Alice Dalí AR: A Rabbit Hole Awaits

A new augmented reality app will turn a trip to Durham's Botanic Garden into a surrealist sensory experience for all the family.

The Alice Dalí app was originally developed by Dr Mads Haahr and Dr Svetlana Rudenko, who are both affiliated to Trinity College Dublin and Haunted Planet Studios. It will form part of a research collaboration with Dr Kelly Jakubowski in our music department. It was developed with the aim of providing an intergenerational play experience, where children (particularly aged 5-12) are encouraged to seek out the music-art experiences together with their carers.

The app includes a navigation game in which users search for augmented reality art and music experiences using a radar on their mobile phone screen. It can be downloaded free of charge by any visitor to the Botanic Garden, and provides a fun “virtual art exhibit” that can enhance a walk around the garden with an educational and cultural experience. It is based around the story of Lewis Carroll’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The artwork consists of 12 paintings by Salvador Dalí, who painted these for the 1969 edition of Carroll’s book, and the experience includes newly composed piano music by Dr Rudenko alongside narrations from the story itself. Haunted Planet Studios has produced other experiences of this type in Ireland and Denmark, but this is the first one installed in the UK. 

The app can be downloaded at any time at the link above. Botanic Garden opening times are as follows: 

Opening hours may change during bank holidays, so if you are planning a visit at these times we recommend contacting the Botanic Garden in advance to check the opening hours.