Film Archive
One to One Development Trust
Thanks to
Melodie Ash, John Rose-Adams, Joe Rees-Jones, Damon Jackson-Waldock, Claire Pickering, Graham Relton, Alexandra Haley, Clare Thomson and Melanie Paris.
Links and Resources
Creative Close Up article
Article in the Yorkshire Post
TAL at Beyond Conference, London
TAL at The Art House, Wakefield
TAL at the Yorkshire Film Archive
