SME Partner

Michela Magas, Stromatolite LTD

Academic Partner 

Frank Millward, Kingston University London

Project Title

London Memories

Project Description

The London Memories collaboration between Stromatolite LTD and Kingston University London sought to create a mobile platform which mapped communities’ memories and narratives onto locations, buildings, objects and features throughout the city. Making use of the Google Maps application program interface (API) and adopting the ubiquitous Blue Plague, here interpreted as Blue Pins, the London Memories app would turn London into an explorable archive of memories.

In March 2013 Stromatolite hosted a kickoff workshop which brought together representatives of Kingston and experts in the field, including two PhD candidates from Goldsmiths. Afterwards a series of meetings and events were hosted in Deptford, Peckham, Kingston Upon Thames and Waterloo to engage with communities and set condition for future interaction between researches and the public. Systems for translating memory into media, sound, film or image, were designed and tested.

The collaboration succeeded in developing two versions of the software and secured Jedidiah Broadben, a renowned user interface designer, to re-code the entire platform. The process of development lead to new methods for addressing the aggravation of content, the integration of multiple APIs and numerous usability issues.

Additional funding was required to continue developing the project and the potential of applying to the Technology Strategy Board for a large sum was explored.